Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Body Harness for treestand hunting

I need to buy a new harness by spousal decree. What are you guys liking?
I like to wear mine outside of all my outerwear. I use the hood on my jacket pretty often and when the tether comes from the inside, I can't put my hood up in rough weather. I also like enough tether to allow free movement.
Opinions?

Thanks for posting, I probably need to buy one as well.

Most treestand/hunting safety harnesses would not be legal on a jobsite.

This is because the safety line fastens to the back of the harness, which leaves you dangling with your back to the tree. This makes self-rescue after you fall much more difficult than if the safety line fastens to the front of the harness. And self-rescue is important, because dangling in the harness can lead to death in a relatively short time.

The crotch/thigh straps tighten with your body weight, which may impede venous return from the legs but still allows arterial blood flow into the legs. Eventually so much blood is trapped in your legs that your heart can't pump enough blood to the brain to keep you alive.

This is not a myth. I have had two of these cases in my ER over the years, both young people who died by this mechanism.

The safest harnesses are industrial equipment, certified by OSHA and bought at a safety store. They have wider straps and fasten in the front. They don't come in camouflage, but that's not a problem in my opinion.

The safety people recommend that anyone who wears a fall-arrest harness should practice self-rescue in the harness.

Check out the rock climbing harness. They attach in the front making self rescue much easier. I have tried both and prefer the rock climbing harness. There have been extensive postings over on Archery Talk on this subject.

Rock climbing harnesses are another good option. Last time I checked, prices were about equal for climbing harnesses and OSHA-approved safety harnesses.

Wouldn't the tether be in the way for shooting archery equipment with a front attachment?
And, if it's better, why are no hunting harnesses designed this way? Not being antagonistic, just asking.

Some examples:


http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/s...T9A&gclid=CNeGsb31qroCFUwV7AoddR0AUQ

http://www.rocknrescue.com/acatalog/Born-Body-Harness.html

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/harnesses/fall-protection/safety/ecatalog/N-azy

This quote is from the Grainger website I cited here:

I can guess at a couple reasons. Most hunters would assume that a front-fastening device would impede handling of a gun or bow. Most hunting harnesses are cheap and making true safety harnesses would increase prices, which would cut down sales. I think most hunters don't care... they assume they're never going to fall and need a fall-arrest harness, nor to self-rescue after they fall; rock climbers and industrial workers know they're likely to fall.

DocRocket is partially correct. Self-rescue is important BUT OSHA harnesses ARE NOT the answer. He is correct on the practice too.

First off, OSHA fall protection systems (not just a stand alone harness) do not prevent suspension trauma as they have a lowering device and/or you are not alone. Second the front attachment is a recipe for disaster in a treestand with bows, guns in the way and you will end up lowering the attaching strap which results in more G's shock on a fall and definetly eliminate self recovery.

However, the new treestand harnesses are addressing that issue. They have wider straps, better buckles, better seat pans to put the harness under the butt and not on the legs/thighs.

Most are addresing what is called "suspension trauma" with attachable straps to address the suspension trauma issue. This allows the hunter to basically stand with his feet in an attachable stirrup and elimate the suspension trauma until he can self recover.

More importantly hunters need to understand where the attaching strap on the tree is located. ie not at waist level but above the head where IF you fall you go no lower than mid body on the stand. Most tree stands are setup improperly that results in the fall and inability to self recover. Improper placement of the attaching strap will significantly limit self recovery.

Hunter Safety Systems(and others) uses harness built into a easily put on vest with suspension trauma straps. Summit, others all now build those into their "aftermarket" systems. Forget the harness that comes with the treestand IMO. They are a total PITA to put on correctly and too many leave them at home or in the truck because of that.

If you are older or for some reason are limited in your ability to self recover here are a couple systems that address that issue.

Here are two systems that lower you to the ground on your command IF you cannot self recover.

http://hunterrescue.com/ has a complete self recovery system built in to lower you to the ground.

Mountaineer Sports has the Rescue One CDS system that does the same. It is easily repacked if you have to use it.

IMO one of the best, but not cheap. Then sow much is your life worth? less than the price of a medium qualilty scope?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K33QyuCu1w

1. Check with your local state fish and game departments as most are now offering free specific tree stand safety courses that teach all of that and show you the new harnesses and recovery systems.

2. Setup your treestand in your yard about 2-3 ft off the ground and practice self recovery with your harness BEFORE you go to the woods. Learn what works, does not work and exactly how to make your stands and harness work together. Learn how to utilize the suspension relief straps and how to self recover.

BTW, 20 years as a safety specialist so I know OSHA fall protection systems and I am a certified trainer/hunter ed instructor for treestands.

Its a good point, Im my opinion one of the causes of the most difficulties in self rescue is too much slack in the restraint system. A rear tether can be adjusted so that from most positions a fall is only inches and a hunter could regain his platform or climbing sticks etc, yet still allows him to stand or shoot his bow/ gun. A front tether might leave you facing the tree, but if it was left to loose might place you below your stand. of course a tight front tether would be ideal, but perhaps limit movement in the stand.

Rock climbers who do extended belays and want to release the pressure on there leg loops often take a 4 ft (double length) runner and slap a prussik around the rope (or tether or anchor depending) and then can use the free end as a stirup. Of course that won't help if the fall left you unconsious.

Thanks for sharing your expertise and that website. Looks like a well-designed self-rescue system that solves the problems with front-tethered harnesses and archery equipment!

The Muddy harness is a great one and I've used several of the ones on the market today. It's tangle free, easy to get in and out of and quite too. Metal buckles are rubber coated to reduce noise. It has a suspension relief strap if you fall. The Muddy and a life-line are how I roll and I feel very safe crawling in and out of my loc-ons....

Muddy Harness

The HSS pro series is the one I use. I looked at a bunch of them and this was the one I liked the best. Easy to put on was my main criteria. Harnesses have come a long way, they're much better than the stuff out 20 years ago.

http://www.huntersafetysystem.com/hss-pro-series/

Thanks for the links. I'll look into the Muddy. I'd not seen that one before.

Threads like this make me want to hunt on the ground!

Great thread. I learned a lot about harness.I use the Osha harness while working and it is heavy and uncomfortable as hell.
Some of these would be great to use. I was interested in knots some of these showed so looked up some of them and came across this web site that shows you how to tie them. animatedknots.com

Sounds like a solution to me.

all good points, folks laugh at me for not getting very far off the ground without a harness. comes from working in the oilfield and having a 4' rule.

seen a nasty safety bulletin once where a hand was wearing his leg straps to loosely. fell and caused his nuts to squirt out the sack , for lack of the medical terms.

So use the proper harness, the proper way, and make sure it has some sort of arrestor built in. Lot I've seen the the sewed tear away strips.


Dave

Interesting thread. This is the first tree stand for me, as it is pre-existing on a new lease. The seat is about 12-13 feet off the ground. No doubt enough to do serious harm.

This stand will be my #3 choice, probably use it only for late season pistol hunts. Maybe bow next year. I need to study it in detail and think through scenarios, in event of problems. The self-rescue issue in particular demands some planning, even though the stand is not that high.

I can remember as a kid jumping off a neighbor's house, and landing on the grass after falling 8-9 feet; that was many years and many pounds ago Guess I am getting more risk-adverse as I get older.

A few years ago in California a customer of mine fell out of tree stand, and was paralyzed; he eventually died of complications, a couple years later. I never did learn why or how far he fell.

I wonder what causes most falls? Falling asleep? Leaning too far to make a shot and losing your balance? Mechanical failures?