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?

Most falls take place getting in and out of the stands!

New systems use linemans belt around the tree going up, then attach the retention strap to the tree above the stand BEFORE unhooking the linemans belt and climbing in.

Place the ladder/steps etc above the bottom of the stand so you can step off the ladder/step onto the stand and not have to attempt to climb up.

Now you can use a safety line/lifeline above the stand to the ground with a simple sliding prussic knot to go up and down and still being tied in. Summit systems and others sell them for $30-40.

http://www.huntersafetysystem.com/store/tree-stand-life-line.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bw3IlQ3mVs

1/3 of all hunters will fall at some point. 10% of those will be killed or permanently disabled. Pure statistical fact still valid today.

Can you cite a source for those stats? I'd like to have some backup for the next time I talk to a hunter about treestand safety.

That is commonly known statistic in all of the state hunter ed courses today; published in numerous articles in hunting magazines and the International Bowhunter Education Program courses.

State of Virginia now has an 8 hour treestand safety course.

Maybe I read that wrong but 3.3% of hunters who hunt out of a tree will die from a fall....no way.

This is just a sample

"A team of medical researchers in Pennsylvania carried out a study on tree stand falls. Their study of the database of emergency rooms and trauma centres covered the period 1987-2001. During that time 280 hunters received treatment for tree stand falls. Of the 280 hunters, 6 died after falling from their stands. The main findings from the study were:

The highest rate of falls were in the 50-59 year age group
The median height for the falls was 18 feet [falls ranged from 4 feet to 40 feet]
63% [176 hunters] had some alcohol in their blood
10% [17 hunters] were legally intoxicated "

"Maryland has had 111 tree-stand accidents reported to the state between 1990 and 1998, five were fatal."

"What You Must Know About Treestand Safety- Pt 1
By Richard L. Holdcraft, - HHD Consulting Group
Oct 14, 2008 - 6:58:04 AM

In a recent report, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimated that 6,410 injuries attributed to treestand use were treated in U.S. hospitals nationwide in 2001. This is based on a review of their National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). Their data sources further indicated that there were 137 incidents involving treestands from 1980 through 2001. Included in these statistics were 62 deaths, 55 injuries, 17 incidents not involving death or injury, and 3 incidents in which the outcome is unknown. Of the 137 incidents, 54 mentioned treestand failures resulting in 6 of the deaths, 40 injuries, and 8 incidents without injury. There were eight incidents involving hanging or traumatic asphyxiation by a safety belt around the waist or chest that resulted in death. These are only the incidents reported by hospitals; they do not include statistics for incidents that are misclassified but still treestand related.

The CPSC estimates there may be at least 11 million treestands in use by hunters. The estimated annual shipments of all manufactured treestand types could exceed 1.4 million units. The total annual retail sales of all manufactured treestand types range from $75 million to $150 million. The use of treestands for hunting has increased dramatically in the past few years. Along with the increase in their use comes an increase in the number of serious or fatal injuries. While firearms related incidents has declined tremendously since mandatory hunter education courses were instituted and blaze orange laws were passed, the number of treestand related incidents has increased significantly. During 2003, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission reported that 75 % of their hunting fatalities were due to treestand accidents."

"Current Trends Tree Stand-Related Injuries among Deer Hunters -- Georgia, 1979-1989
Tree stands are elevated platforms used for hunting large game; they provide an expanded field of vision while minimizing ground scent. To characterize unintentional hunting injuries associated with the use of tree stands, the Georgia Department of Human Resources and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR) studied all tree stand-related deer hunting injuries (reported on Georgia's mandatory Uniform Hunter Casualty Report form) for the 10 hunting seasons (mid-September through mid-January) during 1979-1989. A tree stand-related injury was defined as any injury associated with any device used to hunt deer from a tree. The number of big game (deer, bear, and turkey) hunting licenses issued in Georgia from the 1979-80 through the 1988-89 seasons was obtained from the Fishing and Game Licensing Bureau, GDNR.

During the 1979-1989 hunting seasons, 594 deer hunting-related injuries (including 85 fatal injuries) were reported in Georgia--a mean rate of 24.9 deer hunter injuries per 100,000 hunting licenses sold per year (range: 11.2-32.4) (Figure 1). Of these, 214 (36%) were tree stand-related (8.9 tree stand-related injuries per 100,000 hunting licenses sold per year (range: 2.4-13.7)) (Figure 1); 17 (8%) of these were fatal. All the tree stand-related injuries occurred during hunting season. Tree stand-related injuries occurred in 89 (56%) of the 159 counties in Georgia; however, 24 (11%) injured hunters were residents of one of the five bordering states. The median age of injured hunters was 38 years (range: 8-72 years). Of nine who were less than 16 years of age, four were hunting without the supervision of an adult greater than or equal to 21 years of age.

The type of hunting weapon was known for 178 tree stand-related injured hunters: 139 (78%) were hunting with a rifle; 23 (13%), with a bow and arrow; and 16 (9%), with a shotgun. Fractures and strains or sprains were the most commonly reported injuries (Table 1). Cervical spine fractures accounted for 16 (10%) of the fractures. Injuries to the trunk and extremities included fractures of the lumbar vertebrae, ribs, wrists, and ankles."

So 33% fall and of those 33%, 63%(almost 2/3) had been drinking.
That's telling.....
It seems that my simple question about recommended harnesses has turned into a "If you hunt from a treestand, you'll likely die from having your nuts squished out." thread.
While there is some good info here, it's not really answering my question. I am aware of the risks involved with leaving the ground. But I'm also aware that wearing a comfortable harness that allows freedom of movement mitigates some of that risk. Having a comfortable harness also ensures that I will wear it every time.

There was a 42 year old guy here in KPT last week paralyzed from the chest down after the strap on his tree stand broke and he fell 20 ft and landed on the stand and he will never move from the chest down again, has a wife and three kids and worked at Eastman Chemical. The bad thing is he had on a safety belt, but he had it attached to his stand and not the tree , fatal mistake . Answer to the question, The hunter safety vest is the best out there.

Just wait until someone posts something about not wearing a seatbelt, that'll go 20 pages of lecturing at least.

I'll vouch that the HSS pro I have is very comfortable. The muddy looks pretty comfortable too but it looks like it could get easily tangled. Having one that doesn't get easily tangled is very important to me, that's why I got a vest style. Spending 5 minutes untangling the SOB every time I went hunting was a no go for me.

I love my HSS pro also. It's a little clinky, but once you have it on its quiet. It's actually more comfortable for me to wear under my outer layer of clothing and just stick the tether out my collar. I wear it all day, even if I wind up on the ground i usually forget i have it on.

HAs anyone used the Spider Harness found in the Cabelas catalog?

Do you guys wear safety harnesses when using lean-to stands also?

J.J. Keller, get certified fall protection!

Link

Phil

This is what I use. I like it a lot

I don't. We only have the "double wide" stands so there is room for your pack and we rarely have them more than 6 -8 feet off the ground and they all have a safety rail around all sides.

Also use a hoist line for rifle and pack so climbing up and down you have both hands to use.

I do. I use one whenever I'm off the ground unless I'm in a shooting house. I put the tether around the tree & shimmy it up when I'm climbing with a climber. The ladder types are where I haven't found a good way during climbing, but I strap in when I'm up there. The prussic knot slider system looks good but you'd have to have it in place before hand and you'd need one for every stand. That's not practical where I hunt.

Where I live treestands are the normal way of hunting so I've known a few who have been killed or paralyzed over the years from tree stand falls. The older I get the less risks I like to take with it. Anything can happen, but I try to play it fairly conservative.

I have to say I've never seen a harness being used over..Our lean-to's tend to be 10' to 12' to the seat and usually have a shooting rail all around..

I can only think of hearing about one serious accident where a guy got pitched out of a double when his mate climbed out and the whole thing slipped..I am sure there must be more but they are not common. I guess climbing stands, and tree steps ect are just more dangerous..

The millennium ladder stand I was hunting out of yesterday is 21' to the seat I think. It's got a rail around it but to shoot my bow I'd have to stand, it'd be real easy to slip & go over the rail while trying to twist into position for a shot. As I post this I'm sitting in a home made basket style stand chained to a tree, it's about 20' up. It would probably hold 1000 lbs but it's not an engineered & tested product, it was built by a couple of guys in their backyard with a welder. I trust it, but not enough to not wear the harness.

A fellow I went to high school with fell from a stand when he was 21 and spent the next 22 years paralyzed below his chest until he decided life wasn't worth living any more. Two years ago he stuck a pistol in his mouth & ended it. Not ideal under any circumstances.