Resource Trees to use for hanging - from a tree expert

[fultron12]

This thread is ONLY for those who 1) must do partial/full suspension hanging, and 2) can only resort to using a tree.

I was a professional tree climber and trimmer for 5 years, i trimmed/felled trees away from powerlines all over Wyoming, Utah and Idaho. Just thought id give my best insights for those who feel they must use a tree for their exit strategy. This is to prevent accidents, unneeded pain and give knowledge.

When choosing your tree, the 2 most important things to know is the species, and if it is dead/dying. There are some species of trees that are incredibly soft, weak and prone to bending/snapping. But even if you choose the right species, it doesnt matter much if it is dead or has a giant crack down the middle now does it? Just like you and me, spotting a dead tree is all about inspecting the outside. The hardest part about knowing if a tree is dead/dying is if it is fall/winter and the leaves are dead and falling off.

Below is a list of things to look out for in a dead tree:

• Dry, discolored and dead leaves. A tree in decay will show this at the very top or outside of its branches.
• Peeling, cracked bark. A dead tree will almost certainly have a few holes/cracks that are leaking with sap or water, or have become a home for a bird/squirrel.
• Is it hollow? Knock on the bark, and if it sounds like a low rumble instead of a light dense knock, dont use it.
• Root decay. To test this, push the tree hard in several directions, if the entire tree shuffles or leans, its a no-go.

Next, lets talk about your anchor points for tying your rope off. A good rule of thumb to follow is if the tree is alive and healthy, and the right species, any branch as big or bigger than your wrist will give you a solid anchor point. Almost as important is that you ALWAYS tie off at the base or crotch of a branch. Simply tying off right in the middle of a branch is gonna snap the wood unless youve chosen an especially hard/thick wood like and oak or ash. But even on a healthy hard Ash tree, be sure to choose a crotch of a LIVE branch, not one of a dead branch, for the risk of the crotch splitting goes up ten fold with your weight on it. Below ive supplied some photos that illustrate my point.




Some trees thrive in different parts of the country. An Oak is native to the east coast and grows very well there, thanks to plenty of humidity, more water, less wind, and soil composition. An aspen or cottonwood is the opposite, where they thrive more in the west. Its good to study these things if you are worried about the tree youve selected, or just have questions. All of the listed below are soft woods that are soft/weak, prone to breaking, dying, bending and snapping.

TREES TO AVOID:

• Willows
• small Cottonwoods
• Aspens
• Lombardi Poplars

TREES TO USE:

• Any Evergreen - Spruces, Pines, Firs
• Ash
• Oak
• Locust
• Elm

ALSO, if you cant reach a good branch, and dont have a ladder or means to reach, learn how to tie a Monkeys Fist knot. Its a simple and easy way to turn the end of your rope into a throwable object with weight to fall back down to you, just toss it like a grenade or swing it in circles to gain momentum and practice your aim. If the monkeys fist is too complicated, just google "rope heaving knot" there are tons of variations.



This isnt a definitive list/infodump, its just the best advice i can give based on my experience and put in a way that hopefully anyone can easily grasp. If you got any questions, please feel free to ask here in the thread.

 

[Lifeless mindset]

This is extremely helpful thank you!

 

[Lone_Gray_Wolf]

This is an actual useful post, could be perfectly added somewhere in the resource section.

 

[ocklepold]

Thank you, this is very useful information!

 

[FuneralCry]

Thank you for sharing. You seem to be very knowledgeable. Hanging is likely to be my method and ideally I would like to do it in a forest.

 

[MusicToLogIn]

Question to op. Maybe slightly retarded question. But what do I do after I threw the rope to the anchor point? How do I get up there? And how do I make there a snuggle hitch? Need more instructions.
Thx in advance.

 

[TriggerHappy]

Thanks for info, was originally my 1st choice (until I read rope techniques required! - seriously any advice?) The anchor point then leads out to branch to drop from right? Or no :: How will it work so close to the trunk won't you scramble to climb back (survival is freaky, I know wierd stuff happens in yr /my head...) is snapping your neck the idea. I'm an idiot, sorry. Full suspension seems rife with shit that can go wrong...
And I havent climbed a tree in a while.. (does tripping on L.S.D count?!)
Will be doing this if my sn doesn't come this week.
Off an electrical pylon I go up to to watch the stars...
...not a bonsai, they wont work i suspect?!
If you did a step by step YouTube Instrucion video, you'd get so many hits, just saying.
apologies:: Forgive me, I'm in my last weeks // days :: my filters vanished.

 

[eternalmelancholy]

ALSO, if you cant reach a good branch, and dont have a ladder or means to reach, learn how to tie a Monkeys Fist knot. Its a simple and easy way to turn the end of your rope into a throwable object with weight to fall back down to you, just toss it like a grenade or swing it in circles to gain momentum and practice your aim. If the monkeys fist is too complicated, just google "rope heaving knot" there are tons of variations.

Hmmm if you can't reach the anchor point how are you supposed to secure the rope? Just throwing and wrapping the rope around the branch a few times does not seem reliable enough. Wouldn't it be better to tie one end to a carabineer and throw that instead? At least you would be able to loop the rope through it. Although I am not sure how secure that would be either.

 

[Gustav Hartmann]

What about testing? If a branch did not break under my weight once, will it be strong enough if I use it finally. Or will I weaken the branch with my testing?

 

[SheJumped]

Thank you for this post. Really helpful as the place I've picked is heavily wooded and gives me a difference perspective on picking the right tree.

 

[fultron12]

What about testing? If a branch did not break under my weight once, will it be strong enough if I use it finally. Or will I weaken the branch with my testing?

Once you've selected the branch, bounce on it or the rope a few good times with all of your weight, if it holds, it'll support you.

You'd be surprised at how strong live wood of certain tree species is. While trimming an ash or locust, I was regularly able to support my entire weight at the crotch of a branch no bigger than my thumb. It's all about leverage and knowing which species can handle a Shock load. A willow branch as thick around as a steering wheel would struggle to hold you hanging on it

You won't weaken it UNLESS it's a dead branch, which is why I emphasize finding a tree/ branch that's alive. Live wood can flex, dead wood can't.

 

[Gustav Hartmann]

Once you've selected the branch, bounce on it or the rope a few good times with all of your weight, if it holds, it'll support you.

You'd be surprised at how strong live wood of certain tree species is. While trimming an ash or locust, I was regularly able to support my entire weight at the crotch of a branch no bigger than my thumb. It's all about leverage and knowing which species can handle a Shock load. A willow branch as thick around as a steering wheel would struggle to hold you hanging on it

You won't weaken it UNLESS it's a dead branch, which is why I emphasize finding a tree/ branch that's alive. Live wood can flex, dead wood can't.

Thank you.

 

[fultron12]

Hmmm if you can't reach the anchor point how are you supposed to secure the rope? Just throwing and wrapping the rope around the branch a few times does not seem reliable enough. Wouldn't it be better to tie one end to a carabineer and throw that instead? At least you would be able to loop the rope through it. Although I am not sure how secure that would be either.

i realized i left out that part of the instructions, hang tighht, i will reply to all of you with diagrams and detailed info on how to do exactly that easily
So, once youve thrown your rope over a branch, youre probably wondering "how to i secure it? what am i supposed to tie?"

With the rope now thrown and hung over the branch of your choice, you will take the tail/thrown end and use it to tie a Running Bowline to the rest of the rope on the other side of the branch. Once this is done, you will tighten the knot until it cinches up at the base/crotch of the branch. This is a VERY solid and strong knot, ive used it thousands of times to pull entire trees over without fail. It is also a "running" bowline because it can be loosened or undone very quickly if you need to change your mind, even if you've been pulling on the knot for hours, it is easy to undo.

Once the anchor is tied/secured, youll want to use the rest of the rope to tie, preferably, a slipknot. I'd recommend having a knife with you in case you must cut extra slack off and adjust the length of the rope to suit your partial/full suspension length needs.

Below ive supplied pictures in order of 2 easy steps on how this should be done to more easily understand:


1) Throw your rope over a branch you have selected, remember, ALWAYS do this over the base or crotch of the branch

2) With the tail end you just threw over, use that to tie a Running Bowline to the rest of the rope




With this, there is ZERO need to climb any tree if you have thrown the rope correctly into the right crotch, everything can be done safely from the ground. Hope this cleared up some confusion

----------

Just to reassure any of you who doubt that a small live branch could support your weight, here are some pics i took while at work, look at the feet of the men, and where they are standing. They are standing securely in the CROTCH/BASE of the branch (they are stubbed off because we had to cut them)

Little branches like that could support you for days at a time as long as you leverage it and know where to put the weight. Hope this helped clear any anxieties. These trees were large cottonwoods, alive.

 

[GreenTree]

This is all a bit complicated. Surely you can just pull yourself up on a branch too see if it will take your weight.

 

[fultron12]

This is all a bit complicated. Surely you can just pull yourself up on a branch too see if it will take your weight.

that works perfectly fine too, i just wanted to discuss the details

 

[GreenTree]

that works perfectly fine too, i just wanted to discuss the details

Fair play mate. Excellent knowledge.

 

[Someone123]

The problemn is finding one where you wouldn't be seen while climbing up and hanging- just from driving around most trees don't have limbs that look right for it. I think if you hang right against the trunk your body might instictly grab the trunk and drag this process out for a lot longer time, so that being a couple feet out, at least, on a very sturdy branch might be better.

 

[eternalmelancholy]

With the rope now thrown and hung over the branch of your choice, you will take the tail/thrown end and use it to tie a Running Bowline to the rest of the rope on the other side of the branch. Once this is done, you will tighten the knot until it cinches up at the base/crotch of the branch. This is a VERY solid and strong knot, ive used it thousands of times to pull entire trees over without fail. It is also a "running" bowline because it can be loosened or undone very quickly if you need to change your mind, even if you've been pulling on the knot for hours, it is easy to undo.

With this, there is ZERO need to climb any tree if you have thrown the rope correctly into the right crotch, everything can be done safely from the ground. Hope this cleared up some confusion

The only reason why I would consider hanging from a tree is to perform full suspension. I saw a few trees with nice strong trunks but not sure how to elevate myself. I thought about bringing a hammer and a few spikes to make an improvised steps. What do you recommend?

Btw some good info in here thanks for taking the time to write to us.

 

[MusicToLogIn]

I have the same questions like the others. How do you get up the tree for full suspension? And what do you do for partial?
Thx in advance.

 

[Shu]

Thanks

The only reason why I would consider hanging from a tree is to perform full suspension. I saw a few trees with nice strong trunks but not sure how to elevate myself. I thought about bringing a hammer and a few spikes to make an improvised steps. What do you recommend?

Btw some good info in here thanks for taking the time to write to us.

I'm not sure what I'm going to use to get up higher either. I'm hoping maybe I find a bucket or something in the woods behind my house.

 

[WrongPlaceWrongTime]

I don't know why I didn't find this sooner, thanks. I was starting to think I would have to climb the damn tree like a squirrel to tie the anchor point lol

 

[Ticket 2 Heaven]

What type of knot?

 

[MusicToLogIn]

Okay. I understood most of that. But how do I get up the tree for full suspension(short drop)? I don't think a bucket is enough to step on, because when the noose tightens the rope will be bit longer, so my feet will probably touch the ground.

 

[Someone123]

Okay. I understood most of that. But how do I get up the tree for full suspension(short drop)? I don't think a bucket is enough to step on, because when the noose tightens the rope will be bit longer, so my feet will probably touch the ground.

If you'e not athletic enough to climb a tree this method probably won't work out- the only other option would be a ladder.

 

[Taraxias]

I cant find a post speaking about all the details needed. Exactly what will he do .
If a full suspension at a tree brunch outside it needs to be done at night in order to avoid people . You will need a ladder to reach the brunch and tie the rope all this using a flashlight while being on a ladder at an uneven surface at 2 meters height and at 3 the night . Also calculate the knots to be tied strong and at the right spot in order to when you hang you dont end up touching the ground. Also using a knife to cut your rope on the ladder if it is to big..
Seams a bit difficult need a lot of courage if you think exactly everything needed .. needs planing and guts.
Also rhe ancor will be stronger at the base of the branch but wont it be a negative because we will be next to the torso of the tree in result to maybe grab of climb up and make things difficult?

 

[MusicToLogIn]

So is there a trick how to tie the slipknot at the right height? i can bring a foldable chair with me but not a ladder.
Need answers pls.
Edit: Is there a way to untie the running bowline from the ground?
Edit: If i practice to make a Running Bowline on a tree, the rope will be lost cause i cant get it back?

 

[AllFoxedOut]

this is very helpful advice but does anyone know how to adapt it for trees in subtropical eastern Australia?

 

[TAW122]

Thanks for the through information and while I hope I never end up having to do partial/full, it is helpful to know about the kinds of trees suitable for the method should I ever find myself in a situation where that may be my own means to (reliably) CTB. Hopefully I will be able to CTB through the method of my choice, but that depends on time and circumstance for me.

 

[anotherlastchance]

Can I use a hangman's knot for the anchor point I mean I wrap it around the crotch and the pull the other end (which is offcourse also a hangman's knot) trough the loop off the knot would this be secure enough?

 

[trailingwings]

So this is going to be my method. Ordering rope and carabiner clips this weekend. Only question I have is if anyone has tried and failed full suspension before. I guess I'm just curious what I'll physically feel. I'm not scared of heights or dying as ive almost died accidentally multiple times and felt nothing.