Introducing the Maverick Hitch, a Retrievable Canopy Anchor

[@kennethrogers1129]

Used the maverick with SRT hitch climbing almost every hunt this season , really enjoyed using it

[@jrbtc]

Did you have any problems with retrieval? Or unlocking? Someone reported that they forgot to make the loop large enough which made it difficult to remove the soft lock after the hitch was set.

[@kennethrogers1129]

@@jrbtc I did experience retrieval problem occasionally until I realized the problem, at first I thought I was tying it incorrectly so was very observant of the hitch when sending it up and lightly tying the tag end of the locking strand with the end loop to my pole with a overhand knot so it wouldn’t swing around and knock on the pole or tangle in the locking loop. Still had problem occasionally, so in final tether, last hitch transition at hunting height, due to the tree not being exact vertical, and that I might prefer a hunting position on the side of the tree not vertical due to the lean of the tree and my expectation of deer movement , and after 4--5 hours of movement around the tree, I would cause a twist on the hitch, once I realized the real problem and paid attention to that, I had no more reoccurring problem of the hitch jamming after rappel. So immediately after ascent I would adjust the hitch and my platform so that MOST of the time on stand I was absolutely vertical to the hitch, and before rappel check the hitch making sure the locking tag end of my rope was in the right hand position and no over lap of the loop ends,checking the geometry of the hitch. From then on no more problems. Sometimes it’s hard to know how a tree leans , it will be different as you climb but gravity never lies. Just have to pay CLOSE attention to position of tether at the top of the climb. But through the hunt , check that hitch and move it as needed to keep vertical as much as possible

[@patpuri6030]

Hey John, You are simply awesome, man! Can't stop being grateful for sharing the pearls of wisdom and such beautiful techniques. Hats off!!!

[@jrbtc]

Sorry i missed your comment earlier. Thanks, greatly appreciated.

[@ianmoore7724]

As a professional arborist I climb on canopy anchors on a regular basis. This knot can be tied in a running configuration MIDLINE unlike conventional climbing knots such as the running bowline, circus bowline or alpine butterfly. And as if that weren’t enough the in-tree “explosion” function solves the problem you run into with retrieving most canopy anchors after redirecting over several branches before descending! Thank you John!

[@jrbtc]

Appreciate hearing from a pro arborist. I am often confused for an arborist, and although I do have some experience and more saws than a person should have, that's not my profession. I have done some demos for local arbs, and the two knots that have been the most interesting are: 1. The JRB hitch for rigging. Even on a big chunk, it always holds and is easier to remove. 2. The Maverick Hitch as a rigging replacement for the running bowline OR as a canopy anchor. But I believe it should always be locked when used as an anchor if a saw is being used. For example, if something goes wrong with a cut and our Maverick Hitch isn't locked, it's possible the falling branch could somehow grab our retrieval strand. If we wanna retrieve it locked, thats possible, but is going to require more effort than pulling back a Quickie on a Butterfly.

[@zanetracks6592]

Much simpler than your previous remote release, but I like that the first one falls next to the tree rather than around the tree/limb. Saves a lot of snags.👍

[@jrbtc]

The JRB hitch is great and extremely stable. If i am tying around the trunk at my intended height, i use it. This hitch is for running applications or pole applications, and so it will replace the RUNNING JRB Hitch, but not the JRB Hitch. And yes, it will always leave a strand around the trunk.

[@jackdad7411]

Excellent! I Will definitely be playing around with this knot..Thanks John great demo!

[@HA-bh1wh]

Thanks again John …… I will be giving the Maverick Hitch a try !

[@jasonmullins]

Keep up the great work! This would be great for one stick climbing .

[@kennethrogers1129]

•Changed my mind, after more practice with pole rope installation with JRB cinch, Maverick and running JRB hitch, they all work great, starting with a loose loop they all slide up the tree just fine, The cinch just needs to be pulled away from the tree to retrieve but will of course keep the tree encircled and not fall freely until the loop is very loose. Maverick and running JRB both are easy to release and fall nicely. I don’t really have a preference they all work great, thanks JRB!

[@jrbtc]

All I can say is that a couple of times my running jrb was very difficult to release. I can't say exactly why because it was 30 ft up in the air and I couldn't see!

[@kennethrogers1129]

Thank you John , my toolbox is getting cluttered, but with nice tools,

[@jrbtc]

The ones we use the most will be on top, and fresh in our memory, and the ones we don't use or need will just get lost at the bottom!

[@kennethrogers1129]

@@jrbtcyeehah! Did a practice climb on the Maverick hitch, 20 ft, and tested new gear, some steps that cam down tight easily to be my platform. Maverick was easy to place in the tree with my new 5-20ft pole, vines presented a slight difficulty , but the Maverick was hard to release, was using Teufelberger Resc Tech 8mm, had to yank on my retrieval cord several times HARD. SRT Climbing was a joy with the non jamming 5-2-3 JRB ascender and Garda 13:26 hitch, did discover that on rappel with SRT Munter needed an extra loop on the carbariner to keep my descent nice and EASY to control , will review your video on Munter variations 13:26

[@jrbtc]

@@kennethrogers1129 make sure you have it completely unloaded before retrieval. Disattach the rope from you completely. If it's still attached to you, even a small amount of tension can jam it. And yes, an SRT rappel on a Munter is different than a doubled rope. You need more friction

[@alexandern8hgeg5e9]

I experimented with adding more twists (I mean the twisted loop that it starts with) just before sticking the "release-loop" in and it seems to influence how easy it runs. It seems to work even without the twist, more twists or negative twists, (but whoever reads this, be aware these changes are experimental and dangerous.) Then I tried to deliberately tie it in a bad way so that it may accidentally release and it seems really hard to do this. A semi-safe way to secure the loop somewhat could be to leave the loop extra long and then put the loop behind the knot and then wrap it many times with the free "release-end" and then secure the end in a quick-release way. (loop through the loop end or something like this) This way one can visually inspect this additional quick release stage from the distance.

[@guloguloguy]

Wow!!!! Thank you, very much, John, for demonstrating this very useful, and reliable hitch!!! The "camera work" is superlative!.. The Outdoor, field demonstrations are invaluable!! Much appreciated! ("Shared"!!!)🥨

[@jrbtc]

I appreciate your comment and will share with Mike who was the camera operator for this and a few of my recent videos!

[@paulcrave3112]

Love it!

[@alotl1kevegas860]

Great video. Just found your channel. Subscribed!

[@timhorton8085]

That 2 pitch climb at the end, you might try that with a sling and just loosening your first hitch. Use the sling to make an anchor below your hitch, tie in, loosen the hitch and use the pole thats already hanging there to run the hitch up even higher. If you have your throw line on the release you could climb the full length of your rope.

[@kraftzion]

You are innovating in a space with very little innovation going on. Got me hooked even though I won't use much. 57 years old and 280, don't reckon I am your target audience 😂. I will be using your longhorn and a friction hitch whos name escapes me tomorrow though as a backup on a extension ladder.

[@jrbtc]

Excellent. And thanks. The size and shape of our bodies has zero relationships to the importance of our safety. Please be careful when aloft and ensure your rope/ cord combination delivers the performance you expect before you use it.

[@kennethrogers1129]

Well after more practice- I’m liking the cinch best for SRT pole climbing. Seems I am liking a slight modification- using the end of rope loop to keep my carbariner with a girth hitch (no need to have the carbariner on there all the time, easy to add or remove as needed) and one small rappel ring on one end of my rope (it will never have to go through a crotch) which is rigged for JRB double stationary rope climb and hitch climbing, so it has four 5-2-3 ascender hitches, two oriented to the middle, two toward the ends. Whatever I walk into I can climb. if I have a good crotch, do the double rope, if not I can set rope for the srt climb in one move as the cinch is , for me, easy to slip up the tree and pull tight with my 5-20 ft pole. Also preparing some web and preset cord for false crotch and presets as needed. Can’t wait for hunting season to roll back around . Thanks John for the great education.

[@Schubox62]

I like this retrieve a lot better than the JRB Cinch, especially if one went around branches on the ascend. I wish there was better detail of where you positioned the pole for its use. Is it best to position the pole hook in the locked loop to walk it up the trunk?

[@jrbtc]

I let the fork capture the loop and the load rope coming down to me

[@coffelta]

Looks similar to a Tumbler Hitch

[@jrbtc]

Tumble Hitch is also an extension and variation of a Highwaymans Hitch. But neither are originally devised as Running Knots. The idea here is to have something we can run up into the canopy, which provides stability, ability to lock, and even after significant load, an easy release.

[@BillRadcliff-u1p]

Going to try this maverick hitch and a floating anchor way to make a set. Let's say I want to make the set 25' up a tree, how many feet of paracord do you suggest are needed. 25' to go up the up....25' coming down the tree........and 25' to get away from the tree when pulling the hitch thru and also when releasing the hitch...so minimum of 75'?? Thank you

[@jrbtc]

For the preset rigging line, you only need 50ft. As you pull the rope up, you can walk away from the tree. But you also need something to build the floating anchor. Enough to go around the tree twice and hang down a bit. The amount ya need varies with the tree diameter and is generally more than ya think. I buy paracord in either 300ft or 1000ft spools. There are good deals on the Shopping List: jrbtreeclimbing.com/content/shopping-list/

[@BillRadcliff-u1p]

Thank you!!@@jrbtc

[@johnhass1084]

SRT accent, then convert to DRT by taking anchor line back to bridge terminate

[@jrbtc]

Yes, we could convert over to DRT/MRS in different ways. Attaching the unlocked end to us before releasing the Maverick hitch is one way, but it's gonna introduced a bit of slack into the system, so we would need to transfer onto something else temporarily. The bigger question I have is why? Once we are at height, why transfer over to MRS? The only answer I have gotten to this question which makes sense to me comes from arborists who prefer limb walking on MRS. What's your opinion?

[@businessjib]

Any tips for keeping the release-locking bend large (the right size) when lifting the anchor with a pole? I've been having the problem of the loop collapsing and then I'm unable to get the carabiner off to unlock the hitch. It usually doesn't happen until the release line is actually the length of rope I've just climbed. Seems to be heavy enough to pull the loop in, or maybe it gets a mistaken tug while I'm setting the hitch. Sometimes the loop gets too big also...

[@jrbtc]

This was the follow-up video and in minute 7, i explained where i put the pole. When using a pole, I use the soft lock, no carabiner. Make the release loop adequately large and set it firmly and i have no problem with it changing size. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZ7Km4iDrJV9jJosi=8bxTfm9RAIsln4ht

[@jrbtc]

You said that you're using a pole and you're using a carabiner as the lock. Wouldn't the carabiner be banging into the pole when you set it? When i use a pole, i use the soft lock only. And when i tie it, by setting it with the right amount of internal tension (not too loose and not too tight), i don't have problems with the release loop changing size. You can experiment with this using a short pole.

[@covidcrotch1960]

That is awsome thanx