Maverick Hitch: Exploration, Variation & Testing

[@kevinknisely4822]

Even though I Never had a Morphing Issue with My Originally Tied Maverick Hitch, it’s good to Have Options in Our Toolbox… Whatever Tool Works Best for the User!!! It good to have a Baseline of a Good Knot to Work with…. With showing the Test I shows firsthand how the knots react under loads… Coming from a “Knot Nerd”, You did a Great Job on Explaining this to the Season Veterans as Well as the New Saddle Hunters, Which We ALL Were At One Time👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 Follow Up: I’m Liking the Super Maverick with 3 Twist and with a Back Loop!!! It seems to have a Very Smooth Release as I’m tying it in my house…

[@Ecclesiasticus]

I really appreciate the thoroughness of explanation.

[@alexstarr1589]

Thanks for this deep dive! I love seeing the testing and tweaking. I haven't had issues with the Maverick on 9.5 mm Ghillie (I'm about 160 lb), but appreciate your dedication to figuring out the issue and a solution. FYI if you were trying to find general info on knot "morphing", try using the search term "capsize" or "spill". I've found those to be the more standard terms for this phenomenon.

[@jeremyknauer3386]

I absolutely love the maverick hitch. I used it all season long as my anchor and never had any trouble with it. Maybe a little rollover but nothing to worry about. That being said I can't wait to start practicing with the super maverick. Thanks again John.

[@Trevor-ps2oe]

More great innovations and it seems you're really enjoying yourself. Thank you for making safe and efficient tree climbing accessible for us who are interested.

[@jrbtc]

@@Trevor-ps2oe Appreciate that Trevor.

[@madhuntsadventures]

Love the original Maverick and even more so the super Maverick! Great testing as well. Thanks, John!

[@parkerruby5071]

Ever since you introduced the Maverick 1.0 John, I’ve been using it as a running canopy anchor for SRT. I don’t know why I’ve never jumped to DSRT, I just haven’t felt the need to and climb quite effectively with a single line. I switched to 9.5mm ghillie this year from C-IV and couldn’t be more pleased. On the off chance that I might stick climb, because some trees just require it, I still use the maverick as my anchor once at height and rappel from the canopy every time. It’s always easy to release and remove. For info purposes, I’m 6’ and about 230# with all of my gear. You’ve changed the way I climb and I love it. Thank you.

[@enjoytheoutdoors101]

Nice video, John. I've been doing my Maverick the original way that you first introduced it in KZbin, but after weekly practices. I discovered the thumb trick you were doing with the two loops, and that has been my go-to method for a while now. It keeps the loops in their shape and in their place while keeping the right side nice and tight. It makes for the retrieval process to go much smoother. 👍 I thought about sharing it on the FB page but haven't gotten the chance to do it. Thanks, John. I love the Maverick hitch 🎯

[@jrbtc]

@@enjoytheoutdoors101 excellent. Are you using it as a running canopy anchor?

[@enjoytheoutdoors101]

@jrbtc Yes

[@keithdescoteaux5640]

Great job John. Thanks and have a Happy New Year

[@Yaknrak]

Great video! Thank you for the work you put in and share with the community!

[@Knot-orious]

Very interesting video. I think I'll stick with an alpine butterfly and a Notch Quickie for a simple release canopy anchor. The AB is very easy to untie from my experience. Your design is still very clever, though. I quite like it. Certainly has many useful applications. =-D

[@jrbtc]

I agree that the AB is a solid option. We need to be prepared with a full arsenal. Maverick can midline attached, advanced and set with a pole, set with Houdini Rigging and nothing is easier to retrieve.

[@verticalfeel]

I'm happy and very impressed with this hitch The super seems to be the best How difficult is to release under a person load( if not locked) by other partner from the ground ? This is another interesting aspect of this beautiful hitch Congrats John I sware I enjoy and love this kind of videos! 🙋🏻‍♂️

[@ricko6859]

John, bigger guy here(260#) thinking about using the Maverick Hitch & the Garda loop. With 8 & 9 mm, the Maverick Hitch looks nice & tight. Have you tried building the Maverick with 10 or 11 mm rope? And if so, what rope would work good?

[@jrbtc]

@ricko6859 those questions are all covered on the ROPE page on the website. I generally don't recommend 8mm rope for single rope applications especially for a bigger guy. The 10mm Rougaroo is a great option for you. jrbtreeclimbing.com/

[@ricko6859]

Thank you John. I frequent your website on a regular basis and already know I fall into the 11 mm category. I asked regarding your recommended rope size/climber weight as I was wondering if the size of the Maverick Hitch due to the increased size of the rope caused any issues; other than the size would be bigger. Again, thx for all your climbing instructions, great videos. Happy New Years!

[@jrbtc]

@ricko6859 i did the test on the 8mm because it's more stressing. Larger diameters are less prone to morphing. There are other considerations as well, like surface area and performance when wet. Simply put, i prefer to error on the side of conservativism and recommend thicker ropes for thicker climbers.

[@alexstarr1589]

I don't think you'll have any issues with performance of the Maverick hitch using 11 mm rope. I've used the Maverick quite a bit with 9.5 mm ACO Ghillie rope which is quite stiff and the Maverick sets and holds fine, it's just a bit harder to tie with stiff rope. As always, make sure to test with your system at ground level to confirm it works well before you climb higher. Do note that with a thick rope, you'll consume more length of rope in tying the Maverick. So factor that into your climbing system's rope length calculations.

[@ricko6859]

fyi - emailing with Alex/Ape Canyon - Ape Canyon is no longer carrying the 10 mm Rougaroo. Alex did recommend the Rogue 9.5 mm. It has a MBS Rating 6,744 (lb).