I bet you can’t throw as terribly as me! My between-the-legs-throwline-swing has gotten better over the years but I spend 50% of my climbing time trying to place my throwline over a good branch. NOT ANY MORE!
If all you do is climb trees in well maintained urban areas you probably don’t have many troubles with throwlines, but have you ever tried placing a line in a tree whilst standing in a steep valley or when you have to throw THROUGH a thick lower canopy? I really wanted to buy a big shot throwline launcher but it was too big for backpacking, to powerful for the trees here in MN, and I like saving money! SO! I attempted to build a cheaper/smaller DIY version and this is the result:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbI2fT8aZdE
Originally I wanted to build one with a fishing reel that would allow me to easily respool the line but after a GanderMountain employee came up with the GENIUS idea of just shooting off of the original spool that the line comes on I decided to save an extra $50 and do it that way!
Materials Needed:
25 lbs test line – I paid $3.50 for highvis orange on clearance
2.2 oz fishing weight – $2 for two, I returned and purchased 1.5 oz weights which work better
Slingshot – $9.99 for a cheap Daisy “Wrist Rocket”
Bright Ducttape – PINK! $3.50
What to do:
Step 1 – duct tape the throw weight so you can see it after your shot
Step 2 – tie your fishing line to the weight using your favorite knot
Step 3 – lay the spool in a non-obstructed area
Step 4 – SHOOT!
Step 5 – tie the fishing line to your usual throwline (such as Zing-It or DynaGlide) using an overhand knot
Step 6 – pull it over
Step 7 – tie your climbing rope to your throwline and pull it over!
This setup has given me GREAT POWER AMONGST THE TREES! Ok, not really but it has made my climbing excursions 100% more fun since I can aim and hit the branch I want on my first try, everytime, from pretty much any stance or steep hill. Try it!
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Tags: TREEfool throwline slingshot throw line sling shot throwline sling shot throw line slingshot diy slingshot tree climbing diy sling shot cheap tree climbing rope set up cheap diy big shot tree ascension
TREEfool 
I’m so glad I found this. Keep in mind, if you’re unsatisfied with the range/accuracy there are a lot of premium slingshots out there that still come in below the price of the other solutions. I’m going to put this together later today as I already had a slingshot laying around. Thanks!
Great tip Anon! I have to go search for a better wrist-slingshot so that I can use my bigger weight. Right now the weight I am using looses momentum in the branches really quickly. Thanks!
Do you mean the line hangs up when its running over multiple branches, or that it just doesnt blast through twigs very well before deflecting? Maybe a bit of both?
I bought some 1.5 oz weights and 150 yards of braided 80lb test line that is meant for being pulled through brush. It was this stuff:
http://www.basspro.com/PLine-XTCB-Braid/product/14062507164817/
I’m not sure when I will have a chance to test it, but am definitely looking figuring this method out.
Definitely a little bit of both. If my weight even hits a leaf it seams like it moves off the original flight path and the weight doesn’t make it very far through the branches before the friction stops its upward momentum… I am interested in hearing the results of the setup you are working on.
I have drilled a hole in a shotgun slug (1 oz) and used a sling shot to send it 30 yards up. I notice braided 100 lb fishing line (150 ft) can be had on ebay for $5. I hooked up my spare fishing pole lower section to the slug and it unreeled perfectly and I could reel it back in easy also. Didn’t lose it until the knot broke. I dont know what the fishing line strength was but probably 6 lb, so….duh, it was was bound to break.
Ooo! Awesome idea! Thanks for sharing.
have you seen these pico grappling hooks? Maybe useful for retrieving mis-fires or stuck things? http://www.countycomm.com/picograppling.html This site is a bit rough on the UI . But Ive ordered from them a few times and it’s quality matches it’s randomly bizarre factor.
Damn! That mini grappling hook is awesome. But I am really good at getting grappling hooks stuck worse than the line I am trying to retrieve which is why I use the MagThrowBag. For the climbers who love grappling hooks I doubt you could find a lighter and more compact one than the pico so thanks for sharing.
Great stuff! It awesome to have found this site; thanks for sharing all your experiences and ideas. Tree camping and climbing are fairly new interest for me and would appreciate any tips and pointers. Keep up the great adventure. Pete
Have you ever thought of using a bow/crossbow to get the throw-line up into the tree?
Yup, if I had a bow or crossbow I would probably bring it on every big climbing trip! But if buying one just for line setting I would probably just purchase a Big Shot Line Thrower instead.
A crossbow and arrow will send the arrow a huge distance in the air: much higher than you’d imagine. You can get away with a simple kids toy and barely pull it. The arrow itself has a high chance of getting tangled in the trees, yet they’re relatively inexpensive if you have to lose one every so often.
AWESOME! Haha. Thanks for the link. This would be a great half-way point between a slingshot and BigShot. The price is great too 😉