How to Make Continuous Loop Amsteel

Adding an additional adjustable bridge to my hunting saddle has been my most recent project. The purpose of this was originally to add a short bridge for DRT and SRT Climbing. I needed a shorter bridge for climbing and longer bridge when at hunting height. There are a couple of adjustable style bridges for saddles out there and this was the one that best fits my needs.

NOTE*** Any use or modification to a hunting saddle will void all warranty and is not recommended by the manufacturer. Make sure you get advice from a professional if you are unsure of a product or method for modifying first. When making modifications you are taking full responsibility for your equipment. You are taking your life into your own hands.

The pictures and materials below are what I did to add an adjustable bridge to my hunting saddle. If you are not comfortable working with rope and knots, do not attempt this.

Material for Adjustable Bridge – Hunting Saddle

Samsung Amsteel Blue is the chosen material for many saddle hunters. As an engineer, I see the advantages right away. It is lightweight and as strong or stronger than a steel cable. Amsteel is more flexible than steel, which is also an advantage. Your standard climbing rope is also an option here. Get one that is rated for climbing and specified to hold way more than just your body weight. With the rope, you basically building an adjustable Lineman's belt or treestand harness rope. This is the same idea I wanted to build with Amsteel.
Buy Amsteel Here

One other note on the material. I chose to use an Amsteel like product with similar specifications to Amsteel. It was advertised and sold as a winch replacement. Do your research! I went with ¼" rope for the bridge material.

Tools to work with Amsteel

Amsteel or synthetic rope is easy to work with. You will need a tool in order to splice and bury the ends. You can buy them on Amazon or make your own from an old arrow shaft you have laying around. See them here.

How to Splice Amsteel Adjustable Bridge

I used two methods of splicing for my adjustable bridge. They are similar and easy to do.

Brummel Lock-Splice – Watch this video to learn the Brummel-lock splice. This is what I used in order to make the Brummel or loop at one end of my mainline.

Continous loop Watch this video to learn how to make a continuous loop with Amsteel. This is what I used to make the Prusik knot at the adjustable end of the mainline.

Plan Your Saddle Bridge

There are a few things to plan out before starting your bridge.

Which side you want the adjustment to be on  – right or left. I chose my right side.

When and how to attach the bridge to your saddle without carabiners. This means you will need your saddle in order to run the Amsteel through the loops of your saddle while doing the splices.

What's the longest bridge you want? This will determine the lengths of Amsteel to cut. When you bury the ends of the Amsteel, the outer diameter expands, which will shorten the overall outer length. So a good rule is the length of the barry will require about 25% more material. So if you want to bury 4" of Amsteel you will need an extra 1" or 5"  of Amsteel to hide the 4" tail.

In my case, I wanted a 30" overall bridge length. For this bridge, much of the mainline is buried. There is also a knot on the free end to stop the prusik. So, my original length calculation was:

30" (bridge length) + (30" (doubled bridge length) x 25% (bury the tail)) + 6" (end knot). You can always shorten it if it is too long, so give yourself enough material to work with.

Prusik Knot – This is the working end of the bridge. Here I made a 12" Continous loop.(12" x 12") + (2×6" tails) + 3" (extra for bury)

HELPFUL NOTE – Form the prusik knot on your finished mainline and then splice the free ends around the loop on your saddle. This is where the planning comes in! It will take a little work to bury the tails on this one.

This was the information I needed as a DIY person in order to add my adjustable bridge to my saddle. As always test at ground level first!

WHY I DO THIS

I give 25% of income received through affiliates to Conservation, Community and Simply Helping Others! Use this link in your next Amazon Purchase. https://amzn.to/2QE5hxM

churchbeand1981.blogspot.com

Source: https://diybowhunting.com/tag/amsteel-continous-loop/

Share this post