DIY: Hang My Climbing Sticks Faster By Ditching the Cam Buckle Straps for Amsteel

DIY Climbing Stick Mod: Replacing Cam Buckles with Amsteel

The stock cam buckle straps that come with most climbing sticks are often awkward, heavy, and noisy. Replacing them with an Amsteel mod—a popular choice among saddle hunters—makes your setup quieter, faster to hang, and significantly lighter.

Materials Needed

• Hawk Helium Climbing Stick (or any stick with a "versa button")

• 1/4″ Amsteel

• #13 Knitting Needle (to create the splicing tool)

• #9 Knitting Needle (to help push the Amsteel)

• Sharp Knife

Step 1: Make an Amsteel Splicing Tool

Since Amsteel is a hollow-core rope, you don't tie knots; you splice it. To make a splicing tool, use a saw to cut a size 13 knitting needle at a 45-degree angle. This allows you to thread the Amsteel through the needle to pull it through itself. [00:01:28]

Step 2: Measure and Cut Amsteel

Cut a length of Amsteel for your strap. While a standard cam buckle has limited reach, you can cut your Amsteel to about 9 or 10 feet to allow for larger trees. [00:01:10]

Step 3: Form the Versa Button Loop

Measure an 8-inch section at the end of the rope. Loosen the fibers by pushing them together (Amsteel acts like a finger trap). Use your splicing tool to pass the tag end through the center of the main line to form a loop that fits snugly around your stick's versa button. [00:01:37]

Step 4: Lock the Splice

To prevent the loop from sliding or coming undone, you must lock it:

1. Loosen the fibers at the base where the tag end meets the main line.

2. Pass the splicing tool through the rope and feed the main line into the tool. [00:01:52]

3. Pull it through to form a "figure eight" lock. This ensures the loop remains fixed even under heavy tension. [00:02:08]

Step 5: Conceal the Tag End

Instead of cutting the excess tag end, bury it inside the main line. Run the splicing tool through the core of the main line, bunching the rope up as you go. Feed the tag end into the tool and pull it through so it is completely trapped within the core. [00:02:30]

Step 6: Create a Weighted Tail

Adding a bit of weight to the end of the rope makes it easier to toss around a tree.

1. Fold over about four inches of the tail end and loosen the fibers.

2. Use the splicing tool to pass the tail back into the core of the rope. [00:03:08]

3. Use the #9 knitting needle to help push the Amsteel through. This double-thick section provides the necessary weight. [00:03:26]

How to Use

To hang your sticks, simply loop the Amsteel over the versa button, wrap it tightly around the tree, and finish with two half-hitches. [00:00:34] This modification removes unnecessary weight and ensures your ascent is as quiet as possible.