How can I attach umbilicals to these tools?

[PsychedWill]

 

Creativity requested

[keenwesh]

you can't

[sepultura]

Girth hitch a small loop of twine, something strong like Spectra cord, which can be obtained at a commercial fishing supply- like LFS in Seattle/B'ham, something like 2 or 3mm is strong enough for body weight. If you want to give the twine more rigidity and make it easier to clip, run the working end through some small tubing, like what you would use for fish tank hose. Attach this just above the hand shelf on the bottom of your tools. Then wrap some strong electrical tape like 3M super 33 (which does not lose its strength in cold temps) around the bite of line that cinches to the tool handle. Not Ideal, but keeps you from drilling a hole in your tools and will do the job. Inspect your tape and rigging before each use. If you use thin Spectra or Dyneema cord your hand will hardly know it is there.

[EastCoastBastard]

A friend of mine, back in the day, drilled a hole through the handle and threaded some cord through there. If you flip the tool over (so it's facing the opposite direction as in your picture) there are little screws on the orange handle. Unscrew these and you can see where to drill/not drill.

 

Another friend simply girth hitched some thin webbing around the handle and covered it in seam grip (to keep it from slipping). I don't know how well it worked.

 

not helpful, but I never bothered with attaching an umbilical to mine, seemed like a lot of effort.

[B Deleted_Beck]

Hay... I have the same question!

 

 

Best pics I have of them... the old Vipers w/ pinky hooks, if'n you can't ID them. The pinky hook eats up the entire spike hole, precluding the addition of an umbilical. So basically, I have to go umbilicaless if I want to go leashless, which is sort of retarded.

[ajpederson]

the old Vipers w/ pinky hooks

 

I drilled a hole through the hook inside the metal hole of the tool without touching the metal of the tools at all and threaded a bit of chord through the hole and into a loop. Clipped the umbilical to the loops. Seems to work ok so far.

[B Deleted_Beck]

the old Vipers w/ pinky hooks

 

I drilled a hole through the hook inside the metal hole of the tool without touching the metal of the tools at all and threaded a bit of chord through the hole and into a loop. Clipped the umbilical to the loops. Seems to work ok so far.

 

Hmm.. I shall have to try this- thanks!

[ajpederson]

Hmm.. I shall have to try this- thanks!

 

Here's what mine looks like.

[B Deleted_Beck]

What dia cord is that? Looks thicker than I was thinking..

[ajpederson]

What dia cord is that? Looks thicker than I was thinking..

 

I think 2mm, but maybe 3mm. Not 100% sure on that one.

[Dane]

Easy..Boa leash will girth hitch to most any tool. You just need to make sure the attachment point is strong enough when required to take the tool weight or body weight. The original Ergo has a aluminum piece that runs through the handle and is riveted so girth hitching the pommel will work fine on that tool.

 

http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2011/03/boa-leash-by-blue-ice.html

 

[B Deleted_Beck]

But you still need a hole to hitch webbing.. you could girth hitch the grip somewhere, but it wouldn't be very secure

[Dane]

Use your imagination

 

[Julian]

I've done exactly what Dane's last pictures suggest, using a Boa leash and the old orange BD Fusions, and it works great. Once you've cinched down the girth hitch tight it takes a lot of frigging around (i.e. constantly shifting your hands around haphazardly) to accidentally loosen it. I haven't once been afraid of the leash falling off.