Quick Tie Sequence

Since a climber friend gave me a conventional throw bag, I've been trying to rig it to release when stuck. I carried it with me to a swim meet tonight. My boys dropped time, and I left with something that would release if stuck.

A releasable weight provides the climber with the option to slide the weight off the line should it become stuck. It can also be manually taken off quickly, leaving a smooth line for pullback.

This tying sequence is a natural for holding tight under shock load and releasing when the top ring is stuck. The red line is attached with a Munter Hitch. The white line is attached with a Girth Hitch. This crossed girth hitch is a dynamic vice with a solid bite.

This EZ release variation allows the climber to pull the red line free by physically overriding the friction. This variation may slide on shock load too. A long tail for the red line would counter that.

There's a nuance to clarify here. This variation will release if the top ring is stuck or if the body of the weight is stuck. These other variations will only release when the top ring is pressed.

The releasable weight concept was originally introduced with the Throw Sock. The Throw Sock has a single body that applies pressure against the top ring. With the conventional weight, the surfaces are segmented. Parts can be stuck without release in the other variations. Again, this variation allows the climber to pull it off with brute force.

This variation loops the red line on the bottom of the ring.

It would release when the top of the ring is caught and pressed. It could slip a bit on shock load.

If climbers find this releasable strategy to be beneficial, the equipment manufacturers could easily provide this feature by placing the ring on the weight with a girth hitch. Current manufacturing practice is a sewn loop of fabric with a tight circumference. A larger loop would do the trick. The loop material can be line or fabric. Not posted here, I tried a loop of Tyvek in place of the white line. It worked. Other strong fabrics should work as well.

If the climber prefers not to rethread this "red line" on every throw, then the weight can easily be removed via the second/bottom girth hitch. This part needs to be emphasized. This configuration offers a quick removal with the bottom girth hitch.

Also, climbers will need to experiment with this. All synthetic lines weren't evaluated. Performance will change with quality of line. If this turns out to only work with 1/8' nylon line, the climber can use a few feet of nylon and attach the line de jour for the next hundred feet. For throwing comfort, 1/8' nylon is the best. There's no reason why the first 5 to 8 feet couldn't be nylon then the rest could be Zingit or another choice.

As a side comment, the releasable weight concept is more functional with the Throw Sock. I'm curious if a releasable weight is something that the climber desires for the conventional weight.

This configuration has a shorter attachment to the weight. Nick provided insight on the use of the Bull Hitch, which is a natural for threading the throw line through. I regard this as ready for use: 1) tight hold on throw 2) easy for manual release 3) 10-20 lbs of force to release if the ring is stuck.

Because there will be numerous more changes, I'll minimize photos and only submit two photos to close this posting. If a climber has an interest in the future, we can exchange updates offline.

Jim, yet more examples of your creativity! Good work!

I like your idea of creating the extra friction by threading the line through the bull hitch. I didn't know that one so did a search and came up with
Bull Hitch .
. . . much more robust than the rubber-band idea!

Question: Instead of the anchor hitch (one of my very favorite knots), would a half double fisherman’s (aka double overhand loop) be cleaner? It would have the ends parallel with the vertical lines and thus have a smaller profile.

In fact, depending on the slipperiness of the cord, a half fisherman's (half "single" fisherman's) (aka overhand loop (slip knot)) should do it.

In any case, I suggest not using a stopper for either the anchor hitch or the double overhand (again, lower profile): Both of those knots will bind down tightly and not slip . . . depends on the cord used, though. I would think that the heat-sealed ends should do anything needed.

Jim W,

I agree that the Anchor Hitch with stopper doesn't have the smoothest profile. As soon as the heat dissipated on my knot, I realized that a smooth knot is needed. The half double fisherman makes perfect sense and is how I would tie this in the future. I also like your idea about skipping the stopper and melt as is.

I worked out the shortcut on connecting the throwline to a Bull Hitch for the purpose of making a weight releasable.

These are the steps in general terms:
1) Pull a bite of line through the ring
2) Thread the Bull Hitch
3) Pull tight and dress

The result is a Munter Hitch on the top of the ring and the line held by the Bull Hitch on the bottom.

This photo illustrates the Jim W improvement and the path of threading the throw line.

This photo shows the bite of line pulled through the ring (step 1). The line is ready to thread (step 2). Though not photographed, the line is pulled tight and dressed to make it functional (step 3).