Had a 5 year old saddle fail on me mid climb last Tuesday

I was up about 30 feet in a big oak doing some deadwood removal when I felt a weird shifting at my waist. Looked down and the left D ring connection point had torn clean through the webbing. Scariest moment I've had in 12 years of climbing. I had to use my lanyard and a footlock to get down real slow and careful. Threw that saddle in the trash as soon as my feet hit the ground. It was a Weaver I'd been using since 2019, always hung it up in my garage between jobs. Must have gotten some UV damage or maybe the stitching just gave out. I picked up a new Buckingham from the local supply shop the next day and took a full afternoon to break it in before going back up. Anyone else ever had gear fail on them out of nowhere?

3 comments

3 Comments

williams.sage17d ago

30 feet is not that high though. I mean yeah a failure at any height is bad but it sounds like you got down just fine with the lanyard and footlock. Were you actually in danger or did you just get a good adrenaline rush and a story to tell? Ive seen guys take way worse falls from way higher and walk it off like it was nothing. Maybe youre overthinking this a bit.

kim.jake17d ago

Idk, reminds me of this guy I knew who fell out of a deer stand and blamed the tree.

rubyk2617d ago

My buddy Mike fell off a 12-foot ladder and still swears it was haunted.