Utilizing Throw Line Cubes for Throw Line Management

Consider a New Throw Line Method

For many years, climbers have used many different ways to manage their throw line while on the job. Wrapping up the throw line around a stick, perhaps a reel that can wind the string, shoving it into a soda bottle, or even jamming it into a tiny chalk bag used for rock climbing? All of these methods have worked for a long time, they haven't worked especially well, but they worked! Be honest. How many of you considered putting your throw line into a throw line cube?

Throw line cubes are probably used much more today than they used to be. Many times throw lines are thought of as an extra on the job site, however, with the onset of SRT climbing, throw lines have become common place on most job sites. So, if you are going to be using a throw line every day, you might as well have something that is going to make managing your throw line really easy! This is where throw line cubes come into play.

Throw line cubes are made of canvas material that, with the magic of origami, can stand up as a cube and then be broken down into a flat square and folded in half to make a low profile triangle with all your throw line gear inside. Inside are two pockets that can hold your throw bags as well as a velcro flap that can help you decipher which throw bag is meant to be thrown and what end is meant for isolating. The cubes have fiber glass rods that help them stand up and stay open. These rods can easily be broken if the throw line cube is smashed with a rogue branch or log, so be sure to keep it out of the way when limbs are flying!

Successfully Manage Your 'Bag of Humility'

Throw lines are known as the 'bag of humility' because they can either make or break your day! If you are consistent with your throws, then you are probably pretty happy with your throw line. If you are good one day and not the next, then you probably don't like your throw line as much as the rest of us! The biggest thing for a consistent throw line technique is practice. Make sure your line is the same length from your hand to your bag every time you throw. Take all the variables out of the equation and then work on your technique. Throwing the same weight bag will help with consistency as well.

The best system I have devised for managing throw line is detailed in the video below. If you tie a heavy bag onto the far end of your throw line, it will help while isolating tie-in points. I take the heavy bag and tie it to my throw line first; next I put that bag through one of the corner pockets or through the handle on the Falteimer Cubes. Then I drop the bag into the storage pocket. After that I flake my entire throw line into the cube. Flaking means I just feed the line into the cube, stacking it onto itself in no particular order. When I throw, the line just feeds back off of itself and into the air. Lastly, I drop my lighter throwing weight bag into the opposite pocket. This makes it very easy to identify what end I am throwing and what end I am using to isolate.

One of the other tips that will help immensely while throwing is to keep everything organized while throwing. Keep your throw cube slightly in front of you. NEVER, and I mean NEVER, let a stick, leaf, or even a blade of grass into your throw line cube! Guaranteed that this will cause a bird's nest when you throw! Also, if you do get a bird's nest in your throw line, just look for a bight passing through the mess. If you can pull this bight out, more than likely the mess will fall apart. Never ever try to feed the end of your throw line through the twisted mess! You will end up with a huge knotted disaster that will end in you hating everything about your throw line!

Hopefully, some of these quick little tips can help you with throw line management and have you soon appreciating how useful your throw line is and how useful a throw line cube can be on your job. Throw lines can make your day easier if you are well versed in how to throw and how to stay organized. Pick up a throw line kit and start throwing! You'll easily see where you can save some time on just about every job, or at the very least, see where you can save some energy by using the throw line instead of climbing!