FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to haul lines and, in particular, to a haul line having a primary rope, at least one secondary rope and a securing mechanism configured to receive at least a portion of each secondary rope or a secondary attachment mechanism.

BACKGROUND

Portable tree stands are well-known in the realm of hunting. Such tree stands permit a hunter to ascend a tree and temporarily secure the tree stand to the tree. However, in order to ascend the tree a sufficient amount (e.g., 25 or more feet), the hunter may also need to temporarily deploy one or more so-called climbing sticks that make it easier for the hunter to climb the tree. Further still, in addition to a weapon, the hunter may have other gear that would be useful while positioned in the tree stand.

In these situations, the hunter will typically attach a series of climbing sticks to the tree at successively greater heights. For each successive climbing stick, the hunter will often have to descend from the tree, acquire another climbing stick and once again ascend the tree to attach the next climbing stick. This cycle must be repeated as necessary to reach the desired height. A further descend-ascend cycle may be required to obtain and deploy the tree stand once the desired height has been achieved. These repeated cycles make the setup of the portable tree stand time consuming, which may prevent the hunter from reaching a desirable position in a timely manner Further, such repeated cycles result in excess movement and sounds, thereby increasing the likelihood that the hunter will be detected by his/her quarry.

Haul lines for use by hunters are known in the art, though such use is typically in conjunction with tree stands and climbing aids that are already deployed. Typically, hunters assemble all of their required gear and ascend a tree (via climbing aids that are already deployed) to a tree stand (that is also already deployed) with the haul line in hand. Once positioned in the tree stand, the hunter can then use the haul line to lift all of the assembled gear (typically including at least a weapon) up to the tree stand. While feasible, this approach does not permit the temporary setup of a portable tree stand and is thus not feasible for such situations. Further, hauling up all of the necessary gear in one attempt via a haul line often presents difficulty due to weight and/or bulkiness of the gear being hauled up.

Thus, innovations that facilitate the use of portable, temporary tree stands while overcoming the above-described limitations would represent a welcome advance in the art.

SUMMARY

The above-described shortcomings are overcome through the provision of a haul line in accordance with the instant disclosure. In particular, a haul line may comprise a primary rope having a proximal attachment mechanism attached to the primary rope at a proximal end of the primary rope. The haul line further comprises at least one secondary rope attached to the primary rope, each of the at least one secondary ropes being attached at a first end of the secondary rope to the primary rope and having a secondary attachment mechanism deployed at a second end of the secondary rope. The haul line further comprises a securing mechanism attached to the primary rope in between the primary attachment mechanism and a point along the primary rope where a closest secondary rope of the at least one secondary rope is attached to the primary rope. The securing mechanism is configured to receive at least a portion of each secondary rope or secondary attachment mechanism.

In an embodiment, the primary rope may be between 20-40 feet in length, preferably between 30-35 feet in length. The primary and/or at least one secondary rope may be fabricated from paracord and may include a reflective component. Further, the haul line may comprise a distal attachment mechanism attached to a distal end of the primary rope.

In an embodiment, the haul line may comprise a plurality of secondary ropes. For example, the haul line may comprise anywhere from two to ten secondary ropes, and may preferably comprise four to six secondary ropes. The secondary ropes may be equally spaced along the length of the primary rope, and each secondary rope may have a predetermined length. For example, each secondary rope may be between 2-18 inches long, and may preferably be between 6-12 inches long.

In another embodiment, a method of using a haul line includes securing a primary rope of the haul line to a user via a proximal attachment mechanism attached to the primary rope at a proximal end of the primary rope, wherein the haul line further includes at least one secondary rope attached to the primary rope, each of the at least one secondary rope being attached at a first end of the secondary rope to the primary rope and having a secondary attachment mechanism deployed at a second end of the secondary rope, and wherein the haul line further includes a securing mechanism attached to the primary rope in between the primary attachment mechanism and a point along the primary rope where a closest secondary rope of the at least one secondary rope is attached to the primary rope, the securing mechanism configured to receive at least a portion of each secondary rope or secondary attachment mechanism. The method further comprises taking up a portion of the primary rope such that an item, attached to a selected secondary attachment mechanism of a selected secondary rope, may be detached from the selected secondary attachment mechanism. Finally, after detaching the item, the method comprises securing at least a portion of the initial secondary rope or the initial secondary attachment mechanism to the securing mechanism.

