ZipLineGear

We have received a lot of great questions about our current zip line video contest.

Dean asked: ”How do I get a roll of that awesome yellow caution tape you use to close up the boxes?”
We said: “You’re welcome to have a roll. We’ll mail it to you free.”

Brandon emailed: “We have a shooting scene(s) in our video would that break the rules you have?”
Our answer: “Great question! Currently there are no rules against a shooting scene. Just keep in mind that gratuitous or ‘R-rated’ videos will be disqualified.”

After entering videos to the contest, the Christiaens wrote: “We hope you like them and [we] are eager to see the results!“

Check out their contest video below-

It’s very exciting for us to see all the creativity emerging through this contest. Keep up the good work, contestants!

If you are considering entering a video, keep these few things in mind-

1. Before uploading your video to YouTube, be sure to include our web site address in the video. Once uploaded, include this link in your YouTube video description- http://www.ziplinegear.com
2. Videos that portray or encourage the misuse of zip lines will not be considered for this contest.
3. Only 3 weeks left to enter your video!

Keep spreading the word! Vidopp.com and OnlineVideoContests.com have caught the bug and published about the contest. Now it’s your turn.

Keep on zippin’!

-The ZipLineGear.com Team

In a nut shell, these are the differences.

Read on for more info↓

1. The Trolleys

The Quicksilver Kit comes with the Quicksilver pulley. The Viper Deluxe Kit comes with the Viper Trolley. Pretty basic.

The Viper trolley is virtually permanent on the cable once installed. When the rider is finished with their ride, they simply pull the trolley back to the top while the it remains on the cable. This return method is ideal for short runs where the trolley can be run back to the top for the next rider. However, when dealing with longer distances and rugged terrain, this return system can be cumbersome or impossible.

Enter the Quicksilver cable trolley. The Quicksilver can be unclipped with the snap of a carabiner and removed for easy return to the top of the ride. This quick removal also prevents unwanted riders from using the zip line while it is unsupervised.

2. The Cable Sizes

The Viper Deluxe Kit comes with 1/4″ galvanized aircraft cable (GAC) which has a breaking strength of 7000 lbs. Due to the size of the cable, this kit is not sold in lengths longer than 200′.

The Quicksilver Kit is equipped with 5/16″ GAC for lengths of 200′ to 500′ and have a minimum breaking strength of 9800 lbs.

Both cables have a 7×19 construction and come with a swaged/looped end.

3. Connection Hardware

The kits come with connection hardware that anchors the cable to a tree  and allows the cable tension to be adjusted.

The Viper Deluxe Kit comes with one tree sling and one turnbuckle.

The Quicksilver Kit comes with two slings and two turnbuckles.  Again, the Quicksilver is typically used for longer runs and requires more tensioning; thus it comes with the additional turnbuckle and cable sling.

4. The Handlebar

As you’re zipping down your cable, it’s nice to be able to hang on to a handlebar. Handlebars come standard in both of these kits.

The Viper Trolley is designed with handlebars permanently integrated. This creates a very stable ride down the cable.

The Quicksilver trolley has an eyelet into which the handlebar can be connected (with a carabiner). This attachment makes for a quick on-and-off connection of the handlebar. There is a slight amount of swivel in the connection.

5. The Bungee Brake

Lastly, the length of the bungee cord in the Boa Bungee Brake is different for each kit.

In the Viper Deluxe Kit you’ll get a 20′ bungee cord which adequate for stopping riders at moderate speeds.

The Quicksilver Kit comes with a 30′ length of bungee, for stopping riders at higher rates of speed.

Each bungee brake will stop a full grown rider.

For more information, check out our Manuals page and our FAQ page.

If you have more questions, please go to our Facebook page and leave us a comment.

- The ZipLineGear.com Team

Dan, a homeowner and dad from Connecticut, called us several weeks ago looking for the gear necessary to set up a zip line in his backyard. He was interested in a unique method of finishing his zip line with two trees rather than one tree.

Typically, zip lines are connected from one tree to another. In some cases (such as Dan’s) it’s necessary to end between two trees rather than one. We discussed the options over the phone and set him up with the hardware needed to accomplish this. See photo below-

Here’s what Dan had to say about his zip line (photos below):

“About our zip line:  It is approx. 110′ feet long running acrossed the back of our property.  We wanted to take out as little trees as possible and create a hall or tunnel effect so you will see it creates a great path through the woods that we also enjoy with the dog and my son loves to run down it.

The launch platform is temporary. Built from our old pool platform for the above ground pool.  We plan to make a bigger platform some day but this works for now.

We added a safety chain to our turnbuckle that I saw on several other zip line pictures.  Figured it could not hurt.

We salvaged an old lawn tractor tire from the dump as a backup brake at the lower end.  Our bungee is attached with heavy duty clips because we figure it will last longer if stored inside so we store it and the seat each night when done riding.

We also made sure our neighbor was OK as we were using the very large tree that sits on the property line.  Just figure it is best to keep friendly communication with neighbors to keep things friendly – something I would suggest for anyone building a zip line or treehouse that will be visible from the neighbors.

Thanks to all you guys.  Great product, great website, fantastic customer service.”

-Dan

Thanks for the photos and comments, Dan. Enjoy the awesome zip line!

-The ZipLineGear.com Team

It’s official! We have launched our 2011 Zip Line Video Contest!

Submit your zip line video for a chance to win a MacBook Air.

Other prizes include an iPad2 and an iPod touch.

Submission deadline is July 25th.

Winners will be announced August 1st, 2011.

Go to the video contest page for more details.

Attention all you zip line fans and film makers!

We’re hosting a video contest this summer.

If you’ve got a camera and a zip line, you’re qualified to enter our-

2011 Zip Line Video Contest!

Stay tuned for more details or contact us here.

Wouldn’t it be fun to have the powers of a super hero? Imagine being able to fly at a moment’s notice or crawl with the agility of a spider. Sounds thrilling!

However, we don’t need the powers of a super hero to experience the thrills of a super hero.

Here are 3 zip line accessories that will turn your ride into a super hero experience.

1. The TrueFlight Riding Kit

The first add-on you need to hook up is the TrueFlight Riding kit. If you’re a Superman fan, this add-on is for you! This set up allows you to dive head first straight down the line.

It comes with the Quicksilver Pulley which is equipped with dual ball-bearing wheels. It is capable of speeds up to 120 mph*. If you intend to go that fast, how about going at it head first?

Also included in the kit is a climbing waist harness, a chest harness, two lanyards, and several climbing carabiners.

If you prefer to fly down upright, the Trueflight Riding kit provides this option as well.

Check it out→

*Simply because the Quicksilver Pulley is capable of 120mph doesn’t mean it will always go that fast. Don’t worry, unless your zip line is ridiculously steep you won’t be going that fast.

2. The Dual Handlebar

Ever wondered what kind of perspective Spiderman had? With the dual handlebar, you can find out. The handles are positioned parallel with the zip line, making it easier to grip and ride upside down.

The guys who have tried this out absolutely love it. Much like bungee jumping, this upside-down zip line ride is quite a thrill.

Check it out→

Caution: This method of zip lining is inherently dangerous and life-threatening! Recommendations from ZipLineGear.com are strictly opinion and carry no guarantee of safety!

3. The Boa Bungee Brake

This add-on is essential for every zip line rider who is interested in safety. The Boa Bungee Brake provides a safe and gradual stop for your zip line.

A heavy duty bungee cord is anchored to the ground on one end and attached to a block on the zip line on the other end. When the rider encounters the block, the heavy duty bungee cord stretches until it overcomes the inertia of the rider, bringing the rider to a gradual stop.

Is it a stretch (pun intended) to say that you’ll experience Mr. Fantastic’s or Mrs. Incredible’s stretchability super-powers when you use this bungee brake? Maybe. *grin*

As with any great super hero, safety is key. This add-on will complete the super-hero thrill factor for your zip line.

Check it out→

If you’re in need of a zip line to try out these awesome accessories, check out our complete selection of zip line kits.

Viper Zip Line Kit	Viper Deluxe Kit	Quicksilver Zip Line Kit

Hello Everyone,

Here is a review and video from Darryl, an awesome customer who is from New Zealand.

“We’d like to thank Ziplinegear.com for making our zipline experience fun and hassle free. The advice and guidance was invaluable in choosing the right kit for our situation and length of ride. Once we purchased a Quicksilver kit it arrived speedily and well packaged. All parts of the kit are of the highest quality which gave us peace of mind and made installation go smoothly. To have everything you need to erect your Zipline in one kit was very handy and, with the hand winch, saved us lots of time and energy. The kids and their friends love it. The whole project was a great family experience and very rewarding. Thanks Ziplinegear.com”

Kind Regards,

Darryl Turner

If you have a review or video you’d like to share with us, call us at 1.888.476.3701

-The Ziplinegear Team

Hey guys! We have a new logo!

We needed our logo to emphasize our website address and make it even clearer what we sell. (That’s why we added the little zip line rider and the ‘.com’)

Before:

And after:

Pretty cool, huh?

Now we need to get this logo onto accessories such as sweaters, hats, pens, and bumper stickers. We’ll keep you posted on what happens next!

-The Zip Line Gear Team

Here’s the video Daily Grommet put together featuring our business and our products. Thanks again, Daily Grommet!

Have you heard of the Daily Grommet? They are an online business that reviews and promotes unique products and businesses every day. The Daily Grommet is going to be featuring our products and our business on Tuesday the 14th. So sign up for their newsletter and stay tuned to hear our story!

-The ZipLineGear Team

Hello everyone!

Damian, a customer from Australia, ordered a handful of gear from us a little over a month ago. He put some thick tree posts into the ground, installed the zip line, and snapped some awesome pictures during the process.

End result; an awesome 410′ zip line going over a small valley. Click on the picture below to read more specs on the zip line.

Hello All!
Darren, a customer from Minnesotta, ordered a 400′ Quicksilver kit from us several weeks ago and asked us if he could send us a video of his zip line. We told him we’d love to review his video and post it. He got back to us recently with the completed video and it looks great! It’s very exciting to see the adventures our customers are having with our products.

Thanks for the awesome video, Darren!

Just a reminder to all zip line fanatics out there, we’d love to hear from you and share your awesome zip line videos on our YouTube Channel!

Blessings!

-Aaron

Travis and Jack @ 2BrothersAdventures recently had a chance to review some of our gear.

We have some really awesome customers! The Clemmey family recently purchased a Viper Deluxe kit from us, and they were kind enough to send us some pictures of their project.

“When my twins (Ben & Abbey) asked for a Zip Line for their 10th Birthday, I thought they were crazy! They tried zip lining at a local adventure park and have been hooked ever since. My husband and I started doing some research and came across your website. Before we knew it, we placed an order for a kit complete with the 150 ‘ of cable, pulley, wood seat and breaking system. My husband (George) built a platform up in a tree with a ladder starting from the base of our playscape…that was the hardest part of the project. He then installed the zip line components in no time at all.

We had about 15 kids over the house for a birthday party. The kids “zipped” for four hours straight. Many of the parents couldn’t resist and had to try it themselves. The parents were saying that the kids will be talking about this party until they graduate in 8th grade! Some of the kids were hiding when their parents came to pick them up because they didn’t want to go home.

Thank you! My kids said this is the best birthday present ever!”

We had fun this week! The Ziplinegear.com team went outdoors to enjoy some of the beautiful spring weather we’re having, and ran a series of speed tests on our pulley lineup. We set up a 300′ zip line out in front of our warehouse and sent a 175lb reel of cable down the line about 50 times, timing how fast the different pulleys could carry it. We’ll be using this information to find the friction coefficients of each pulley and predict exactly how fast a specific pulley will come in at the end of a given zip  line. Fun stuff!

Check out the rest of the pictures on our facebook page.

Recently Brian Greenstone had a chance to review some of our gear. Here is the video.

What is a Bungee brake and How Does it Work?

What:
The bungee brake consists of a high density plastic block that is assembled on the cable but is free to slide up and down. A bungee cord is then connected from the block to an anchor point (usually a tree or post) off to the side of the zip line, near the end.
How:
When the rider comes zipping in on the cable the pulley will make contact with the block and push it down the line. As the block is pushed the bungee cord is stretched and provides resistance, slowing the rider to a gentle stop near the end of the cable.

How do I know if I need a bungee brake?

Installation instructions:
1) Assemble the two plastic blocks onto the cable using three standard bolts and an eyebolt.
2) Attach the rubber bumper to the block, making sure the pad faces the top of the ride (so the pulley will hit the pad).
3) Using a quick link, attach the bungee cord to the eyebolt in the block.
4) Drill a pilot hole and screw your eye lag to a tree or post at least 10 feet off to the side of the zip line. Use your other quick link to connect the bungee cord to this eye lag.

Our launch platform is free-standing and constructed of pressure treated lumber (2 x 8′s, 6′s and 4′s) using galvanized fasteners (16d twist nails and heavy lag screws). The zip line uses a classic arresting block and 1/2 inch marine-grade shock cord anchored to a third tree (tangentially) to the main cable at around the 55-60 foot mark. We use separate shock cords for “kids” and “adults”. There is no landing platform as the arresting block and cable actually return the seat and rider to almost the initial contact point and riders simply hop off the seat. We are working on a seat return system as the next feature. Following a ride, we currently clip a line to the seat and walk it back up to the launch platform. Speed is good at maybe 15 or so mph. Despite the relatively short length the ride is exciting and pre-flight safety checks keep riders (the “thrillbillies”) healthy.

The zip line statistics are as follows:

Top anchor height:         12.5 feet

Lower anchor height:        8.5 feet

Cable length:                         70 feet

The top anchor uses an 8 foot cable sling, pressure treated blocks on the circumference of the tree, galvanized fasteners, a 12 inch turnbuckle, and safety chain. The lower anchor uses the same blocks and cable clamps only.

Here are few photos and a sketch of the zip line:

It has been an exciting week for the team here at ZipLineGear.com! As the summer sales have tapered off a bit, we’ve had some time to work on the products you’ve been asking for.  Following close on the heels of the Quicksilver and Viper zip line pulleys we’ll be rolling out some new pre-made bungee brake blocks, commercial riding kits, and a brand new line of Jumbo-size zip line kits for those of you who keep asking for the 250-1000 footers. Stay tuned!

So what’s new for this week? (drumroll please)       …Cable tension kits.

One of the most difficult aspects of installing a big zip line is stretching the cable from one anchor to the other. You typically have a turnbuckle on one or both ends for minor adjustments, but that does nothing to help get your 100lb length of cable stretched to the other side. The problem is illustrated by our friends Bob and Joe, the Stick brothers…

Bob and Joe Stick have prepared their anchors and are trying to stretch their zip line cable from one pole to the other. Joe Stick soon realizes that the cable is far too heavy for him to pull it across.

Joe fumes in frustration, but his brother Bob Stick remembers an article he read on the ZipLineGear blog about using a come-along and a cable grab to tighten zip line cables.

Bob and Joe resume their work, after stopping by the ZipLineGear warehouse to get one of their new Cable Pulling kits. The $149.95 price tag seemed pretty expensive for only using it one time, but once they found out that ZipLineGear offers an 85% refund for installation tools returned in good working condition, they figured it was well worth the $22.50.

Joe, having attached the cable grab to the main line, watches in admiration as Bob cranks it tight with the come-along.

Bob terminates the cable on the second anchor without breaking a sweat while Joe puts the pulley on the cable.

The pull kit has been put away and Joe volunteers to take the first trip down the zip line…

…and it looks like Bob and Joe Stick will be picking up a bungee brake when they return the pull kit.

Nathan, thanks for the great website.  Here are zip line pictures from our website, www.farmhouselife.com.  Farmhouse Life is our farm-based campground in central Iowa located near the Raccoon River Valley Trail.  We have a bunk house, shelter house, mess shed, a pool in a grain bin, and a zip line for kids with more plans in the works.  The zip line is 80 feet long with a 10 foot long sand trap for stopping.  The “launch platform” is less than 4 feet off the ground but the kids think that the first step off the platform is a great adventure.  More pictures are available on the website.

The zip line is hugely popular and the “deals” that determine who gets to go next are funny to observe.  Two adults are constantly on the move returning the trolley and putting on safety harnesses but the kids have a blast.

Our son Jake in full safety harness about halfway down the line.  We tried a seat tethered to the trolley but the kids like to have their feet swinging free.

Our niece Bailey heads down the line while Ian helps keep order on the launch platform.