Samson Zing-It Throw Line, 180 ft.

Samson Zing-It throw line is the slick, thin line many climbers reach for when they need to set a climbing line through a high crotch. The 180 ft. length covers most residential and many large shade trees with line to spare.

Why climbers like Zing-It

Setting a good line is the first job of every climb, and the throw line is the tool that does it. Zing-It is made from a coated Dyneema fiber that is slick and thin, so it slides over bark and through narrow crotches with very little friction. That makes it easier to isolate the union you want and to pull the climbing line through without the throw line hanging up.

It is also low stretch. When you are working a throw weight across a limb to isolate a tie-in point, the line responds to small inputs instead of bouncing.

Because it is so slick, Zing-It also comes down out of the tree cleanly when you pull a line back, with fewer snags on bark and small branches. That saves time on big jobs where you set several lines in the same tree.

Throw weights and setup

Pair Zing-It with a throw weight sized to the job, often 8 to 14 oz depending on height and the density of the canopy. Lighter weights travel further for a given throw and come down through small branches; heavier weights pull line down more reliably through foliage. Many climbers carry two of each.

Store the line in a throw cube or bag so it pays out cleanly. Flake it in loosely rather than wrapping it, and keep sticks and sawdust out. Use a big-shot or slingshot launcher for very tall trees, following its safety instructions.

Mark the end of the line that ties to the weight and the end that stays in the bag, and tie a stopper knot at the bag end so the whole line does not follow a long throw into the crown.

Isolating and pulling lines

Once you are over the right union, tie the climbing line on with a secure hitch and pull it up and over smoothly. Pull steadily; jerking the line is how you snap a branch or get a hang-up. If you set a friction saver from the ground, the throw line carries it up into position and later helps retrieve it.

Keep the throw zone clear. Weights coming down are hard and fast, and everyone on the ground needs to know when you are throwing. Wear a helmet and eye protection while throwing.

Care and replacement

Zing-It is a throw line, never a climbing or rigging line, and never life support. Check it for fuzzing, glazed sections and cuts, and cut out damaged sections. Heat from fast pulls over rough bark can glaze the coating, so pull steadily. A 180 ft. hank lets you cut out bad sections and still have plenty to work with.

Wash muddy line in a bucket of cool water and let it dry fully before packing it away. Grit trapped in the fibers wears the coating and makes it grab.