Retractable lanyard setup

PCTREE

PCTREE

Treehouser
Joined
Nov 3, 2007
Messages
6,033
Location
Charlottesville VA
OK so this is something I have wanted for years. Finally got it:) retractable lanyard . I like it a lot, 15-16 feet of beeline, I have the very simplistic prussic and tender setup but you can rock a Cinch also to make it SRT able.... 1.jpg 2.jpg
 
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  • #3
Yup I used to be a wire core guy for years. The beeline is rated at 7000 or so pounds so is plenty strong, just dont cut it!!!
 
Beeline makes a good lanyard. I used the beeline / cinch combo for a few years.

I dunno about the retractable device though, its kinda big.
 
What is the red thing???? That looks great. I wonder if it will work with my 5/8 3 strand lanyard?:P
 
The retractable housing is the same size as around 9' of Fly climbing line daisy chained. I can show a picture of it tomorrow.

I have been using the RopeTek SideWinder (RSW) for a while now, it is really growing on me as I was a bit skeptical at first as well. The beauty of it is, that it keeps the entire lanyard retracted anytime it isn't at use, yet pulls out easy. My concern was that when you went to tighten the lanyard that the tension from the RSW unit would make it difficult to pull the cord away from you, this isn't the case at all. It seems to have perfect tension, it takes the cord up willingly but lets it out easy as pie.

You can tend the lanyard tighter or looser and the amount of slack on your hip stays the same all the time. I have been waiting with baited breath for Paul to launch this idea. I think a lot of people will be really excited when they see the RSW in action.

I am working up a video as we speak. Got the day off tomorrow, so weather permitting, I will be ticking off a bunch of items on my to-video list!
 
gf beranek said:
As a true lanyard goes,, you need something to grab onto. Strength-wise or not. that set up is too skinny. JMO.
Click to expand...

It does not replace a steel-core lanyard (SCL) for spar work. For the type of work I do, a lot of big climbing-pruning jobs, it is a great fit.

On takedowns, using a SCL and RSW gives you the girth and safety from a SCL with the compact versatility you get from the SideWinder.
 
I didn't see how it could work much. I do dislike so much lanyard hanging down below me when I'm fliplined around small wood.


What's that non-pulley hitch minder do-whop you've got there, Paul?
 
gf beranek said:
As a true lanyard goes,, you need something to grab onto. Strength-wise or not. that set up is too skinny. JMO.
Click to expand...

I have also been lucky enough to have had Paul send me a Sidewinder to try out. It does exactly what it is designed to do and does it very well.

But I would like to elaborate on what Gerry said. What is a true lanyard? Well 40 years ago I would have answered without hesitation, 15' of 3/4" wire-cored flip line. The thought of using a skinny and floppy little rope as a flip line, during a removal with spurs on a large, thick-barked tree, would have never even entered my mind. Still doesn't.

As time went by and the always-tied-in-twice protocol became a " shall " standard, it was impractical dragging that big hunk of rope around in trees that were just being trimmed. It was during this time period that the light weight lanyard started really gaining popularity. There also, with improvements in ropes and rope climbing systems, evolved a whole generation of climbers that were top-rope-dependent in their spur work. This was not good! It allowed climbers to develop some real bad habits and to never fully understand why a thick and heavy flip line was the best tool for that job.

Be that as it may, it was clear that the lanyard had become specialized and there needed to be some way to tell your crew what it was you needed them to get out of the truck. For us, that was as simple as calling one a flip line and the other a lanyard. It stuck. These are the names I use because, though they can do the same jobs, they most definitely are not the same.

Dave
 
PCTREE said:
that tending thing-a-ma-jig is Nicks design. I bought him off to be able to steal it:lol:
Click to expand...

Glad to do it!

I've been using a 3/8" lanyard for a few years now. I spend half the time using that, half the time using the 1/2". Really, after the initial, "wow...that's skinny..." you do get used to it. I like being able to have a longer lanyard with me.

Paul swapped me a Sidewinder and I tried it in a few trees. It does EXACTLY what it is supposed to do and it does it reliably. I didn't like having the reel strapped to my harness. It was too clunky for me. So, I'm torn. The cleanlieness of the concept is appealing, but each climber will have to decide which they prefer.

I'm going to let my coworker use it in a few trees. I'm happy to share this one with someone who wants to give it a shot. Maybe this can be the official travelling treehouse sidewinder?

Love that slack tender!

love
nick
 
Looks a little big to me too but not having a huge loop of rope getting in the way of my saw could be an nice trade off.

I'm looking forward to the video, Nick B!

Paul, are you going to be selling them without the beeline?
 
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  • #18
No Im thinking they will come assembled, 3/8 is pretty much all you can fit in there anyhow, what did you want to put in it????
 
I usually run like 13' of 11mm. Right now it's whatever comes with the CE lanyard but other than that I use velocity which is 11mm or tachyon which is 11.5 I think.
 
The beeline is a good fit in the RSW's housing.

Personally I think I want a bit more than what 'fits' in there. It holds around 13' I want 18-20' I think. I am running it with the cinch, having 5-7' stick out and hang like a traditional lanyard wont bother me. Having the extended capacity in the retractable seems like it would really shine to me with the cinchs SRTable nature..
 
I too am lucky enough to sample a sidewinder. I love the concept but have not been able to mount it well and it does weigh a good bit. I think if I can figure the mounting the weight might be more manageable. I do hate tripping on my lanyard.
 
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  • #24
Kevin, I told you that belt buckle thing sucked!! Ill send you the solution, well IMO the solution , Nick doesnt agree but we can get your feedback too. PM me your address again as I suk at records.
 
It needs two mounting points on the far sides, and yes I believe two heavy duty zip ties would work best... They would cinch down tight and not loosen. I will do mine up today if I can and get some video.
 
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