Rope Runner Pro

[cory]

Good post , CV, it touches on a lot of stuff Ive been thinking about as I try to get into SRT

 

[DMc]

... I set up DDRT since I have not even tried it SRT yet...DDRT is quick for me....SRT takes more gadgets still, more setup time.

While the RRP does work as advertised on a moving rope system, it is no better at it than a basic hitch based tool. Good that you were able to put it on a rope and get to know it some though.

 

[pantheraba]

10-4, CV....As I set my rope for ddrt, I was looking for crotches I could have used for SRT to help get to where I needed to go. I'm sure more of that thinking will open up as I get more into the tree srt.

10-4, DMc...worked pretty much like a cord hitch which is great in my book. But is also did tend smoother as I climbed....it seemed almost like no friction ascending when I moved the hitch up but still locked down firmly. I used my chest harness some to tend the RRP ascending, to keep it higher...but the key chain biner got stuck a bit in the tending hole. I'll probably try a cable tie in that hole that I can hook my chest biner into the cable tie instead of directly into the RRP.

 

[Jonny]

I use a little scrap piece of throw line and keep a regular biner on my chest harness.

 

[Tree09]

But is also did tend smoother as I climbed....it seemed almost like no friction ascending when I moved the hitch up but still locked down firmly.

This right here is what i bought it for, and it doesn't disappoint. It's like the world's best set up hitch. Very little sit back compaired to a vt, and it locks like an ascender. Just those 2 things alone will make my life easier.

 

[DMc]

Honestly, Kyle, if that is all you wanted, a Unicender will do those two things as well or better. What makes the Rope Runner Pro better is that it does 'everything' well.

Climbers seem obsessed that a climbing setup allows the rope to just fall through by its own weight. While this 'can' be nice, it can also be a pain, as with the Unicender in certain situations.

Control with one hand, both up and down, is the number one feature I look for, and that must be combined with strength, longevity, reliability, and ease of use. Even though it is very important I take a low degree of set back as a given with any of the new multisenders.

 

[Tree09]

Very well put Dave, and no, i was looking for far more. That's why i have waited until this came out, and this specifically. Although if i did it full time, i would be pissed at myself for waiting this long to go to a full mechanical. The rope wrench i used was awesome, but to be honest i never really liked any hitch setup other than the helical, which is best left tied, making setting ropes a pain imo (i still run them on my lanyards). With the very intermittent climbing i do, a hitch setup is always going to be slightly different then the last time, and always required a little fiddling with to get right, which doesn't do you any favors in being comfortable with your gear.

 

[lxskllr]

helical

Definition?

 

[Tree09]

Helical hitch. My favorite, because you can infinitely adjust it, and because it's a type of French prussic (very close to an autobloc), it has the same attributes as the vt. It's usually tied with a tail that is clipped, but i use a slip knot to clip it to the carb, and then terminate with a bowline after 7 wraps. By adjusting the amount of rope in the hitch, you can fine tune it like no other, but if you retie every tree, i found myself adjusting it mid climb sometimes as everything cinched down with body weight.

Here's a pic of mine.

 

[cory]

I gotta investigate this hitch further but at first glance, despite the fine looking whipping, the frayed end would drive me insane

Something tells me you have it there for a reason

 

[lxskllr]

That looks complicated. How did you come across it? I don't remember seeing it anywhere, and I'm fairly familiar with hitches, even before getting into the tree stuff.

 

[DMc]

Kyle, why do you have to retie on every tree? When you come down from one tree, isn't your hitch where it needs to be already for resetting your line?

 

[lxskllr]

That looks complicated. How did you come across it? I don't remember seeing it anywhere, and I'm fairly familiar with hitches, even before getting into the tree stuff.

I think I found it. Must have overlooked it in my book.

 

[Tree09]

The ends get that way Cory if you don't keep them wrapped with tape. It's seen some work honestly, it is kinda weird that it doesn't bug me, but that's honestly how rope gets with a traditional whipping only.

John, i learned it from storricks vertical devices site, which unfortunately seems to be down atm. Jerry's rigging device went there. They also have tons of other knots you should learn, the rbs knot and the alpine clutch both come to mind as makeshift ascenders. I've used both and they work wonderfully until you get a foot and knee ascender. It's not complicated, it's simply a slip knot to attach to the carabiner which makes it a closed system (why this knot isn't used more because most don't do that and use a single leg), wraps, and then a bowline to secure the ends. You can either take up or add slack through the bowline, and it obviously doesn't need spliced eyes. It is basically the same as the hitch hiker knot in use.

Dave i didn't, i used it like a hitch hiker when i was running it. On occasion i would untie it for inspection, or if i wanted it to be midline attachable.

Sorry to hijack your thread Kevin, i love my rrp!!!

 

[Burnham]

Helical hitch. My favorite, because you can infinitely adjust it, and because it's a type of French prussic (very close to an autobloc), it has the same attributes as the vt. It's usually tied with a tail that is clipped, but i use a slip knot to clip it to the carb, and then terminate with a bowline after 7 wraps. By adjusting the amount of rope in the hitch, you can fine tune it like no other, but if you retie every tree, i found myself adjusting it mid climb sometimes as everything cinched down with body weight.

Here's a pic of mine.

View attachment 102090
View attachment 102091

That is just too effin' complicated, my friend . It doesn't have to be that hard. I can infinitely adjust my basic VT, fer crap's sakes .

 

[Tree09]

At the end, i was running a vt again, and was about to switch back again I like it that much lol. It's actually one of the easiest friction hitches to tie, wraps and a bowline, and i simply added a slip knot to make it a closed system (forget where i saw that first). Less sit back, releases instantly. It's basically the same as the hitch hiker hitch, or the autobloc. Even so, the rrp is just soooooooooo much smoother. There's hundreds of friction hitches, I've tried several, and i happen to really like the helical.

 

[Burnham]

At the end, i was running a vt again, and was about to switch back again I like it that much lol. It's actually one of the easiest friction hitches to tie, wraps and a bowline, and i simply added a slip knot to make it a closed system (forget where i saw that first). Less sit back, releases instantly. It's basically the same as the hitch hiker hitch, or the autobloc. Even so, the rrp is just soooooooooo much smoother. There's hundreds of friction hitches, I've tried several, and i happen to really like the helical.

Nope...not even close, my friend. But if it suits you, carry on, no harm and no foul .

 

[Tree09]

Since all they all are is wraps, I'm gonna stick by my description the hitch hiker terminates by stopper knots, the autobloc terminates by clipping the carabiner and is made from a loop instead of a single, and the helical is terminated in a bowline which simply sets the length and does nothing for the actual knot. When weighed, the top wrap comes undone and crosses, on all of these hitches. I'm likely not understanding something, but it's basically the same thing to me. It's different and kinda weird, a lot like me, but i think you would enjoy it if you messed around with it for a few minutes. Either way, other than my lanyards, it's irrelevant, because I'll be using the rrp from now on!

Edit: being a welder, it's clear i have the mental capacity of a dinosaur or an insect, whichever is less, so be gentle

 

[Burnham]

Kyle, my friend..."all they are is wraps"??? You're deluded if that's your idea of the helical compared to the HH hitch, as an example you posited .

I have no doubt it works a treat...but it is TOO DAMN COMPLICATED () to tie for me to even consider it for day in and out tying of my friction hitch, since it doesn't work enough better than our aforementioned hitches for it to be worth the effort, near as I can see from your report laid against my own experience.

But again, it's for you to choose, so go for it, . But I won't be there with you .

 

[biggun]

I love a VT hitch. If there is a bit of slack then I add a twist to make an XT. It’s all I have used for years.

I mostly use mechanicals these days. RR on long lines and a bDB on a shorter scabby rope for sappy trees. Looking forward to my RRP arriving, If and it is a big IF the Norwegian postal service haven’t lost it. It was due to be delivered on the 9th and been in country since the 5th.

Bloody muppets. Considering they are one of the richest countries in the world the Postal service resembles something from a 3rd World country.

 

[kevin bingham]

when i was in Norway, that was a complaint i heard from pretty much everybody. they didn't seem to mind the beer, but that was my only complaint with Norway.

 

[biggun]

Yes, it definitely leaves a lot to be desired. I think in regards to the beer, a lot of people seem to think it is ok to pay 10+ dollars for 0.5L. Same beer in the UK would be about 4-5 dollars.

I pretty much stopped drinking regularly a few years ago. I still do now and again but a simple meal with friends can very quickly escalate into an empty wallet and having to check bank balances the next day to see how much you actually spent.

Another thing about Norway is they a very bad at sharing information. I only found out you were here after the event. Next time you are over Kevin, let me know and I will pop over.

 

[pantheraba]

Kevin....I just watched the AMA (ask me anything) interview with Nick Bonner at Treestuff....fun to see both of you there and hear you answer folks' questions. You have a good, relaxed, affable presence in the video.

You commented at the end, "I am a huge proponent of using two ropes...." when you were telling people to go low and slow as they learned to use the RRP. Does that mean have one rope/system you already know and trust as your primary while you learn the RRP system as a secondary system? And slowly let the RRP system take over primary?

 

[DMc]

... You commented at the end, "I am a huge proponent of using two ropes...." when you were telling people to go low and slow as they learned to use the RRP. Does that mean have one rope/system you already know and trust as your primary while you learn the RRP system as a secondary system? And slowly let the RRP system take over primary?

If he says yes, would you actually do that?

 

[pantheraba]

Too late! I have already done my first work job using the RRP...first time up the rope was to get into a maple to limbwalk to take limbs off the gutter encroachment. It worked a treat. Only problem was getting the chest biner unlatched once I reached working height. I did bounce test it several times and went up about 5 feet and descended a few times to be sure I could actually get back down.

Years back when I switched from a Distel (?) to an eye-eye knut (?) I used two hitches at the same time ....kinda what I think Kevin is suggesting. Top hitch was primary and black was the test hitch. Kevin has to be careful that he will have a lot of people with varying degrees of skill and common sense using his product. Suggesting two ropes is probably partly CYA, I suspect.

Here is how I did it then...as I learned to trust my new setup...I was also testing some hitch cord that was not specifically designed for tree work.