So many saddles

[Bounce]

HA! I think I've talked to about half you guys on the phone before. My real name is Sean, and I'm the guy here that gets to answer all the technical questions about the gear. It's a pretty cool job to have (because I get to play with all the new stuff) and it's an AWESOME place to work. I'm glad to hear you guys have noticed our effort. We try pretty hard. Enough about that though; this isn't about Wesspur, it's about GEAR! I don't want to turn this into an advertisement.

The Sequoia SRT does indeed have an attachment point on the back and on the front where you can add on suspenders. 2 important points though: (1) this does not make the saddle rated for fall arrest, so no using this while working in the bucket, and (2) I think Petzl had the Torse chest harness in mind when they designed this feature. It's a safe assumption that Petzl designed the Sequoia SRT with the Single Rope Technique in mind, I believe they wanted it to work with the Croll chest ascender, which is what the Torse is really for. The standard Sequoia (not the SRT) is not compatible with any upper body harness.

The Top chest harness is supposed to be only for the Navaho Sit harness, but it's possible that it would fit the Sequioa as well. I'll try that out today and let you know.

 

[FJR]

Thanks for all the info you have provided Bounce, you have been a great help and cleared a few questions in my head as well.

 

[pantheraba]

HA! I think I've talked to about half you guys on the phone before. My real name is Sean, and I'm the guy here that gets to answer all the technical questions about the gear.

Hey, Sean, thanks for helping out. I have talked to you several times and do appreciate your input and suggestions...you are an asset for Wesspur.

 

[Bounce]

Thanks Gary. I remember talking to you in 2005 (? - a while ago anyway) when you were getting started, and kept track of your homemade log arch project on the old Treehouse. I'm currently trying to make my own based on your design.

It turns out that the Top chest harness will indeed work with the Sequoia SRT. I didn't think it would since the Top is supposed to be for the Navaho Sit only, but it sure will. I would definitely recommend the Top harness over any of the others because it has nice comfy padding over the shoulders.

 

[Burnham]

It seems more than odd to me that Petzl thinks that it's logical to designate a saddle as "SRT specific" when the primary attachment point is a floating D bridge. I find that efficient SRT requires a fixed, low mounting point. No way would I go with the Sequoia if SRT was something I expected to be doing with any regularity.

Even if the poor secondary mounting point works, you'd still have the bridge loose and floppy, getting in the way and hanging up your ascenders and tethers.

I'd have to try one to make a final decision, for sure, but based on the great descriptions Sean has shared, I'd give it a thumbs down for SRT. Heck, it won't even accept my Petzl Secur chest harness for mounting my Croll.

Trad DdRT climbing, it might be wonderful for. No reason to pay $20 for that one extra buckle, though.

 

[Stumper]

Burnham. I don't know how much differece ther is in the Secur and the Torse -I seem to recall thinking that they looked very similar. Oddly I have never noticed a need for a particularly low attachment point for SRT....though I have found a floating bridge arrangement doth suck during split-tail DdRT ascent.

 

[pantheraba]

Sean, that would have been a different Gary...or was that Tblough?

I remember the log arch project, too, but it was not me that planned it.

 

[Burnham]

Justin, I believe the Secur is designed to girth hitch into a loop or ring on the rear of the saddle, while the Torse threads into a mounted buckle. Out in front they are identicle, methinks.

On your other point, it just goes to prove again that different strokes suit different folks. There are so many ways to skin the SRT cat that one needs to narrow THAT down before making broad statements as I did.

 

[Stumper]

Burnham I own a Secur and have fabbed my own copies but I never have girth hitched it in the rear. I decided that I wanted to make it easy to remove and or switch between saddles so I just threaded it around a biner which I can clip into the saddle's loop or ring...or if a saddle has neither you could throw a short sling around the belt and clip to that.

BTW, I do understand why On Rope mentions the importance of a low attachemnt point-if your waist/chest attachment is riding too high you wind up with too short of a step in each cycle...but I'm tall, and have long arms and prefer a modified Frog system (Tree Frog) or fall back to a very basic Texas system. In my own experience I haven't had to give the central attachment a second thought-I always seem to wind up with a usable step in each cycle.

 

[sotc]

yes that was tom (tblough) that built that sweet log arch. he still checks in from china on occasion

 

[Bounce]

My mistake Gary - I often wonder how I can fit my entire foot into my mouth all at once.

The new Sequoia will indeed work with both the Secur and Torse chest harnesses as well as the Top.