I would like to add some comments and observations. If you have not tried running the LockJack climbing system through a pulley you will not have realized its full abilities.
I run mine most of the time through a pulley attached to an adjustable false crotch. When the situation requires using a friction saver instead the additional friction is quite noticeable.
I, too, have added a tether to my LJ Sport and feels this completes the process of making this a more versatile tool.
I have learned a neat little trick that extends the life of the clutch which normally gets replaced when it starts creeping or slipping while you are at a work position. This is just incredibly annoying but affects the LJ in no other aspect of its use. What I do is take a bite of the tail of my line, run it through the upper carabiner and slide the loop over the ball back to main body. What this accomplishes is putting constant tension upwards on the handle while you are in work position. Very fast and easy.
As far as inspecting knots. I would never recommend someone not to inspect their knots, (is that considered a double negative?) but in the case of advanced hitches, VTs and XTs and such used by advanced climbers using hightec cordage, I think there are some other considerations. The reports I have read on some of the current cordage is that they are weakened by repetitive bending motions. So reversing your hitch each time you use it, may weaken the cordage.
These hitches are being used by experienced climbers and the hitches themselves, being a very loose design, lend themselves well to an inspection without removal. Warning signs of excessive wear should be within these climbers knowledge base.
Just a question, I have heard it commented that it annoys people that the LJ self-tends in some situations when they don't want it to. When is that? In my day-to-day climbing I have never experienced that. Just curious.
D Mc
