New RopeRunner?!?

oceans said:
I always want to give everything its fair shake. I saw a short on YouToob where a climber was claiming the rope was jammed in his RRP because it was wet. Believe it or not, this is what prompted me to try one out.

Sure enough, it was the user’s error and not anything to do with rope moisture. What I found was if the carabiner sits against the teardrop in the wrong way (preventing full bollard release), it will jam down there at the bollard and not tend at all. This can only happen when the RRP in unloaded and you are, say, returning from a limb walk and tending slack from below the device.

Just a little attention to use and it runs freely, although I do think a slight change in design could eliminate the problem of jamming at the bollard. It is a real thing, but only when the crab gets held against the base of the teardrop.

Now after running around with a RRP for a bit, I honestly have to return to the Akimbo. The RRP feels like a blast from the past in many ways, but the real killer is setting up a 3:1. I’ve found it can hold the device open and that’s not fun. Not sure how far gravity might take me if I just let go of everything…maybe someone can give me some insights on a better 3:1? I found if I rely on one arm on my ascender to hold a bit of weight off the RRP and then flipping the tail as I release it helped, but the Akimbo is more reliable in this vein.

Makes me excited to try Paul’s (@islandarb ‘s) what the bananas device. Looks like a pre order just came out. This also brought to mind of how many awesome SRS devices have been born out of garages in the USA! There are quite a few!!!
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Are you talking about the vertec? Or the RRP? As for 3:1. I just do it and let go and its fine. If you maintain weight on the tail it holds it open and that can be a problem. I do it without much thought at all, but it is definitly not its strong suit. The instructions say dont, so dont, redirect to a biner or pulley below to be in compliance.

The one thing you must NEVER do, is lower yourself in a 3:1. That is specifically what led to the incident which called for the advisement. What i mean is using the tail to collapse the device and try to control descent with the tail.
 
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Having never brought a climbing product to market myself, please don't take my comments from the sidelines too seriously. Also, while I have experience with both older runners, I have not touched a Vertec. But my thinking is that perhaps testing out a product designed for the masses by handing it to a small group of elite-level competition climbers is the problem. The fact that it took average Joes an hour to find a problem that experts couldn't see after months of testing is interesting, no?

And the fact that Notch is so eager to put short-term profits over long-term reputation is, well, expected at this point.
 
Another interesting point is the mech multiscender standard Reg cited covers overload/or above normal load performance and loaded descent but has no addressal of cycle loading. Zigzag crack comes to mind. Climbers periodically intuitively pick out what they perceive as weak points. Cycle wear out to my observation is currently best design effort followed by see how it pans out in the long run. Crack failures usually progress with loading cycles.
 
Points all very well taken. I still think both the bollard version of the runner and the pulley version are the best climbing tools out there. Even the short attachment on its a sweet device
If you havent climbed on one because of brand politics thats up to you. I personally think your missing out. I actually think that you might be one to prefer the bollard to the pulley. As its more hitch like than the pulley. And if its the cost, i dont know, everything is too damn expensive.

The vertec with the short attachment point was the best climbing device on the market at that time even with its flaws.The only thing better for me personally is one with a pulley.
 
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treebing said:
There is a bollard version and a pulley version... The bollard works well on a wider variety of ropes and climber weights. While initially resistant to the bollard version, i have grown to appreciate its consistant friction and wider sweetspot. It is great for big descending swings. Where it lacks is the tending going uphill. I prefer the pulley at the end of the day, but i do feel there is a place for the fixed bollard version... But I am not upset about the bollard version. I think it is suited to many climbers even those that think they would like the pulley more...
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I have not tried the pulley version of the Vertec but I'm in full agreement with Kevin on his assessment of the bollard version. I would willingly exchange the smooth feel of the pulley on slack tailing for the increased consistency produced by the bollard. The Vertec really is a fantastic climbing device.
 
I really wanted to love the RRP, in fact I tried twice, however I’ve been running a bollard vertec for a couple months now and I’m actually going to keep it. The main difference for me is how much more consistent and fluid the bird operates, I always struggled to feather the RRP for fine adjustments when positioning and it was a fine straight ascent or up down work device. Moral of the story if the RRP didn’t jive with you or find a happy place in your bag you may be surprised by the vertec.
 
I have used the original Runner a bunch, and the Rope Wrench is my most used device. I've used the RRP only when climbing on a co-workers system, but I really do like the Vertec. I feel that for me, the ease of ascent and the consistency of controllable release when you have a hitch dialed in on the RW is hard to beat and gives me personally the security to stop thinking about my device and focus on my job. I will also say that the Vertec takes about 5 seconds to put on rope which makes it really appealing too! I'm sure that once I find the perfect combo of rope and friction setting I will come to love it more. So far I've used it on XStatic, KMIII Max and Allgear Blue Craze. The KMIII Max has been my favorite but only after Kevin advised me to run it on the lowest friction setting.
 
oceans said:
Happy to try an Akimbo 2 because I am so happy with the first version. When I first heard a new version was coming, I was really hoping it would be designed with a MRS attachment point. When I saw the official ad for the new version, I didn’t het the impression I would see or feel much difference.
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U will. The improvements were very well thought out. I love how it doesn’t slide down the rope anymore when tight or with slack. The larger hole to accommodate a xsre carabiner. The spring action is way more responsive. 3:1 with the cric is great. My go to all the time now. I like the vertec for quick up and downs, not much for big prunes anymore.
 
Acerxharlowii said:
U will. The improvements were very well thought out. I love how it doesn’t slide down the rope anymore when tight or with slack. The larger hole to accommodate a xsre carabiner. The spring action is way more responsive. 3:1 with the cric is great. My go to all the time now. I like the vertec for quick up and downs, not much for big prunes anymore.
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I’ve been running a RE Pirate with the Akimbo since I can terminate the splice along side for MRS. It’s not bad but nothing keeps the Akimbo upright when advancing from above it. I also have a rubber ring at the rop of the spine of the Pirate to keep the Akimbo from sliding out of position and risking a side load. How are you setting up for MRS?
 
oceans said:
I’ve been running a RE Pirate with the Akimbo since I can terminate the splice along side for MRS. It’s not bad but nothing keeps the Akimbo upright when advancing from above it. I also have a rubber ring at the rop of the spine of the Pirate to keep the Akimbo from sliding out of position and risking a side load. How are you setting up for MRS?
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I don’t. I’m all srs with that baby. Smaller trees, 25-30’ I’ll use Mrs with a zig zag. I use one akimbo1 on my lanyard and another for dragging tail or with my Captain Hook. I did read that u can clip into the xsre hook with a small xsre carabiner and prussik of sorts on the working end and it will keep it upright and tend
 
Acerxharlowii said:
I don’t. I’m all srs with that baby. Smaller trees, 25-30’ I’ll use Mrs with a zig zag. I use one akimbo1 on my lanyard and another for dragging tail or with my Captain Hook. I did read that u can clip into the xsre hook with a small xsre carabiner and prussik of sorts on the working end and it will keep it upright and tend
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I once hauled all sorts of gear with me. These days I aim to be as minimal as possible.
 
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