Prototype Adjustable Neck Lanyards

[Matt J Leppek]

Marvin pruner cord with rope covers. I used a blakes hitch to make it adjustable. They're pretty comfortable. I never liked the bungee lanyards so I wanted to find a way to make a rope neck lanyard adjustable. Now I need to figure out a way to make these break-away.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

I like my simple bungee.

I hear Gechhhhhh...with non-bungee neck tethers.

I'd prefer to see a tether made in a suspender or X-arrangement.

 

[ARLO]

I don't think the rope neck loop is a good idea. If that sucker gets hung up behind you and your weight is hanging on it there is no way you could get your head out of the loop. Even if you try to design a break-away it would still be dangerous as there is no way to know if the break-away is going to work in many situations.

 

[SomethingWitty]

I don't think the rope neck loop is a good idea. If that sucker gets hung up behind you and your weight is hanging on it there is no way you could get your head out of the loop. Even if you try to design a break-away it would still be dangerous as there is no way to know if the break-away is going to work in many situations.

I have heard this a lot. It seems that everyone has formed this opinion basically simultaneously (Fiore has a video which finally sold me on a legitimate safety hazard).
My question is this: has anyone had any major injury or death from one? How about a big scare? Anything?
I have been mildly irritated at worst, and still occasionally use one when it is convenient.

 

[CutHighnLetFly]

I have heard this a lot. It seems that everyone has formed this opinion basically simultaneously (Fiore has a video which finally sold me on a legitimate safety hazard).
My question is this: has anyone had any major injury or death from one? How about a big scare? Anything?
I have been mildly irritated at worst, and still occasionally use one when it is convenient.

Someone made a neat video showing how a climber who is unconscious pretty much will inevitably be in a position where they are getting choked by their tether, they did it with bungee and static like tethers.
Worst case scenario, but still real. That being said I cautiously still use a static tether

 

[JeffGu]

Years ago I worked with an older gentleman who had a rather wry sense of humor. I forgot to take a rigging line up a tree one day, and forgot my ditty bag with the haul line, too. I used a ladder to bypass having to gaff the first 25' of the tree, and he brought the ditty bag up in one hand, and the end of the rigging line held in his teeth. I mentioned that it might be rather painful if the rope snagged on something or he stepped on it while he was climbing the ladder to bring it to me. He just said...

"I don't think the denture adhesive would hold."

 

[ARLO]

"I don't think the denture adhesive would hold."[/QUOTE]

Now that is the perfect break-away device!

 

[Kris Fugate]

Marvin pruner cord with rope covers. I used a blakes hitch to make it adjustable. They're pretty comfortable. I never liked the bungee lanyards so I wanted to find a way to make a rope neck lanyard adjustable. Now I need to figure out a way to make these break-away.
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I use a neck lanyard when ascending SRT at times. Question: why the blakes hitch?

 

[Frax]

I haven't heard of anyone being injured or worse using a neck tether.
Intuitively, it feels like an unnecessary hazard.
I can think of a few ways that a neck tether could make a situation far worse.
The strangulation issue on an unconscious climber as mentioned above.
Getting your neck snapped if you take an uncontrolled swing and the tether hooks something.
If you forget to take it off before feeding a chipper....

In the last case, you might say no one would forget. Right. Just like no one would forget to move their climbing line before topping out a piece. Or cut their basal anchor. Never happens, right?

I believe in mitigating all potential hazards within our control.

However, I don't go around pointing fingers and being all safely police on people who do use neck tethers. They are often better climbers than I am.


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

 

[Matt J Leppek]

I use a neck lanyard when ascending SRT at times. Question: why the blakes hitch?

The blakes hitch makes the lanyard adjustable. I like to adjust it just a couple inches to maximize tending and thus making each ascent slightly more efficient. Also makes getting it over your head easier if you have a big noggin. Really just posted it on here to brainstorm. I have been mostly rec climbing lately and I really dig the comfort of the vortex rope cover.

If a couple people would like to try one I have some spares that I'll give away if you pay for shipping.

I would like to create a neck lanyard with neodymium magnets that secure the lanyard together (like a buckle), that way it will easily break away if an incident occurs.