Rope Wrench Feedback?

TreeStuff

TreeStuff

Participating member
Location
Indy
How are you guys digging it so far?

What length and type of tether do you like best?

What setup are you ascending with?

What is the biggest strength and weaknesses so far?


Got a nice number of climbers on board with the ZK-1 so I figure this is a good place to stop and ask for the early reaction... this will help a ton! Thank you very much.
 
I've used it on 100% of my climbs for the last week or so, and I'm liking it more everyday. Climbing SRT takes a different thought prosess, bet I am finding more and more advantages to it everyday. It has surprised me how fast I'm taking, considering I've been climb Ddrt for close to 20 years.

There are two things I would like to see improved with the rope wrench.

1. It would be nice to attach mid line.
2. I'd like to be able to adjust the amount of friction.
 
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2. I'd like to be able to adjust the amount of friction.

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On the rope? It is..at least it is highlighted in one of his videos
 
The RW is awesome
I have a short tether... so when my VT is set the wrench is about 2-3 inches above the top of my hitch and I'm using beeline for my tether cord. I'm ascending with a pantin and handled ascender+footloop nice simple and quick. You get other the fact that it isn't midline attachable pretty quick but I do see how it could be helpful. We just got a big storm and I've been climbing srt almost on every climb and the RW has made my life easier which is great working from dusk till dawn lol
 
I really like the RW as well. Mine came with a short tether that sits 2-3 inches above my XT. I climb with a pantin and advance my RW with my lanyard over the shoulder. Thanks to Kevin for both the RW and the technique. For longer acsents I use a handled ascender with foot loop and a short tether that advances my RW as well.
 
Get someone to take a picture of that chest harness. I have tried to jurry rig chest harnesses to no avail. Is it one that goes with your harness?
 
I had a go on one of the few zk1 rope wrenches in the UK today. Very impressed, I would have liked more time to play around. I'm with you on making the edges a bit smoother, maybe that is just being picky though. Top stuff Kevin!
 
CMI chest harness:

http://www.cmi-gear.com/catalog/harnesses/chest.asp

I just ordered my rope wrench yesterday, looking forward to using it to install some tree light bulbs in the next week or two - at least 10 ascents, should go a lot quicker with this tool.

What I was doing before was ascending up with the pantin, croll, and prussik, then descending with a gri-gri. Leads to some bumpy descents. Plus, with a project like my light-bulb change-out, where I don't have somewhere to step/transition to grigri, I might have had to just double-rope it.

So thanks Bing! I'll give some feedback as soon as I get a chance. From what I hear about the sharp(?) corners, maybe I'll be painting this thing in some rubber tool dip.
 
I'm experimenting with mine a lot lately but have yet to put it into production. Call me block headed but I can't figure out how to work both sides of the tree with it. It's probably right under my nose and I'll feel like an idiot when someone points it out but hey. Anyway, I'm using a static line and my chosen tether is keeps it about 4" away from my hitch. I'm in a VT but I also tried a distel and liked it better as it doesn't require constant tending. I'm using a Pantin but I've tried footlocking srt...both worked well. I'm going to keep experimenting with different textiles til I nail it. I'll include a hand ascender and foot loop also.
The machined edges so far have been a non-issue for me but I can feature a more refined model. I mean it's hansome enough but I know there'll be cleaned up smaller versions that are mid-line attatchable. Maybe a one piece version.
Nice piece, glad to see it's so popular.
 
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos?feature=mhee

This is a difficult to watch, unedited helmet cam video of climbing through three trees with the rope wrench. note the readily available mid-line attachable modification that I have been experimenting with. The pin was bought at west marine. so far so good. Even though it is midline attachable, I still hardly ever remove it from the line.
 
I am not a working climber but have been a supporter of Kevin's rope wrench since the "wooden prototypes" and have enjoyed the versatility that it affords in the canopy. My system consists of a PMI chest box roller(single) a tether(nylon endless strap) girthed to a biner that is extended during ascent. Then I take the weight off by using a microcender above the hitch/hitch climber pulley. The chest box pushes up the hitch assembly and would actually catch me in the event that the microcender failed. I use a rope walker system I made up- left foot Petzl basic with a custom footstrap and on the right a Pantin. When I have reached where I want to go I re-hook the hitch climber biner back to the saddle and I am ready to move and descend (the hitch assembly is always connected to the saddle). I have alot to learn but Kevin and others have offered up some great advice. Nice thing I like about the ropewalker system is that my hands are free to push off branches while still pumping my legs. I tried a Petzl hand ascender but I prefer the Microcender and I can get it off pretty quick also. I have an arm injury so this system works quite well for me. I have been tying off at the ground and my wife can belay me down if need be. You guys work in a great environment and I like the fact that you have to think things out and the danger factor has an appeal to me also. I hope to spend many hours in the tree and try to climb several times a week. I learned DRT but am definately loving this SRT stuff!
 
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