Whats your favorite friction saver?

I second Rope-a-dope. I admit that I do not yet own any dmm thimbles, but I will be making a FS with them soon because:

They're small- fewer jams when retrieving

They're light

They're smooth- from what I hear

They can be bombed out without a retrieval line.

I don't like how heavy steel rings are, but I also don't like dropping my aluminum rings 60'. Setting up a retrieval isn't too difficult, but is not often expedient.

One other option is the upcoming twin line rope guide by ART. If you haven't already, check out the video they posted on youtube.
 
I rarely use ddrt, so I don't bother with friction savers often, but I like the conduit sleeves... what is his name? Dan House, I think?

For a really low friction setup that I set in the canopy that is retrievable I like this one that I made. That tiny biner won't go through the pinto, and the revolver is good at not getting stuck.
 

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rope-a-dope said:
I'm liking the revolver/pinto thing.
Hafta try that out so I can midline install a sweet knot block canopy anchor off of a base tie ascent.
Chyea, bra!
Click to expand...

I can keep the components on my saddle seaprately and completely useful, and toss them together if I need them.
Those little dyneema slings are beautiful.

That could be a cool idea. I'm going to have to mess with it.
 
My favorite, currently, is this one... technically, a canopy anchor that can be installed and retreived from the ground, works for SRT and DdRT both (with one change).
It's shown here for SRT, with the climb line installed in the swivel. For DdRT, a pulley is installed in the swivel, and a throwline put through the pulley. Installs the same, and then the climb line is pulled through the pulley with the throwline. The 1/8" red line is the retrieval line in both configurations. For DdRT it's easiest to just pull the climb line out with the throwline tied to it, and use the throwline to help bring the anchor back down. That way, I don't have to drag the climb line through the crotch.

This is a prototype I had the nice folks at TreeStuff put together, because I can't splice kernmantle and I was getting all the components from them, anyway. They were able to decipher my construction requirements perfectly, assembling the hardware and two layers of chafe sleeve onto the 1/2" KM-III when they did the sewn eyes. I'm sure they probably thought I was nuts when they saw what I wanted them to do, but hey... I'm extremely happy with the results.

FavoriteCanopyAnchor.webp

It's about 4 feet long. Ignore the ascender, it has nothing to do with the device.
 
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JeffGu said:
My favorite, currently, is this one... technically, a canopy anchor that can be installed and retreived from the ground, works for SRT and DdRT both (with one change).
It's shown here for SRT, with the climb line installed in the swivel. For DdRT, a pulley is installed in the swivel, and a throwline put through the pulley. Installs the same, and then the climb line is pulled through the pulley with the throwline. The 1/8" red line is the retrieval line in both configurations. For DdRT it's easiest to just pull the climb line out with the throwling tied to it, and use the throwline to help bring the anchor back down. That way, I don't have to drag the climb line through the crotch.

This is a prototype I had the nice folks at TreeStuff put together, because I can't splice kernmantle and I was getting all the components from them, anyway. They were able to decipher my construction requirements perfectly, assembling the hardware and two layers of chafe sleeve onto the 1/2" KM-III when they did the sewn eyes. I'm sure they probably thought I was nuts when they saw what I wanted them to do, but hey... I'm extremely happy with the results.

View attachment 42252

It's about 4 feet long. Ignore the ascender, it has nothing to do with the device.
Click to expand...

I've seen this device several times now.
This is the first time that I remember hearing about a pulley for ddrt on the swivel. What pulley do you use?
Can you come up with a picture for me?
I get the premise, I just haven't used that sort of swivel before and kind of want to get a feel for how it looks all set up.
 
I'll do that, man... my other iterations of this concept use an OmniBlock 1.5 for the pulley, but that's kinda redundant on this one, since it already has the swivel. I'll dig out the pulley I use with it tomorrow and post up a pic. It's wet, dark, cold and drizzling out there right now (gotta rummage through the equipment trailer). There are some steps you have to take during the install/retrieval process, but it's really no more complicated than a lot of other similar ideas for redirects and canopy anchors I've seen posted. After doing it a few times, it gets to be second nature and you don't have to think about it too much.

It is not, of course, the ultimate solution. I think that is like perfection itself... it's something you strive for, knowing full well you'll never achieve it, and knowing the next guy in line will not like it at all and offer up another solution. But so far, I like it. I've got more work to do, improving how it behaves in a really tight crotch, etc. but for me, I'm liking the process of working through all that. My main motivation is preserving the climb lines, and getting it up and down from the ground. Lots of people would rather do something that's quick and dirty, and just buy another rope if it gets beat up. They're probably a lot more sane than I am.
 
JeffGu said:
I'll do that, man... my other iterations of this concept use an OmniBlock 1.5 for the pulley, but that's kinda redundant on this one, since it already has the swivel. I'll dig out the pulley I use with it tomorrow and post up a pic. It's wet, dark, cold and drizzling out there right now (gotta rummage through the equipment trailer). There are some steps you have to take during the install/retrieval process, but it's really no more complicated than a lot of other similar ideas for redirects and canopy anchors I've seen posted. After doing it a few times, it gets to be second nature and you don't have to think about it too much.

It is not, of course, the ultimate solution. I think that is like perfection itself... it's something you strive for, knowing full well you'll never achieve it, and knowing the next guy in line will not like it at all and offer up another solution. But so far, I like it. I've got more work to do, improving how it behaves in a really tight crotch, etc. but for me, I'm liking the process of working through all that. My main motivation is preserving the climb lines, and getting it up and down from the ground. Lots of people would rather do something that's quick and dirty, and just buy another rope if it gets beat up. They're probably a lot more sane than I am.
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That would be me, but I'm also still looking for the perfect climb line, so whatever reason I can get to replace one...
 
Yeah, I always thought that there must be a rope out there that works great with every climbing gizmo I can get my hands on. No such animal. It's all good, though... I get tickled shitless when a big, heavy box with TREESTIFFY on the side of it arrives. So many ropes... so little time... :)
 
Worthaug said:
a45ba812f0676c7860f2966e881af96e.jpg



Reed Wortley
CA# SO-6953A
CTSP# 01739
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How's this set up for retrieving? I have the multi sling with revolver and like it. Like the idea of adding a pulley but fear the end off day epics of getting it stuck
 
image.webp Thoughts on this? Specifically the Rollclip, isn't it rated at 20kn?
I like the size of the Rollclip over the Revolver but at 20kn isn't that slightly shy of the life support minimum?
 
Scottyrunner100 said:
View attachment 46045 Thoughts on this? Specifically the Rollclip, isn't it rated at 20kn?
I like the size of the Rollclip over the Revolver but at 20kn isn't that slightly shy of the life support minimum?
Click to expand...
Not for half of a life load.
The teufelberger slaice is like 15kn I think. Individual side d rings are 15kn on the treemotion.
Several 8mm hitch cords don't pass a straight pull but are allowed when used as an eye2eye.

I'd have to see how that setup interfaces before I trusted it. I'd rather have a pinto there. It's a cool idea though.


Since this thread is bumped, I'll just throw out there that several guys beat me to the pinto revolver idea, and I think it was worthaug that posted the superior setup where the webbing is captured by a biner through the pinto instead of being open to being crossloaded.
 
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Don't know if this will help the OP at this point, but the best money I ever spent in tree work was my Fimblesaver. In the 4+ years I've had it, it has never gotten stuck. A ground guy once pulled my rope out without the retrieval ball, but that's not stuck, that's stupid (me, incidentally, not the ground guy). I can't remember which size I have, but I never even notice the weight on my saddle, and it fits around any wood I don't need a 90cc saw for. I'm 265 in my skivvies, and while I like climbing in a pulley and use a zigzag or a runner 90+% of the time, usually I like a bit more friction up top. The steel thimbles are perfect. I usually single up double down, so I don't often set it from the ground, but it works perfectly with an unspliced or hand spliced rope (sewn eyes have to be hand set). I do have to use a wrapped stick or biner w/a munter on the throw line to set from the ground, but I don't consider that a drawback. It's the best option I've found for the blocked ring and ring canopy anchor, a personal favorite. It's super tough, all that time of nearly daily use and there is just a small pick in the cover...which is not life support, another big advantage in my book. It's supple enough to daisy chain, but the stiff stitched section above the large ring is perfect for lifting it out of tight unions on retrieval. I'm going to retire my current one to rigging duty soon, not because I think it's unservicable, just because it's getting long in the tooth. I have been eyeing up the fimbleclimb as a replacement, but the saver works so well, I'll probably just get the same one. The only downside I can scrape up is that you need the correct retrieval ball-I bought an extra, but even though I've occasionally dropped the one it came with, I've never actually needed the spare.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
 
Guess I'm just old fashioned.. either climbe srt based tied naked, ddrt off a false crotch, or home made ring and ring. I do have a home made pulley saver, but that is reserved for if I know I have a lot of ups and downs.
My ring and ring is just some Yale 11.7 with a large steel ring, Prussic eye and eye to a small ring on oceans 8mm, the a empty tight eye than can accept a locking revolver. I can always take off the small ring and add the pinto prussic there, actually there are many options and configurations I have used simply with a dead eye n large ring.
 
SomethingWitty said:
Can you come up with a picture for me?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I forgot about this thread for awhile. I've tried a number of pulleys in that thing, but I usually use a ROOK even though it already has a swivel. It just fits in the canopy anchor's swivel shackle well, and doesn't mind being dragged through crotches.

canopy-anchor-ddrt-1.webp canopy-anchor-ddrt-2.webp canopy-anchor-ddrt-3.webp canopy-anchor-srt-1.webp

Any pulley you feel safe on, that fits in the shackle and will pass through the large ring with a little wiggle room, will work. I've used OmniBlock pulleys up to the 1.5" one, and various others, but the Rock Exotica Hydra/Rook is the one I settled on.
 
fall_risk said:
Don't know if this will help the OP at this point, but the best money I ever spent in tree work was my Fimblesaver. In the 4+ years I've had it, it has never gotten stuck. A ground guy once pulled my rope out without the retrieval ball, but that's not stuck, that's stupid (me, incidentally, not the ground guy). I can't remember which size I have, but I never even notice the weight on my saddle, and it fits around any wood I don't need a 90cc saw for. I'm 265 in my skivvies, and while I like climbing in a pulley and use a zigzag or a runner 90+% of the time, usually I like a bit more friction up top. The steel thimbles are perfect. I usually single up double down, so I don't often set it from the ground, but it works perfectly with an unspliced or hand spliced rope (sewn eyes have to be hand set). I do have to use a wrapped stick or biner w/a munter on the throw line to set from the ground, but I don't consider that a drawback. It's the best option I've found for the blocked ring and ring canopy anchor, a personal favorite. It's super tough, all that time of nearly daily use and there is just a small pick in the cover...which is not life support, another big advantage in my book. It's supple enough to daisy chain, but the stiff stitched section above the large ring is perfect for lifting it out of tight unions on retrieval. I'm going to retire my current one to rigging duty soon, not because I think it's unservicable, just because it's getting long in the tooth. I have been eyeing up the fimbleclimb as a replacement, but the saver works so well, I'll probably just get the same one. The only downside I can scrape up is that you need the correct retrieval ball-I bought an extra, but even though I've occasionally dropped the one it came with, I've never actually needed the spare.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...


I second this. The timbles are superior to rings in many ways for friction management.

Fall_Risk, get the flimbleclimb. Same thing just lighter. You won't be dissapointed.

Tony
 
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