Different harness types, Rope access body harnesses.

[Cantclimbtom]

C.A.M.P. Turbo Foot - Last Season's

#html-body [data-pb-style=FHCVVR2]{justify-content:flex-start;display:flex;flex-direction:column;background-position:left top;background-size:cover;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-attachment:scroll}Last season's model reduced to clear.

bananafingers.co.uk

If I need kit my first choices are Inglesport and Starless River, then I'd try Dicks climbing (Bristol based, also do rope access kit), then lastly Banafingers.

Turbofoot isn't cheap. I have a pantin but wish I'd bought a turbofoot! after trying the turbochest and realising how much better it was than a croll.

This may be out of date -- It's been a long time since I did Access work and that was back in the day when it was caving with a second rope. So the kit was stop, croll, basic, shunt, sit harness and a bra style chest harness. Any bosun's chair seats were homemade.

You must remember that no big company is going to pay people to abseil down their building, they pay to get a job done. The access stuff is only to get to the job site to do work, a lot of rope access workers weren't interested in perfecting technique or kit for srt as long as it was good enough.

Climbing rope was unusual, 95% or something of the time we'd abseil down and not jumar up, you'd walk up stairs or catch a lift etc. Some jobs were notable exceptions (e.g. some bridge work where you exit at the top), but they were the exceptions.
The kit started to diverge from something like caving with chunkier sit harness where it started (my favourite was Troll RAT) due to elf 'n safety and the need to simplify and make more idiot proof. They want a single approach that is fairly idiot proof and one size fits all. A lot of workers don't climb or cave, (especially on weld inspection jobs, blast cleaning etc) they sacrifice slick efficient srt operation for I know one method and it just works.
I advise not trying to emulate rope access for caving, unless it's a work skill like managing power tools on rope (angle grinders, gas axe, welding, huge drills, etc) or casualty evacuation and rescue. The day to day harnesses, ascending methods etc, the caving community knows more about that and has better kit for caving than roped access do.

+1 for foot ascender, in particular... camp.

 

[aricooperdavis]

A foot ascender is great, but if your chest strap is rubbing try changing to a chest harness first, they completely alter the way that weight is distributed through them. Check out the AV Spelshoulder (basic or pro) or the MTDE Garma.

 

[georgenorth]

C.A.M.P. Turbo Foot - Last Season's

#html-body [data-pb-style=FHCVVR2]{justify-content:flex-start;display:flex;flex-direction:column;background-position:left top;background-size:cover;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-attachment:scroll}Last season's model reduced to clear.

bananafingers.co.uk

If I need kit my first choices are Inglesport and Starless River, then I'd try Dicks climbing (Bristol based, also do rope access kit), then lastly Banafingers.

Turbofoot isn't cheap. I have a pantin but wish I'd bought a turbofoot! after trying the turbochest and realising how much better it was than a croll.

This may be out of date -- It's been a long time since I did Access work and that was back in the day when it was caving with a second rope. So the kit was stop, croll, basic, shunt, sit harness and a bra style chest harness. Any bosun's chair seats were homemade.

You must remember that no big company is going to pay people to abseil down their building, they pay to get a job done. The access stuff is only to get to the job site to do work, a lot of rope access workers weren't interested in perfecting technique or kit for srt as long as it was good enough.

Climbing rope was unusual, 95% or something of the time we'd abseil down and not jumar up, you'd walk up stairs or catch a lift etc. Some jobs were notable exceptions (e.g. some bridge work where you exit at the top), but they were the exceptions.
The kit started to diverge from something like caving with chunkier sit harness where it started (my favourite was Troll RAT) due to elf 'n safety and the need to simplify and make more idiot proof. They want a single approach that is fairly idiot proof and one size fits all. A lot of workers don't climb or cave, (especially on weld inspection jobs, blast cleaning etc) they sacrifice slick efficient srt operation for I know one method and it just works.
I advise not trying to emulate rope access for caving, unless it's a work skill like managing power tools on rope (angle grinders, gas axe, welding, huge drills, etc) or casualty evacuation and rescue. The day to day harnesses, ascending methods etc, the caving community knows more about that and has better kit for caving than roped access do.

+1 for foot ascender, in particular... camp.

Pretty much everything you’ve written is still true of current rope access. I think we’ll see more use of battery powered ascenders in the next few years as the price likely comes down. They’re still too expensive to be cost effective for general use.

 

[Space Doubt Caver]

This is some amazing advice, I thank you peeps for all the amazing info, this has given me some great insight and something to think about, I will be buying a new chest rig first before I buy a pantin or a turbo foot,

 

[georgenorth]

Skylotec ACX Power Ascender

The battery-powered ACX personnel winch, in combination with a rope, forms a highly flexible system for simple and cost-efficient cleaning and maintenance of complex structures.

www.abaris.co.uk

Probably a bit expensive for the caving market too. If you think £40 for a new Croll is a bit steep…

 

[Space Doubt Caver]

Skylotec ACX Power Ascender

The battery-powered ACX personnel winch, in combination with a rope, forms a highly flexible system for simple and cost-efficient cleaning and maintenance of complex structures.

www.abaris.co.uk

Probably a bit expensive for the caving market too. If you think £40 for a new Croll is a bit steep…

just a bit

 

[pwhole]

I've used one once to go up a floodlight mast, but I thought it was terrifying. Engines scare me, but then I don't drive

 

[Space Doubt Caver]

I've used one once to go up a floodlight mast, but I thought it was terrifying. Engines scare me, but then I don't drive

It does make you wonder what would the redundancies be for something like the power ascender if it failed or run out of power

 

[pwhole]

It was it not stopping when it got to the top that I was most worried about!

 

[georgenorth]

It was it not stopping when it got to the top that I was most worried about!

The Actsafe has a throttle like a motorbike - it’s incredibly easy to use. The back up is of course your other rope and backup device. It does have a manual override where you can descend in case of total failure - the battery recharges on descent though, so you shouldn’t be able to run out of battery mid-rope!

 

[Ian P]

This is the electric ascender that I am really interested in.