New Petzl Stop & Freino karabiner

[hannahb]

I'm not pretending to understand all the tangles people have experienced here, but I wonder if some of the problems can be solved by having the descender on the left of all the other gear.

I thought that was standard/strongly recommended but perhaps I'm out of date.

 

[JoshW]

I generally go left to right cowstails, descender, Croll then safety link/hand ascender clipped into the loop on the right of the D ring.

I genuinely think this is an issue of not taking the slack in from between descender and anchor before loading. That and potentially cowstails management, why are both cowstails being left attached whilst swinging onto pitch head, get the short off and trust the long as a back up. Suddenly the descender takes the weight and the long can be removed after a test of descender/rope.

 

[langcliffe]

I thought that was standard/strongly recommended but perhaps I'm out of date.

Personally, I think it is up to the individual to establish over time whatever is best for him/her. I have been using SRT for 54 years, and from left to right, I currently have a connection to my foot loop (I use an unorthodox foot loop, hence the phraseology), cows tails, croll, and an old-style Simple on an old-style Freino, which works for me with my current equipment. However, my caving colleagues have different preferences, which work for them. I have had to adapt my set-up in the past when I have adopted new equipment.

 

[dougle89]

What _is_ interesting is that the Petzl Stop manual now only includes one method of locking off, shown with a Freino Z, and it's not one I've ever seen anyone do... it's basically do a 'half' lock, clip into the Freino a second time and do a second 'half' lock... I guess two halves make a whole?

There used to be all sorts of weird lock-offs shown with putting twists into Freinos etc.

edit: found some: https://www.petzl.com/INT/en/Sport/Tying-off-the-STOP-descender

That double looping method is what they recommend for the simple too I believe, seems like they're standardising on their bobbin locking

 

[langcliffe]

What _is_ interesting is that the Petzl Stop manual now only includes one method of locking off, shown with a Freino Z, and it's not one I've ever seen anyone do... it's basically do a 'half' lock, clip into the Freino a second time and do a second 'half' lock... I guess two halves make a whole?

It's what I have done since originally getting a Freino when they first came out. It's very quick, and very effective. Other people have been converted to it after I have shewn them.

 

[Cantclimbtom]

It's what I have done since originally getting a Freino when they first came out. It's very quick, and very effective. Other people have been converted to it after I have shewn them.

It works for me also

 

[andrewmcleod]

I generally go left to right cowstails, descender, Croll then safety link/hand ascender clipped into the loop on the right of the D ring.

There is an argument to put the safety link on the left side (either side of the cowstails) because:
a) anything on the right of the Croll could interfere with opening the cam
b) any rope on your right-hand side can be grabbed by accident instead of the brake rope. You can still accidentally grab a rebelay loop or similar (I did this a while ago and briefly scared the crap out of myself after pulling the Rig handle and going rather faster than expected), but you cut down on the possibilities (and I have heard of people having accidents through grabbing a brake rope that isn't the brake rope).

I have a left-handed hand ascender (and Basics are left-handed IIRC?) so putting the safety link on the left side is logical anyway; obviously may cause more faff with a right-handed ascender.

 

[JoshW]

There is an argument to put the safety link on the left side

Horses for courses ain’t it, I haven’t found it interfere with the croll yet because it theoretically shouldnt be under tension while I try to do anything with my croll (or at all), and it’s just far enough away to govern the croll gate plenty of room to be accessed.