Descenders - Help me choose please.

[thedutchtouch]

If only choosing between those two, safeguard for sure.

If wanting the easiest)most controlled descent (at lower cost as well) ATC (with auto lock if you're needing to stop on the way down to remove sticks or whatnot.

@Mallardsx2 how did you narrow down to those two?

 

[DelaWhere_Arrow]

I think I'm doing basically the same thing with my setup. I have the longhorn agile above and use that as my hanging hitch in the tree. I climb on my rappel rope also. The F8 and beaner are in my pouch while I climb (on a separate beaner). When I get to height, I put the F8 into the rappel rope but lower and out of the way so that its hooked up in daylight. My F8 is tape wrapped. On rappel I use the hitch for some friction and the F8 for some. When I pull a platform or step i let go of the hitch and it bites. To start again I grab the hitch and we're off.

Do you hang from the F8 in the tree as you have it tied above and then wrap around it for rappel?

I don’t hunt off my rappel rope often but when I do it looks like this. I hunt off a standard Agile hitch made of 6mm or 7mm depending on the day lol, and my F8/Sticht combo sits above it. I could hunt off it but I don’t want the temptation to push that Sticht by accident. The blue-gate carabiner on the right of my HYS is there for when I rappel. I clip it into the 8, toss my bight through the 8, clip into my bridge, and go. I can either leave the Agile on the brake strand (slid way down) or remove it for a less fiddly descent.
Disregard the Muddy Safeline in the pic. It’s already in the tree so I clip into it. It has nothing to do with rappelling.

 

[casts_by_fly]

View attachment 96407
I don’t hunt off my rappel rope often but when I do it looks like this. I hunt off a standard Agile hitch made of 6mm or 7mm depending on the day lol, and my F8/Sticht combo sits above it. I could hunt off it but I don’t want the temptation to push that Sticht by accident. The blue-gate carabiner on the right of my HYS is there for when I rappel. I clip it into the 8, toss my bight through the 8, clip into my bridge, and go. I can either leave the Agile on the brake strand (slid way down) or remove it for a less fiddly descent.
Disregard the Muddy Safeline in the pic. It’s already in the tree so I clip into it. It has nothing to do with rappelling.

Gotcha. That's pretty clear for me now. We're quite similar overall in setup. I'm hunting straight from my longhorn agile used for the rappel. Its easy to adjust in the tree if I need to, though I don't need to much unless I'm swapping from sitting to leaning (I like it shorter for leaning). About the only difference in total pieces is the extra hitch you're hunting from. All seems much of a muchness. Thanks!

 

[Mallardsx2]

View attachment 96407
I don’t hunt off my rappel rope often but when I do it looks like this. I hunt off a standard Agile hitch made of 6mm or 7mm depending on the day lol, and my F8/Sticht combo sits above it. I could hunt off it but I don’t want the temptation to push that Sticht by accident. The blue-gate carabiner on the right of my HYS is there for when I rappel. I clip it into the 8, toss my bight through the 8, clip into my bridge, and go. I can either leave the Agile on the brake strand (slid way down) or remove it for a less fiddly descent.
Disregard the Muddy Safeline in the pic. It’s already in the tree so I clip into it. It has nothing to do with rappelling.

There is a lot going on there.

 

[DelaWhere_Arrow]

There is a lot going on there.

You’re the second person to say that but I assure you there isn’t. It looks way busier than it is but I see worse every day in Live from the Saddle lol.

 

[TreeRecon]

Are you going to be hanging off it, or just belaying ?

 

[DelaWhere_Arrow]

Are you going to be hanging off it, or just belaying ?

This man always has the legit concerns.

 

[gcr0003]

All of y’all recommending a ATC and Figure 8 on top need to be very clear to explain that you MUST use a hitch such as the WLR, Sticht, or from what ive heard the Longhorn Agile. That is because these hitches are all capable of releasing after all of your weight is on them (which if they are on top, all of your weight will be on the hitch when you stop). If you try to use other hitches you are gonna get in a situation where you can’t move your hitch without taking weight off. If you do this in a scenario with nowhere to stand you’re going to make it extremely difficult on yourself to get down and could put yourself in a difficult to unsafe situation.

A friction hitch under the figure 8 on your hip or on a shorter second bridge would be a good option.

 

[Mallardsx2]

Are you going to be hanging off it, or just belaying ?

I’m going to be hanging off of it and belaying. I think. f I’m not allowed to hang off of it, I’ll hang off of my ropeman as I currently at least have 1 of those.

 

[Iron_llama]

If I’m gonna use a mechanical device it will be the madrock or grigri, I don’t like the way the F4 device has to be threaded through! That being said I still prefer the figure 8 with a longhorn agile hitch tied above it!

I don't think I have any pictures of it, but I girth hitched my longhorn agile to the big loop of my F8. 1-stick climb on the hitch, loop it through the 8 at height. I was really happy with how well that worked. I like how compact the Sticht is, but I can tie this at the tree, in the event I use a throwline or preset.

 

[TreeRecon]

I’m going to be hanging off of it and belaying. I think. f I’m not allowed to hang off of it, I’ll hang off of my ropeman as I currently at least have 1 of those.

I would get a device designed to be suspended on for long periods of time.

While lots of people use GriGris and Madrocks as auto-locking devices and don't die, they're really not designed for said purpose.

 

[DelaWhere_Arrow]

While lots of people use [insert device name here] as [whatever they want] and don't die, they're really not designed for said purpose.

Welcome to SaddleHunter. This is the only way we know how to rock around this clock.

 

[DelaWhere_Arrow]

I don't think I have any pictures of it, but I girth hitched my longhorn agile to the big loop of my F8. 1-stick climb on the hitch, loop it through the 8 at height. I was really happy with how well that worked. I like how compact the Sticht is, but I can tie this at the tree, in the event I use a throwline or preset.

Yes, I have done this exact thing with agile and F8. any hitch works as long as it releases under load and tends nicely. Can be done using girth hitch to connect to F8 or SKIB method (stopper knot in back, another dope Brocky conception I believe). I use SKIB on my Sticht which lives on my rope.

 

[Sechelik]

I've never used either and most likely will never as my simple approach works every time.

I climb/ascend with the saddle, 3 carabiners, and an agile hitch on my climbing rope.

1 Locking Carabiner connects my primary bridge to agile friction hitch on my climbing rope.​

2 non-locking carabiners for my Garda foot loops and secondary bridge.​

I descend/rappel with the same setup as the climb with the only exception that I use the munter on the same 2 non-locking carabiners. The agile hitch and 1 locking carabiner act as my backup during rappelling.