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Advice on Hand Ascender purchase for novice in regards to SRT?

SNIPERBBB said:
Yeah hand ascenders are not life support devices. Unless you need to make a quick climb to escape a mad turtle or something you don't have to get something extremely fancy.
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I'm just as guilty of "chasing the shiny things" but convenience costs more and that's where all the expense is.

To effectively climb and descend a rope, you only need (2) prusik cords and a carabiner. This is how I learned and we'd climb, descend, pass knots, etc. just fine with it. However, prusiks can be slow and sometimes difficult to move thus the creation of mechanical ascenders like the Duck or Ropeman. They move much easier at the expense to potential rope damage. Add in improved ergonomics and you have the current hand ascenders like the Petzl and CT.

If I were to pick one item that is the weakest link in terms of life support, it's descenders like the Madrock and Beal Birdy. They're easy and convenient (I use one) but descending on one probably introduces the greatest stresses to your equipment and rope. In terms of overall safety, strength and lowest cost, you'd be best served with (2) prusiks and a carabiner to ascend and a figure 8 with klemheist safety to descend. Everything else is a trade-off of convenience for cost.
 
All the money spent on the slowest, most inefficient method you could get a Ropewrench and a foot ascender and be done with it. Of course it is incumbent upon user to learn proper hitches as your life depends on them. I can't recommend proper instruction enough if available. RADS system using these other devices work they are not the most energy conserving .
 
bj139 said:
More expensive than multiple sticks?
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Depends on the sticks… I mean a set of those trophy line or hawk helium’s are 140-160 new. 40’ of oplux at 1.89 a foot and an $80 gri gri ot madrock… add in the carabiner and pulley or hand ascender? Yea more expensive than sticks unless you’re talking the ONE stick or Lonewolf
 
Fl Canopy Stalker said:
Depends on the sticks… I mean a set of those trophy line or hawk helium’s are 140-160 new. 40’ of oplux at 1.89 a foot and an $80 gri gri ot madrock… add in the carabiner and pulley or hand ascender? Yea more expensive than sticks unless you’re talking the ONE stick or Lonewolf
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So you quote the most expensive SRT gear vs. the cheapest sticks. Then that is true. No one needs Oplux.
 
Fl Canopy Stalker said:
Depends on the sticks… I mean a set of those trophy line or hawk helium’s are 140-160 new. 40’ of oplux at 1.89 a foot and an $80 gri gri ot madrock… add in the carabiner and pulley or hand ascender? Yea more expensive than sticks unless you’re talking the ONE stick or Lonewolf
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SRT/DRT method can be had for $100 or less. With that I would say that sticks and rope climbing methods are about the same cost where you can spend as little as around $100 and up to a limit that doesn’t exist.
 
bj139 said:
So you quote the most expensive SRT gear vs. the cheapest sticks. Then that is true. No one needs Oplux.
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Ok cheap end SRT $40 for the rope $10 for the carabiner, and $18 for a figure 8… are you wanting to use a wild country ascender or climb on double prusiks with no hand ascender? Then you’re minimalist and you still spent more than the cost of muddy stand off climbing sticks or hawk steel sticks ($69) so either way SRT is more expensive since we are using the “cheap methods” and I climb rope systems almost exclusively, but to say it’s the cheap method wouldn’t be correct
 
gcr0003 said:
SRT/DRT method can be had for $100 or less. With that I would say that sticks and rope climbing methods are about the same cost where you can spend as little as around $100 and up to a limit that doesn’t exist.
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I climb DRT .96 per foot for 75’ of deep woods after shipping cost me $90 then I need a throw ball, paracord or throw line and an extra carabiner. All that and you’re well over $100. Muddy steel stand off sticks cost $69 for a three pack at 32” long gets someone 20’. Game winning steel sticks are $49…. Look I like DRT climbing, it is my preferred method. All I’m saying is SRT costs more than climbing sticks no matter what, if we go cheap SRT vs cheap sticks, sticks are still cheaper.
 
Getting back to the OP, Yes, I SRT using a Ropeman 1, a carabiner and some Amsteel (all of which I had laying around) not including how I rappel down. Using the carabiner as the handle, you'll get up just as quickly and easily as a hand ascender.

To use an analogy, do you want a fully loaded truck or a no-frills truck. They'll both haul the same, it's just a matter of creature comforts.
 
Just finished my morning climb and after everything was packed up, I realized I should have taken pictures of it setup on the rope. The first pic is the entire hand ascender setup (Ropeman1, biner, Amsteel foot loop) wrapped up for storage and the 2nd is with everything laid out. Even climbing every day for practice, I cannot justify buying a hand ascender when this works, is cheaper and packs up smaller.
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Reviving this thread. Kong futura or ct quick roll?

Also, for foot strap, was going to start with just a versa strap girth hitched through daisy chain on my foot, then a hole in the hand ascender….or will this slice through the strap eventually?


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TommyDee said:
Reviving this thread. Kong futura or ct quick roll?

Also, for foot strap, was going to start with just a versa strap girth hitched through daisy chain on my foot, then a hole in the hand ascender….or will this slice through the strap eventually?


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Out of those two, I'd go with the quick roll because of the pully. As for the foot strap, I made mine out of 1inch tubular webbing and I have it girthed hitched through the hole in my ascender and girth hitched around my foot. It may eventually slice through, but unless your climbing every day multiple times, I can't see it cutting through for a long time when just being used for hunting season.

I'm now experimenting with a two foot sling instead of a single foot one. Its much easier to stand on both legs than just the one, and I'm trying to also adapt it to 2TC as well.
 
If ya didn't see it, this is the first video on a new playlist on my channel for the JRB Ascender Hitch, basically a friction hitch with a HANDLE so it works like a hand ascender.


If ya don't know me, I hunted 11 seasons MRS/DdRT, one season with some SRT and then devised the JRB Climbing Method. Now, I never use MRS and would only use SRT in a run and gun situation in a complex tree where there are branches between the lines. That's the right time for a basal anchor and SRT. There are many ways to execute an SRT climb, and we don't need mechanical devices for some. RADS SRT is what most saddle Hunters use, but i do a small demo of Texas Style SRT with JRB attachment methods.

Every other climb is JRB and I am now on the JRB Ascender Hitch. Unlike a mechanical Ascender, it's a backup rappel device too.



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