I watched this on the tube the other night. Have you guys seen this video? If so what do you think? Agree or disagree. This season I'm using the the Cornell hitch with a tending small carabiner. Last year before I found this method I would use this knot tying method like he shows in this video while I rappeled and stopped to pull my sticks of the tree on the way down.
Actually it’s a very good video and addresses one of the major issues we face. We look at a device from our perspective of use, while the manufacturer sees it and has designed it for a different perspective of use. This causes some confusion between us and them, such as the issue of backing up a Safaguard. Of course, from their perspective you would have to be very careful how you backed it up due to the intended use. Yes, the device is perfectly safe for us to use how we are using it as essentially a progress capture/hold/rappel device. In that context due to the great difference in how it is loaded, backing up is feasible and different.
For those worried about it, the basic hard lock would be an excellent method to lock it off, especially at hunting height. I have played around with using a Klemheist below the device and it works great for descending, you just have to make sure you have enough of a distance so that it CANNOT get drawn up to the device. If so, it could possibly impede the locking action, although it wouldn’t be as likely as it would be with say a figure-8 or ATC if the backup hitch gets drawn up to them. I agree with him wholeheartedly, I am not a fan of backing up any rappel device above the device. There are myriads of reasons, one of the main one is how that friction hitch would have to hold full body weight, thus causing it to lock down very tightly and with many hitches that makes them very difficult to unlock. Putting the hitch below the device on the brake end causes it to only have to hold as much weight as your braking hand would have in the first place, not nearly full body weight.