Ropeman vs prusik

[NimbleTimbo]

To be fair, a rope hitch can have mishaps....the primary one is you get in the bad habit of adjusting the rope by grabbing the hitch (instead of grabbing the rope in front of the hitch)...you start to fall and your natural instinct is to keep your death grip....or you start to slip or fall and you reach out and grab the hitch (making matter worse)

yeah, you can easily do that with a Safeguard too. always back it up!

 

[sojourner]

Ropeman issue has been known for quite some time. I believe I was the first to bring it up here 7 years ago.

ropeman 1

With the popularity of these and lack of availability, I decided to contact the manufacture to see if they were phasing them out with ropeman 2 or what the deal was. Here is the response from customer service. Thanks for writing. I am showing that we will be getting a shipment of these in the...

saddlehunter.com

That piece of info. led me to alternate friction hitches (I like distel) and tenders. I really do not see why anyone would use a ropeman when there are safer, and just as convenient/easy/effective, options.

 

[raisins]

Ropeman issue has been known for quite some time. I believe I was the first to bring it up here 7 years ago.

ropeman 1

With the popularity of these and lack of availability, I decided to contact the manufacture to see if they were phasing them out with ropeman 2 or what the deal was. Here is the response from customer service. Thanks for writing. I am showing that we will be getting a shipment of these in the...

saddlehunter.com

That piece of info. led me to alternate friction hitches (I like distel) and tenders. I really do not see why anyone would use a ropeman when there are safer, and just as convenient/easy/effective, options.

There's 2 types, right? One has sharp teeth and is heck on ropes, the other looks like gears.

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

There's 2 types, right? One has sharp teeth and is heck on ropes, the other looks like gears.

One has dull large teeth that only bite on 10 mm ropes and larger (ropeman 1), one has small sharp teeth that bite on 8mm but wreck havoc on the sheath if you don’t release it properly (ropeman 2)… both have the same 1100 pound short coming though.

 

[ketch22]

Personally, I like having both. I have had hitches slip on me where my ropeman hasn’t. But for quiet I like a hitch on my LB with a tender and a ropeman on my tether with a alpine butterfly backup.

 

[Spartan]

One of the most recent saddle hunting injury/deaths being investigated involves a slip where no stopper knot was in place....

Can you source that? Not at all questioning it. Just want to read more about it.

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

Can you source that? Not at all questioning it. Just want to read more about it.

It’s under investigation and TMA is assisting. That’s all I know and can share.

 

[Bowmanmike]

To me a ropeman is mostly for people who don't want to learn about hitches. And a prussik is the entry level hitch and there are much better ones out there. I got a ropeman early on and used it some but don't now that I graduated to better knots. The ropeman was better than a prussik as far as ease of use,but it isn't better than a Michigan or however that is spelled.

 

[raisins]

To me a ropeman is mostly for people who don't want to learn about hitches. And a prussik is the entry level hitch and there are much better ones out there. I got a ropeman early on and used it some but don't now that I graduated to better knots. The ropeman was better than a prussik as far as ease of use,but it isn't better than a Michigan or however that is spelled.

I think that sounds about right. People try a prusik and it stinks and then they get the ropeman and it is so much better that they settle on it.

Edit: Unless they do some research, they might think that is their only 2 choices.

 

[MNFarmHunter]

To me a ropeman is mostly for people who don't want to learn about hitches.

I've been watching this thread and I'd urge caution making statements like this. It has nothing to do with wanting or not wanting to learn hitches and everything to do with personal preferences and comfort levels. I've climbed fire towers SRT using only hitches passing knots, doing changeovers and descended using hitches but only use mechanicals while hunting.

The reason solely has to do with speed, convenience and a degree of comfort level. I don't want to tie various hitches before I climb or descend. I have no issue with someone calling that as being lazy because it is. However, I am 100% confident that I can attach a mechanical in the pitch black, under any weather condition and wearing any type of glove quickly and silently. I also carry hitch cord with me in case I drop, damage or misplace said mechanicals but they serve as a backup.

Pressuring new climbers one way or another is akin to forcing a new shooter to use a 300 winmag when a 243 will work just as well. In the end, neither one is better and each have their pros and cons.

 

[Spartan]

....I used to use one on my tether, because I don’t allow slack into my tether (at least not enough to get any substantial force) but I would never ever use a ropeman on my lineman’s rope. People slip, stand offs bend. And I want my lineman’s rope to be strong enough to withstand that dynamic event without failure....

That's interesting to me since I only use ropemans on my lineman belts these days, and don't use them for anything else. Perfect use for them, IMO. I do not have any safety concerns with using them in that configuration. Personal preference.

 

[Bowmanmike]

I've been watching this thread and I'd urge caution making statements like this. It has nothing to do with wanting or not wanting to learn hitches and everything to do with personal preferences and comfort levels. I've climbed fire towers SRT using only hitches passing knots, doing changeovers and descended using hitches but only use mechanicals while hunting.

The reason solely has to do with speed, convenience and a degree of comfort level. I don't want to tie various hitches before I climb or descend. I have no issue with someone calling that as being lazy because it is. However, I am 100% confident that I can attach a mechanical in the pitch black, under any weather condition and wearing any type of glove quickly and silently. I also carry hitch cord with me in case I drop, damage or misplace said mechanicals but they serve as a backup.

Pressuring new climbers one way or another is akin to forcing a new shooter to use a 300 winmag when a 243 will work just as well. In the end, neither one is better and each have their pros and cons.

Yup,I am just guessing.

 

[liv2hnt]

I've been watching this thread and I'd urge caution making statements like this. It has nothing to do with wanting or not wanting to learn hitches and everything to do with personal preferences and comfort levels. I've climbed fire towers SRT using only hitches passing knots, doing changeovers and descended using hitches but only use mechanicals while hunting.

The reason solely has to do with speed, convenience and a degree of comfort level. I don't want to tie various hitches before I climb or descend. I have no issue with someone calling that as being lazy because it is. However, I am 100% confident that I can attach a mechanical in the pitch black, under any weather condition and wearing any type of glove quickly and silently. I also carry hitch cord with me in case I drop, damage or misplace said mechanicals but they serve as a backup.

Pressuring new climbers one way or another is akin to forcing a new shooter to use a 300 winmag when a 243 will work just as well. In the end, neither one is better and each have their pros and cons.

You are spot on. Use what you like, and keep moving.

I have tried multiple hitches and I learned to tie each one of them, but I keep going back to the ascenders whether it is the Ropeman or the Kong because I like the shorter distance it gives me from the tether to the carabiner and the easy of one hand operation. Now I am sure there are plenty of folks on here that will say it doesn't matter, and thats great. It doesn't matter, but it is what I like and prefer, so guess what I use. Are there risks associated with it? Hell yes, but there are risks that we accept every time we go hunting. We climb trees and shoot at animals with sharp pointy sticks! There are risks!!

Try them all, and make your own decision. Advise gleaned on here is amazing, but in the end there is only one opinion that matters. Your own.

Go enjoy outdoors

 

[Brocky]

Not too much difference in height, and able to shorten or lengthen with one hand.


A Ropeman with the springs removed can be used as a parking brake to protect against an accidental bump, or grab on top of the hitch. Squeeze the cam when loading the hitch to set, works as a tender otherwise.

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

That's interesting to me since I only use ropemans on my lineman belts these days, and don't use them for anything else. Perfect use for them, IMO. I do not have any safety concerns with using them in that configuration. Personal preference.

Yea safety is your personal responsibility. For that reason I would never use one on my lineman’s rope.

 

[MNFarmHunter]

Yea safety is your personal responsibility. For that reason I would never use one on my lineman’s rope.

This is the funny thing about personal preferences and perceptions. When I first started climbing trees, putting a ropeman on my linemans belt was one of the first things I did. Rationale being it was easily operated one handed with 100% lockup in the exact location I set it. Even the best hitch/tender combo can stick, slip or elongate as tension is applied and one of the safest things you can do while climbing is to remove as much potential frustrations as possible.

 

[Fl Canopy Stalker]

This is the funny thing about personal preferences and perceptions. When I first started climbing trees, putting a ropeman on my linemans belt was one of the first things I did. Rationale being it was easily operated one handed with 100% lockup in the exact location I set it. Even the best hitch/tender combo can stick, slip or elongate as tension is applied and one of the safest things you can do while climbing is to remove as much potential frustrations as possible.

I understand the simplicity of use. It does work really well. It’s light, small and seems to reliably grab every time… I’ve also seen hitches stick and I’ve seen hitches slip (not correct size ratio or improperly tied). Everyone can use ropeman’s. As you said personal preference and perceptions. But I totally disagree about removing potential frustration as it pertains to safety.
We climb poles. It’s way easier, more efficient and way less frustrating to freehand climb and then rope off at height than using a squeeze. The squeeze is cumbersome, it’s one extra thing you have to flip up the pole as you go. Sometimes it gets caught on ground staples or large splinters from the pole. It’s not hard to use but it can and often is very frustrating. But if you ever cut out, it’s keeps you from going to the ground, freehand climbing does not. If you climbing with your saddle while using a proper sized and properly tied friction hitch, it will stop you from hitting the ground. The ropeman is more likely to shred your rope than it is to stop your fall. That’s all I am saying. It’s not about perception or preference, it’s about fall forces, testing ect for me. Third party testing sites have tested ropeman’s, petzl’s, troll rocker rope grabs, SMC rope grabs…. Many many of the mechanical rope grabs that qualify for EN 567; and the Ropeman cut the rope on every single rope at 4kN (just under 1000 lbs). That would be a pretty extreme fall but it’s not completely unrealistic that such forces can be obtained. I just want people to understand that before making those personal preferences, especially if they are using them without a back up hitch attached above the ropeman.

 

[Fireprojectile]

It is really a very easy decision for me. As i was in a saddle the first time, the friction hitch on my factory brand new tether slipped very bad. Because i'm afraid of height in general and the feeling of the "fall" in addition was enough for me to switch to Kongs immediately.

I recommend mechanic.

 

[n6dlh]

I do like the mechanicals for ease of use and adjustments. I only used the ropeman one time on my tether. I then switched to a full length rope and a Madrock Safeguard. The Ropeman is now on my lineman belt. The biggest thing is to practice a foot or two off the ground and get use to whatever you use. If you use a tether use a stopper knot! I do no backup on the safeguard since it does have warnings about that.
Whatever you choose to use, be proficient at it, and practice. Sometimes people come up with complex redundant systems. Remember that adding more stuff into the mix can be dangerous as well. I prefer to keep it simple, use quality inspected gear, be proficient at using it, and learn to trust the gear, do not take unnecessary risks, days that are uneventful while climbing are good days.

 

[NMSbowhunter]

Not too much difference in height, and able to shorten or lengthen with one hand.
View attachment 67724

A Ropeman with the springs removed can be used as a parking brake to protect against an accidental bump, or grab on top of the hitch. Squeeze the cam when loading the hitch to set, works as a tender otherwise.
View attachment 67726

What is the knot configuration in the top photo with the orange cord? Thanks.