Chinooker said:
As a mountaineer I generally use my belay device for raps, currently a black diamond ATC pro.
I need to call you on that.
What is an ATC pro?
In trees, most of the time is spent controlling friction so you can position yourself precisely for cuts and/or rigging maneuvers, and schlepp tools around up there. Much of the time aloft is also not spent loading the device, but in passing rope back through it to advance it along with you (slack tending).
1/2 inch is 12.7mm, often referred to as 13 mm line.
13 mm does not lend itself to CURRENT devices because very few in the world outside tree climbers uses 1/2 inch line. Everyone uses 11mm, so devices are built and sized to 11 mm and historically have been that way.
That excludes most of us.
Also, since we have historically (almost religiously) used the friction hitch for our friction control, makers of friction devices have seen no profit motive in making friction pieces for the treeguy community.
Of the two notable 'Treeguy' devices, the Unicender and the Lockjack, those are both modeled to accomodate our 2:1 ascent/descent system. Neither does SRT, so you're limited. Neither goes 1:1 ascent or descent.
So we, as a population and as an industry, and now I'm
generally speaking, we have just stuck with the friction hitch and a 2:1 system and tying lots of knots.
We are climbing in the dark ages. I don't know how else to say it. We climb in a unique sphere, mostly cut off from all other climbing disciplines.
Entry requirement into the tree climbing industry, learn to use a friction hitch and climb 2:1. :help:
