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From the category archives:
You’ve read the series on learning How to Rappel. You have a good grasp of the fundamentals and are ready move beyond going up and down the same spot. This article is meant to supplement a few items that were beyond the scope of the original series.
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Something we’ve wanted to do for a long time is demonstrate that rappelling with a Rigger’s Belt CAN be done.
There are a lot of close friends of mine that have trusted their lives to Rigger’s Belts in the service, but I’ve never heard of them being used for anything much other than a tie-in to a helo or other similar anchor point.
There’s also a lot of skepticism floating around about how the AustriAlpin Cobra Buckle used in the 215 Gear URB shouldn’t be used for lifesaving devices, particularly rappelling. [Read More…]
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Making a Fast Rope for Climbing has certainly been a fun project to undertake for our Knot of the Week!
Today we’ll be demonstrating the last steps in completing your rope, which are whipping and fusing the bitter end. Whipping and Fusing are traditionally methods to prevent a rope from unraveling and to stop fraying. We’re essentially using these techniques in the same way on our Fast Rope, to strengthen and protect the end.
The reason we chose to terminate the Fast Rope in this fashion is that in reading the Mil-Spec for Fast Rope construction, it distinctly mentions that “The free end shall be seared and whipped.” Seared is just another word for fused and fusing is actually the proper terminology. [Read More…]
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Today on our Knot of the Week, we’re going to continue our Fast Rope construction with a demonstration of a 4-Strand Eye Splice.
On a previous KOTW we’ve shown how to create a 3-Strand Eye Splice, and while this may appear similar these are two very different techniques.
The Eye Splice is the strongest and safest method of terminating a Fast Rope (4-Strand Round Braid). It develops approximately 85% of the breaking strength of the line, which as we’ve mentioned is right around 28,000+ lbf (pound force) or 129 Kn (kilonewtons) with the 4 pairs of 7/16″ Blue Water Assaultline Static Rope used in construction.
An Eye Splice also enables the rope to be girth hitched onto a beam to climb. Traditionally in Military Fast Ropes, the eye splice is used to attach to the davits found on some helicopters. [Read More…]
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We’ll be taking a different approach to our Knot of the Week Series for the next three weeks, as we bring you a few articles on creating your own Fast Rope for Climbing.
Fast Rope Insertion & Extraction Systems (FRIES) provide safe and efficient methods for inserting and evacuating personnel to and from specific targets. Fast Ropes come a few different ways, which is with an eye splice or a metal ring for hook up to the davits found on some helicopters.
They’re also available with and without the loops for extraction. As this KOTW is for creating a climbing rope, we’ll be creating a Fast Rope with an eye splice and without extraction loops.
Today we’ll be getting into how you create the 4-Strand Round Braid that’s used to braid a Fast Rope, followed by instructions in the coming two weeks on eye splicing the Fast Rope, and either back splicing or whipping the bottom end. [Read More…]
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This week’s Knot of the Week features two different ways to tie a hasty webbing harness that can be used as a backup rappelling harness in case of an emergency.
Tied with 1″ Mil-Spec Tubular Webbing, these featured harnesses have a rating of 19 kN or 4,200 lbs. Tubular Webbing is commonly used in climbing and readily available in either Mil-Spec or Climb-Spec. You’ll find that these are very similar and maintain roughly the same 19 kN rating.
If you’re looking to source 1″ Tubular Webbing, here’s a great resource that aggregates pricing and availability from popular online retailers like REI, Amazon, Summit Hut and many more. [Read More…]
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A few months back we brought you a comprehensive review of the 215 Gear Ultimate Rigger’s Belt.
Today we’ll be reviewing 215 Gear’s newest release, the Enhanced Rigger’s Belt.
Made to the same rigorous standards as the Ultimate Rigger’s Belt, the Enhanced Rigger’s Belt offers a low-cost option for those that don’t require the features of the URB’s Cobra Buckle. [Read More…]
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There are thousands of mountaineering products available. Remember ‘light is right’ and only bring what you need.
If you have no training, get it so you can make good educated decisions.
Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines are deploying to mountainous regions every day. Few have proper mountaineering training or experience. This leads many to ask, “What gear do I need?” Fortunately the answers are simple. [Read More…]
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Today we offer a post to try to clear up some of the confusion surrounding carabiners, and what that kN thing means.
Carabiners come in many shapes and sizes and are purpose built for many different climbing applications.
We’ve highlighted the main variations of climbing carabiners as well as what we feel the positives and negatives are. [Read More…]
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215 Gear has just released their take on the classic riggers belt with the Ultimate Riggers Belt.
The revolutionary design of the belt is certainly game changing compared to anything we’ve seen. They have replaced the traditional riggers belt v-ring with a unique sewn loop for emergency rappelling.
Riggers belts are commonly available with or without v-rings for the simple reason that some people want the strength and durability of a riggers belt, but have no use for the added bulk and weight of a metal v-ring. [Read More…]
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Knot of the Week Magpul Survival Reader Appreciation Contest Knots Imminent Threat Solutions Shot Show SHOT Show 2011 Bravo Company USA Zulu Nylon Gear Knot Tying DIY AR-15 Build ITS Tactical EDC 550 Cord Giveaway Zip Ties ETA Kit Hitches Lock Picking Navy SEAL Multicam BUD/s Camouflage Escaping Zip Ties Guns and Coffee Las Vegas SHOT Show TCCC Blow Out Kit Every Day Carry
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