For more control while rappelling on twin or double ropes, try using two carabiners instead of one (treat the pair of 'biners as one single 'biner in your setup). Ideally, you want two carabiners of the same size. I use this setup on ropes up to about 9 mm.

This makes for a slower, smoother rappel.

rappel setup for skinny ropes Submitted By: Bobby Hanson on Nov 8, 2009

Ever heard of Z rapping. Attach a biner to your leg loop and running the rope through that as well for additional friction. See tech tips Climbing mag No. 231, or go to the website.

Yep, leg loop thing gives even more control.

Pemberthy, auto-block, or prussic backup. The list of possibilities goes on...

Sure, there are lots of methods out there. This is just the one I prefer. I posted it here because I think not too many have seen it.

Everyone should use the setup they are most comfortable with.

The backups don't really slow your rappel until you engage them a bit. Which means you are using nylon-nylon friction.

I haven't used a Z in a really long time. It certainly works, but I find it a little too clunky.

That's why those methods don't work well for me. If they work for you, that's great.

I prefer Bobby's method to the "Z" (redirect) method. I find when using the "z" that I have to hold the rope in an unnatural position. I have and do use the redirect when lowering but not for rappelling.

+1 on Bobby's method. I use it quite a bit, but slightly differently. I generally just take 2 or 3 non-lockers and clip them through the ropes and belay device keeper cable, but not my harness belay loop. The only real difference is it's a little faster to avoid clipping the extra-friction-producing 'biners to your harness.

--Marc

An easy variation to the 'Z' described above:
pass braking strands underneath your braking-side leg, and hold them at the outside of your leg w/ same-side hand. For greater control you can use place your other hand right below the device.

Just a note of caution if you use two karabiners.
We have done a lot of friction tests on various plates with both single and double karabiners and the additional resistance with 2 krabs is ca 20%.
On a couple of models we tried the underside entry is not rounded off and the rope is forced onto a sharp edge if you use two karabiners causing damage to the rope at higher loads.

Get that file out!

Thanks, Jim. Do you recall which models they were?

I certainly know which the offending plates were out of the ones we tried, trouble is I´m a gear manufacturer and testing other companies products and rubbishing them is one of those difficult areas (fundamentally it´s not done)!
Pretty easy to see though, go into a gear shop and look for the ones where the underside is just squared off, not nice and rounded like the one in your photo.

I use the double carabiner method but it doesn't seem to help much (I guess that's the 20%) I'm going to buy one of the new reversos and see if it isn't better. My current ATC doesn't have teeth at all and the old reverso's tooth side doesn't narrow.

thought I would add another item for discussion. I have an Omega Pacific SBGII and have always like the simple way it quickly offers options depending upon rope-size and/or need. Haven't used it yet on super-skinnys and was wondering if anyone else has


link to illustrations of usage from mfg