Retrieving quickdraws if you have to bail

Hey, everyone, I invented a piece of climbing gear and just wanted to share it with all of you. I know that this piece of equipment would have helped me when I first got into outdoor climbing so I hope that it helps you. We are planning on launching a Kickstarter in a few weeks, and I wanted to let you all see it first!

The device is called the "Firefly" and it retrieves quickdraws from the wall if you have to bail. Let me know what you think. I posted a link to the website with the video below. 

https://dcmountaineering.com/

If you add your email to the list on the site we will put you on our mailing list so when our Kickstarter goes live we can send you an email.

Three posts for this? Enough, already!

Edit: Four posts.

How much does this cost? Because a bail biner costs me $5.95, and I've collected a few that others left behind so I'm actually ahead like $23.80 or something.

Mark Waterous wrote:

How much does this cost? Because a bail biner costs me $5.95, and I've collected a few that others left behind so I'm actually ahead like $23.80 or something.

Cost is less than a few quickdraws, and it only weighs .6 ounces, a fraction of whatever the grand total weight is of your $23.80 of booty or one quick link for that matter. The specifics will be posted when our Kickstarter goes live next week. Thanks for the question. 

Dallin Connell wrote:

Cost is less than a few quickdraws, and it only weighs .06 ounces, a fraction of whatever the grand total weight is of your $23.80 of booty or one quick link for that matter. The specifics will be posted when our Kickstarter goes live next week. Thanks for the question. 

.06oz?   Less than 2 grams?  Not possible 

dnoB ekiM wrote:

.06oz?   Less than 2 grams?  Not possible 

Sorry the 0 snuck in .6 oz 

So you have to carry a bunch of para cord with you? I think if I'm going to trust my life to a single bolt  I'll just haul the stick clip up and finish the route. Bail biners are like take a penny leave a penny anyways. 

Dallin Connell wrote:

Hey, everyone, I invented a piece of climbing gear and just wanted to share it with all of you. I know that this piece of equipment would have helped me when I first got into outdoor climbing so I hope that it helps you. We are planning on launching a Kickstarter in a few weeks, and I wanted to let you all see it first!

The device is called the "Firefly" and it retrieves quickdraws from the wall if you have to bail. Let me know what you think. I posted a link to the website with the video below. 

https://dcmountaineering.com/

If you add your email to the list on the site we will put you on our mailing list so when our Kickstarter goes live we can send you an email.

Spam

Hey everyone thanks for all the feedback. We are live on Kickstarter check us out. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1902167602/the-firefly-recover-your-lost-climbing-gear?ref=355508&token=4b6093aa

Carrying tools in anticipation of getting shut down seems like it may not take off. Cool design though.

Cool gadget, from how it works standpoint. But I can't see myself getting/needing one. As others have said, you can haul a stick clip, or leave a bail 'biner. And neither costs money.

Buying and carrying another single-use gadget which requires the use of another locker anyway which you could just bail off of... and encouraging people to bail of a single bolt and single quickdraw rigged with a little string that could turn that single quickdraw into an open-gate quickdraw while your trying to lower/rapel & clean...when there are many other more practical and simpler and safer solutions to this problem already.

Keep up the innovative spirit, but I'd recommend not trying to sell this. Trying to sell a device that encourages dangerous practices seems extremely irresponsible, seriously.

edit: As Jason below says, you have to haul that whole bundle of chord with you, could get tangled any time your climbing or lowering.. seems like it'd be in the way. 120' of that... imagine how easily it would get tangled, trying to let out that whole thing. Dealing with that while rappelling and cleaning....

If you unweighted the rope at all while lower, it becomes exponentially more dangerous - which is common. You could come across a ledge you need to stand on / lower over, and while cleaning often the only way to unclip your draw is to unweight the rope first.

Our of the three priorities you mention in your video, none of them are 'saftey'

How do you get it on? Do you have to go in direct to the top bolt, and then open the top gate of your last quickdraw? This seems like a huge hassle...Seems very dangerous as well... In the video do they open it while weight it (!). Some quickdraws gates are very hard to open when weighted.

It looks like it might not work every time, or with all quickdraws and bolts. Was it tested with a large variety of quickdraws and bolts/hangers? What if your carabiner has a hook nose? Or it's an extended alpine draw?

..the more I think about this...

Daniel Kaye wrote:

Buying and carrying another single-use gadget which requires the use of another locker anyway which you could just bail off of... and encouraging people to bail of a single bolt and single quickdraw rigged with a little string that could turn that single quickdraw into an open-gate quickdraw while your trying to lower/rapel & clean...when there are many other more practical and simpler and safer solutions to this problem already.

Keep up the innovative spirit, but I'd recommend not trying to sell this. Trying to sell a device that encourages dangerous practices seems extremely irresponsible, seriously.

You forgot to mention the gadget also requires hauling 120' of rope (!) with you that could get snagged while you are lowering, thereby releasing the draw and killing you.  But I do think this is a legit piece of a 'mountaineering' kit.  HA.

Daniel Kaye wrote:

Keep up the innovative spirit, but I'd recommend not trying to sell this. Trying to sell a device that encourages dangerous practices seems extremely irresponsible, seriously.

Well said.

OP: This is not a good use of your creative talents.

Even in the most optimistic business scenario, you won't make much money off this device. 

And it could kill someone.

Not worth it, for you or for any prospective buyer.

So watching the video, I'm legitimately impressed by whoever came up with the idea. Its a cool trick, and seems pretty slick. But, like everyone else is saying, its extremely easy to leave a cheap bail biner, and just makes your gadget pretty much that, just a cool gadget and one more thing to carry. Its a little misleading as well to say that you only need the 0.6oz tool, as you do need the 100' of cord as well, which officially makes it bulky. 

FWIW the single-bolt aspect can be mitigated - https://www.mountainproject.com/images/10/99/108671099_large_a48399.jpg (but see rgold's reservations about prusiks catching lead falls on https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/113698755/the-firefly-by-dcmountaineering-quickdraw-retrieval-device?page=4)

It still sucks that there are multiple threads on this...

Pretty cool gadget dude.

https://www.rei.com/rei-garage/product/119594/black-diamond-hotwire-carabiner

$3.73 bomber alternative option at 10% the price and significantly less weight and bulk. 

Hey I know this is an old post and If anyone read's this and has a FireFly, does it work with wire gate draws? Thanks.  God Bless You, and Your Family, and Your Friend's, and Your Climbing!!!

Colin Matherly wrote: Hey I know this is an old post and If anyone read's this and has a FireFly, does it work with wire gate draws? Thanks.  God Bless You, and Your Family, and Your Friend's, and Your Climbing!!!

Tbh a bail carabiner is safer and less expensive.

This is neat, but seems convoluted and somewhat dangerous. Keep up the innovative spirit though!