New belay device idea?

An idea I alway think of is this: why has a company not come up with an auto locking belay device (like a grigri) that has a tube on the side that allows double rope rappelling? From my experience, a good number of people carry a grigri and a tube for rappelling and this would solve that issue (This is not the topic at hand though, the device itself is).

Questions and discussion: Ups and downs of the device? How would the rappelling action feel?

Things to note: the black wire on the tube would not need to be present since the device would be kept in place by the carabiner hole through the grigri.
The lip that you put your finger under could be cut off and replaced by the tube but would be kinda scary if your finger got caught in the tube portion during a lead fall.
It would add weight to the grigri but save weight since you don't have to bring a extra rappelling device. Top down belaying two ropes would work well but what about lead belaying on double ropes?

I don't even know why I'm even saying this, since I know I might as well wish for a million dollars but let's try to keep to the topic of the potential ups and downs of the proposed device. I'd rather not rehash the discussion on simul rapping with locking devices or why tube devices better anyways or why you shouldn't have to carry two belay devices yada yada yada.

I think that would change the intended feed/friction direction of the rope since they designed it to run over that outer lip.

When rappelling, having one rope through a Grigri and one through a tube style belay device could be problematic if the Grigri were to "lock up" and the rope through the tube style belay device continued to move through freely.  This could potentially lead to someone rappelling off the end of their rope.  Backing up the tube style belay device with some type of friction hitch could remedy this.  Rappelling on a single strand with a Grigri seems like a much better solution to me (this is what I normally do).  Also, having the tube style belay device on the side of the Grigri like that seems to be less than ideal for belaying though.

Check out Climbing Technology Alpine up or Mammut Smart Alpine or edelrid megajul.  Double rope accommodating assisted braking devices.

Sorry fam, Edelrid already beat you to it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSvXc7Wcwqg

John Wilder wrote: Because you can just rappel on the grigri.

I used to carry a tube to rappel, but it turns out the grigri is really nice for rappelling to clear any tangles, etc. it’s also really nice for pulling if there’s a ton of friction.

Now I just rap down on the grigri, my partner clears the clove and raps down behind on a tube.

How do you manage double rope rappels with just a grigri?

Thomas Worsham wrote:

How do you manage double rope rappels with just a grigri?

How is rapping double ropes any different than a single rope rap? It’s pretty much the same either way with a grigri. 

Thomas Worsham wrote:

How do you manage double rope rappels with just a grigri?

You just single rope rap on stand C, then pull the stand with the A hitch and locker at the bottom

Not to start a whole 'nuther fuss-up, but both partners simul-rapping on Grigris eliminates the need for knots that can jam in the anchor.

Caleb Schwarz wrote:

You just single rope rap on stand C, then pull the stand with the A hitch and locker at the bottom

This makes a lot of sense now that I can see it  I've never heard of this technique before. 

garrett knorr wrote: I don't even know why I'm even saying this, 

What is legalized weed, Alex

rgold wrote: Not to start a whole 'nuther fuss-up, but both partners simul-rapping on Grigris eliminates the need for knots that can jam in the anchor.

Yeah, but once you start simul-rapping, insta-death sets in, unless of course you have a protective amulets that keeps you from your imminent and untimely demise. 

Single strand rappels with a biner and clove have a lot more potential of getting stuck ropes on hairy rappels. Personally I also don't like a knot and biner falling 30m and landing on me. There could also be some sort of mechanism that could stop the auto locking side (Gri-gri part) from locking up on rappels

E Mann wrote: Single strand rappels with a biner and clove have a lot more potential of getting stuck ropes on hairy rappels. Personally I also don't like a knot and biner falling 30m and landing on me. There could also be some sort of mechanism that could stop the auto locking side (Gri-gri part) from locking up on rappels

It doesn't fall. The tail off the rope falls once the locker has slowly lowered to you. Has this really happened to you?

If you don't want the knot to wedge in the anchor rings and don't want to simul-rap, you can still have both partners rappel sequentially on their Grigri's, each on a single strand, no knots or carabiners in the rope.  The first person down either stays on rappel and/or ties off the rappel line and then the second person rappels.  The second person can test the setup while still tethered to the anchor and so avoid the catastrophic failure that comes from miscommunication about what is supposed to happen at the lower anchor.

Z Winters wrote:

It doesn't fall. The tail off the rope falls once the locker has slowly lowered to you. Has this really happened to you?

haha nah, but I have got a rope stuck cuz of the biner block.

I can’t see a way that lead belaying in doubles would work smoothly with such a device. I think getting the ergonomics right so that you could override the auto lock with the same hand holding both ropes would be difficult.