Petzl Connect Adjust....

What’s up guys?
  I just picked up one of these Petzl Connect Adjusts to replace my Metolius chain and, as much as I do like the Adjust, I’m not too crazy about it being recommended to attach to your belay loop.
  I’ve always liked my belay loop to spin freely and not be cluttered with any other gear but my belay device.
  Does anyone girth hitch this thing to their tie -in points? I don’t see any reason not to really other than it’s more crowded to tie in with and it makes the rope a few inches shorter.
  Part of me wants to buy a dynamic rope a bit longer and tie it in like the climbing rope to save space. Lanyard on the left, climbing rope on the right... that sort of thing.

Also, the excess rope hangs just above my knee when resting on my harness. Any idea for connecting it to yourself?
Seems like the only knot I can tie is an overhand on a bite because the rope is so short. 

Some information on this product would be helpful. Thanks all!

Per Petzl's website:
"Attaches to the tie-in point(s) of the harness with a girth hitch."

I think they updated the instructions very recently, as the instructions also said to attach to the belay loop when I bought mine just a couple months ago.  Regardless, I girth hitch to my tie-in points.  I also replaced my Metolius PAS with this.  So far I like it better for the dynamic properties and adjustability on-the-fly, although I do prefer the redundancy of the PAS, and have also found storing it on the harness to not be ideal.  I try to have the 2 strands equal length and then clip to back gear loop.  Again, not ideal, kinda in the way, still experimenting with this.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Mark. I’ll keep experimenting with the excess and keep it attached to my tie in loops.

Markadoodle Doo wrote: Per Petzl's website:
"Attaches to the tie-in point(s) of the harness with a girth hitch."

I think they updated the instructions very recently, as the instructions also said to attach to the belay loop when I bought mine just a couple months ago.  Regardless, I girth hitch to my tie-in points.  I also replaced my Metolius PAS with this.  So far I like it better for the dynamic properties and adjustability on-the-fly, although I do prefer the redundancy of the PAS, and have also found storing it on the harness to not be ideal.  I try to have the 2 strands equal length and then clip to back gear loop.  Again, not ideal, kinda in the way, still experimenting with this.

Hope this helps.

You bought the aid one...There’s a single strand one that must peeps use

I have a quicklink (super small micro CAMP one that is 25k) on my belay loop and the connect in that. Just fits through the opening of the quicklink. I get an extra couple inches of adjustment and it doesn't clutter belay loop or tie in points. Only problem is the quicklink has such a small diameter that I have a flat spot in my connect from the sharp bend it creates while weighting it. Still love that set up though.

Hardpoints are fine...why wouldn't they be? Don't worry about the excess free strand hanging. I mean, you can tie it off to something if you're OCD about it, but again, it doesn't matter.

Using another rope tied in to you for an anchor; think about that for a second. You'll have that anchor line, then your lead rope, then maybe this petzl thing...whew...sounds like it's getting crowded and complicated down there. Keep it simple. Anchor yourself with your lead line, or use this petzl thing; one or the other as you definitely don't need both. Don't reinvent the wheel.

A parting tip regarding the petzl connect dodad: Thread it through your hardpoints and tie a bowline on a bight with it instead of a girth hitch. Now it won't crush your nuts when you weight it.

Big B wrote:

You bought the aid one...There’s a single strand one that must peeps use

No I'm pretty sure they're just saying that they extend the friction device until there is an equal amount of rope on either side, and then clip to their harness. This is what most users do, as it makes for the least amount of hanging rope. 

Here is the free climbing version, I use this girth hitched to my belay loop (either to belay loop or hard points works IMO, personal preference).  I clip it to my left leg loop and it doesn't get in the way.
Connect Adjust

Here is the aid climbing version, which has two thinner and much longer arms.  I have tried free climbing with this one but it's just way too long and my leg or my gear always get tangled up in it while climbing.  Also, the product insert says it doesn't meet the testing standard for a personal lanyard.  Great for aid though.
Evolv Adjust

Yeah, I go through both the legs and waist tie in points. For the adjustable tail, just tuck it into your leg loop. Keeps it out of the way, but pulls out easily when you go to clip an anchor.

Thanks all for the advice. Obviously there are many ways to attach to an anchor but for those of us who like an immediate attachment separate from the rope I think I do prefer this over the Metolius Chain (or the cheapest version a nylon sling with an overhand knot) for its speedy adjustability. It can also be used to extend a rappel quickly as well.
It’s most noticeable drawbacks are it’s hanging tail when at rest and it’s bulk where girth hitched.
I’m going to try the leg loop thing mentioned here for the tail.
Im not sure I like the quick link idea so much because I’d be worried it would come loose (though I realize that’s difficult I have seen loose links on anchors) and it would keep me checking all the time. Furthermore, the bend in the rope would become more damaged and probably require me to get another one sooner. Lastly, I like my belay loop free of everything except my belay device. Personal preference. It does spark an interest for a metal attachment through the tie in but now we’re getting heavy and my nuts are getting nervous...
Thanks again all!

The old pamphlet said use the belay loop while it showed a connect to the hard points. How’s that for ambiguity?

I usually do belay loop however have not broken the habit yet. It’s petzl’s Arial 9.5 rope, so going to the hardpoints is most likely more appropriate unless you start adding more stuff like carabiners and quicklinks. It’s honestly the same conversation with daisy chains. If you do decide to use your belay loop as the connection point always perform safety checks on the condition of the loop. Also, if you’re one of those people who keep their PAS on all the time, definitely use the hard points. 

I have been using it through the tie in points for about a year. Really doesn’t get in the way and I have tied 2 ropes in and attached the connect adjust for multi pitch leads. 

I girth mine to the belay loop.  When leading,  I wrap it around my waist and clip it back.  Nothing hanging at all.  When following, I usually have it clipped to a harness gear loop so I can deploy it quickly and hang in order to clean stubborn gear---when either there is another piece in place to clip to or I can place something I've already cleaned.

I girth hitch mine to the back of the belay loop leaving the front of the belau loop free for the belay device.  I clip the other end to the front left gear loop and pull the rope through about half way so there is no chance of it looping my knee.

I am surprised how much I like it compared to the anchor chain. 

rgold wrote: when leading, I girth mine to the belay loop and wrap it around my waist and clip it back.  Nothing hanging at all.  When following, I usually have it clipped to a harness gear loop so I can deploy it quickly and hang in order to clean stubborn gear---when either there is another piece in place to clip to or I can place something I've already cleaned.

First, thanks all, I just got one of these, but haven't deployed it yet. It sounds like the important part is simply having it attached to a weight bearing part of the harness, and getting it out of the way in between. Like almost everything, it's good to know that can be done more than one way. I'm so short, I expect I'll have to around my waist with it.

Rich, you avoid weighting the rope(s) when following, if you can? I've not seen that mentioned anywhere before. I've not done much multi yet, at all. First time, gear cleaned one handed, easily. Second time.....no gear, lol! Leader essentially soloed the rope up, for his two noobish followers.

Best, Helen

Old lady H wrote: Rich, you avoid weighting the rope(s) when following, if you can? I've not seen that mentioned anywhere before. I've not done much multi yet, at all. First time, gear cleaned one handed, easily. Second time.....no gear, lol! Leader essentially soloed the rope up, for his two noobish followers.

Best, Helen

Yes, if at all possible, when trying to extract recalcitrant gear, I try to hang from an installed tether from something already in place or something I've already cleaned and can put back in.  The main reason is that I can position myself far more effectively, including easy repeated re-positioning, to get other angles on the stuck gear.  Hanging on the ropes is a crap shoot because of rope stretch; you have to guesstimate how far above the piece to climb so that when you hang you're at the right position.  You'll rarely get that exactly right, and repositioning is a considerable pain you won't even think about doing more than once, so you're likely to end up working from a suboptimal position.  All this is especially true if you can't communicate easily with your belayer above.

And then there are cases in which hanging on the ropes simply won't work because of the rope positions.  Ropes that head diagonally or horizontally sideways or head over a roof just above will drag you out of position if you try to hang from them---and you might end up in a difficult situation to get yourself out of, much less recover gear.

You do have to understand enough about placing gear not to put in something to hang on that gets stuck itself...

rgold wrote:

Yes, if at all possible, when trying to extract recalcitrant gear, I try to hang from an installed tether from something already in place or something I've already cleaned and can put back in.  The main reason is that I can position myself far more effectively, including easy repeated re-positioning, to get other angles on the stuck gear.  Hanging on the ropes is a crap shoot because of rope stretch; you have to guesstimate how far above the piece to climb so that when you hang you're at the right position.  You'll rarely get that exactly right, and repositioning is a considerable pain you won't even think about doing more than once, so you're likely to end up working from a suboptimal position.  All this is especially true if you can't communicate easily with your belayer above.

And then there are cases in which hanging on the ropes simply won't work because of the rope positions.  Ropes that head diagonally or horizontally sideways or head over a roof just above will drag you out of position if you try to hang from them---and you might end up in a difficult situation to get yourself out of, much less recover gear.

You do have to understand enough about placing gear not to put in something to hang on that gets stuck itself...

Thanks, as always, for the excellent explanation!

Best, Helen

Not to hijack too much, but I have the Dual Connect and finding the second arm is real pain to keep stowed away. In the past, I naively clipped it under my leg to a rear gear loop, along with the adjustable arm. If I then clipped the adjustable arm to an anchor, the fixed arm would be tensioned between my front tie in point, and the rear connection by the outward pull of the adjustable arm: end result, nut crushing awkwardness.

Pretty much at the point where I'm going to chop that arm off and simply clove-hitch my rappel extension. I kind of wish they made a single connect adjust with some piece of hardware 5 inches out (like the size of a tipbloc, but fixed) specifically for clipping your rappel device.

Jacob Straszynski wrotePretty much at the point where I'm going to chop that arm off and simply clove-hitch my rappel extension. I kind of wish they made a single connect adjust with some piece of hardware 5 inches out (like the size of a tipbloc, but fixed) specifically for clipping your rappel device.

I think it works better to have the device extension and the tether separate anyway.

I secure the dual connect to a maillon passed through my tie ins. I find that this method keeps the groin area not as tight, as it would be with the dual connect girth itched around the tie ins. This also keeps the belay loop area less cluttered.

Clip it to your rear gear loop and then tuck the excess hanging down under a leg loop. Nothing gets in the way that way. When you want to use it, unclip it like a quick draw and just pull. It will unravel from inside your leg loop.