Best setup for moving up/down sections on TR solo

What's your preferred device setup or method for retrying cruxes and generally moving up and down sections of rock on TR solo? For climbs near your limit, so setups have to "auto feed". Ease of change over and simplicity are a bonus! Thanks all

If just a short section of a climb, either a Taz Lov2/3 or a Trango Vergo backed up by a knot below a maillon on the belay loop at the start of the crux. If repeatedly climbing and rappelling a pitch, the same primary device but instead of a backup knot, I use a MicroTrax or RollnLock below.

If one wants to muck with two strands of rope, then the best setup I've used, is a MT on one, GG on the other. But the single rope setup i described above is less hassle, feeds easier and doesn't involve any pulling of rope.

Taz Lov is perfect for working routes.  Glide up, rap down.  Put a microtrax or similar beneath it as SICgrips suggests.

Alec Baker wrote:

2 strands of rope makes it much easier. Ascender on one, grigri on the other. 

Thanks Alec. I've used two strands with MT/Jumar setup. By grigri, do you mean a modified one? I guess I should have clarified that my post was referring to climbs near my limit where pulling up slack through the grigri is not really an option.

SICs, the TazLov looks like the ideal TRS device, but that price point is a little over my budget at the moment. But what an awesome looking all-in-one! (i'd use a backup, of course)

I use a Vergo based on Craig's research and it works great. For slabby, forward-leaning falls it can definitely drop you a few feet sometimes, though.
https://sicgrips.blogspot.com/2020/08/vergo-for-top-rope-soloing.html

When working on a section I just do a backup knot and nothing else. Craig seems worried about the knot hitting the device and it exploding, but that seems unlikely to me.

Unicender. 

Figure 8 on a bight, clipped to your harness with a burly steel biner. Climb crux, whip down, repeat

I’m kidding.

use a bowline on a bight for easier untying. 

I use a camp lift and microtraxion under it.  To descend just a few feet - put an ascender (or any rope grab thingy) with a foot sling on the rope.  tie backup knot.  Stand in sling attached to ascender (unweighting lift and traxion).  Slide traxion down (or lock in unlocked position). Slide lift down.  Sit on lift.  Unweight foot sling, slide ascender down.  Repeat.

On very steep terrain, such as a horizontal roof and hard moves I have done the following which actually worked great the one time I did it.  Grigri with backup knot.  Place cams a couple feet apart in roof (assuming you can get gear).  Shoulder length sling (or short PAS) from cam to belay loop.   Pull onto moves with cam at your face, continue to pull moves until the sling comes tight (cam is now near your knees or feet - let go and pendulum fall onto the sling.  You can also just fall pulling the moves and you'll take a short fall directly onto the cam/sling/belay loop which is kinda shock loading but not too bad with a shoulder length sling.  Double length sling is probably a very bad idea.  In summary you're working the moves on a direct tether with the rope/grigri as a backup.  Of course huge downside (besides the shockloading) is you can only pull a couple moves at a time but in a roof, that could be a lot.

SICgripswrote:

. If repeatedly climbing and rappelling a pitch, the same primary device but instead of a backup knot, I use a MicroTrax or RollnLock below.

This was my go-to for several seasons of using TR solo to work climbs at my limit, lower down to re-try sections, and so on. Vergo with MicroTrax or RollnLock (had both, used interchangeably, both work well) trailing below on a locker quickdraw. No chest harness or neck loop needed.

Would not have been comfortable using just the Vergo by itself. But with the backup device trailing below it feels super bomber.

Feed is good enough with 2-3 pounds on the end of the rope. Approach shoes and a few quickdraws worked well. Not as buttery smooth as a 2 microtrax arrangement.

The ability to rap on the Vergo makes it really easy to work sections, rap into the right position, etc. I was often doing this on slightly to moderately overhanging sport climbs (trying them solo to suss beta), and the Vergo setup was nice for that terrain.

Ryan Bowenwrote:

Figure 8 on a bight, clipped to your harness with a burly steel biner. Climb crux, whip down, repeat

I’m kidding.

use a bowline on a bight for easier untying. 

That was the humor I needed this evening, thanks Ryan

Andy Bwrote:

You kill me

Not with my knot choices I can tell you that

JCM and SICs, how does the Vergo feed? I see on your blog, SiC, that it doesn't seem to feed too well?

Andy Bwrote:

JCM and SICs, how does the Vergo feed? I see on your blog, SiC, that it doesn't seem to feed too well?

A lot better than a GriGri, a lot worse than a Microtraxion. As noted above, it self-feeds reasonably adequately, but you do need ~3 pounds on the end of the rope. There is some noticeable drag.

A 2-microtrax system (with super smooth feed) is better for making long links or running laps. But the Vergo is pretty nice for working sessions on cruxes. The drag isn't that big a deal since you just aren't moving that far.

I've heard the Taz Lov is a smoother feed than the Vergo, and still lets you rap. Tradeoff is that it is bulky and expensive. Vergo is smaller and can often be found for a reasonable price on MP.

JCM has it 'bout right. Vergo will never feed as good as double MT (for me, I've mainly used a MT and RollnLock in series for that type of configuration). However I have gotten the Vergo to feed near as well as the Lov 2 with a flexible smaller dia. rope (9.2-9.4.) making sure to use the tow cord as i talked about in my blog. I usually can get away with ~ 2 lb on the bottom of the rope if I pull it through for the first 10 feet or so. With medium to larger dia. ropes 9.6-10.0), the Lov will always feed better.

The Taz Lov and Vergo are the only two devices that i know of that feed decent and you can immediately rap from any place desired. without pulling rope first. Only rarely will i faff around with two rope strands and use a MT and GG on separate strands.

You only need to worry about the MT auto feeding. The GG is just a way to lower down on the other rope(and sorta a backup). 

make sure they’re on separate ropes so that the GG doesn’t interfere with the MT

add another MT under the other MT if you’re too weary of using the GG like this