TR Solo Setup for hard projects

Hey all,

I know this topic has been beaten to death, but I am in search of suggestions for TR solo setups, especially geared towards hard projecting on vertical to slightly overhung terrain. I currently use a Camp lift ascender backed up by an Edelrid spoc. This works well for me but makes it difficult to conveniently lower and rework sections multiple times. I also hate climbing with cord around my chest or neck to elevate the top device, I have found that to be both uncomfortable and restrictive. I'm looking for simple and efficient systems that are safe to take repeated falls on, and Ideally don't involve a makeshift chest harness. Convenient lowering would be ideal as well. I'd love to hear you spray about your preferred set-ups. Should I get a Petzl Shunt?

Of you're spending lots of time on one section of a single pitch, a vergo works just fine. 

This might make the chest harness more comfortable. It's a knockoff of the Petzl I think. But these don't actually involve your safety so cheap is fine.
I can't link to ebay so search for this:
Rock Climbing Adjustable Safety Harness Chest Ascender Shoulder Strap Belt

The master at work

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd13IaWS8gQ

He uses a shunt. I just use a grigri with backup knots and hand feed it (I know I'm probably gonna die)

Kyle Elliottwrote:

Of you're spending lots of time on one section of a single pitch, a vergo works just fine. 

Does the Vergo self-feed?

+1 for Vergo for this application.  Still back it up through. You can trail a trax-style device below the device on a quickdraw - the Spoc should be fine. So, basically replace the Lift with a Vergo in your current setup. The Vergo doesn't slide quite as smooth as some other devices, but is vastly better than a GriGri. A liter of water or a pair of approach shoes hanging on the end of the rope seems to be about right for weighting it down and providing a smooth feed with the Vergo.

Agree that chest harnesses are annoying when working hard projects, even if it is one of the good ones like the Torse. 

For overhangs my camp lift has failed so there is that. One thing that makes the chest harness better is if the top device is attached to the bottom harness in such a way that the load is on the bottom harness rather than the chest when you fall. It is hard to do this with the camp since you have to use two biners but if spoc on top, you can tread a sling through your belay loop so the chest harness is just holding the spoc in place but when you fall the spoc is loaded onto your hip harness and then back up with a gri gri.  

Alec Baker wrote:

Just use two strands of rope. One for the spoc and one for a grigri. 

Damn that's a great idea, thanks.

I still just use a lift and a micro on the bottom.  If I have to go down I just disengage the micro, pinch the lift to slightly disengage it with one hand and other hand on the rope to lower me down.  I can go down 10ft. In 20 seconds or so. Been doing it this way for years.  It gets harder to do the steeper the route.  Probably deemed too sketchy for most people but might work for you.

Just pull harder, Punter! ;P

I still use two micros and works for me even up to 45 deg overhangs.  One has the retraction detent ground off (so it won't accidentally lock open and become a pulley, which has happened to me before while rope soloing) and the other has the detent in place.  You can lower by placing a grigri on the rope, remove the backup trax, lift up(*), disengage the lower trax by opening it to the pulley position, lower on the grigri, then replace the backup trax.

(*) Lifting up to unweight can be really hard when you have nothing you can hold with one hand.  Maybe in fact you're out in space and can't even touch the rock!  The easiest way to deal with this is to tie a bight below you and step up into it to unweight and unclip the trax, then fall on to your grigri

[This setup uses a chest harness, which the OP doesn't like.  I've climbed this way for years and I don't even notice it anymore, but I get it!]

Use shock cord instead of a chest harness for your upper device. When working something that is too hard to free it’s much easier with a single device and back-up knots so you can cheat through. Learn to brace into your device for a little extra help. Your current setup is fine you just need to tweak it. 

This setup looks like no chest harness, easy to lower, and apparently the falls are nice and cushy:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHYCn9_D7tP/

I have used many different setups over the years. Currently I either use a Lov2 and Roll'nLock as a back-up or a Vergo with the Roll'nLock as a back-up

With both you climb, hang/fall, lock out the Roll'nLock, then lower back down, re-engage the Roll'nLock and climb again. Pretty simple and safe.

The difference between the Lov2 and Vergo, is the Lov2 is bigger/heavier/more expensive but is bomber and feeds easier vs the Vergo which is cheaper, lighter and smaller but doesn't feed quite as well. There's links in the Instagram text to my blogs in both to a fuller description and discussion.

Mikey Schaeferwrote:

I still just use a lift and a micro on the bottom.  If I have to go down I just disengage the micro, pinch the lift to slightly disengage it with one hand and other hand on the rope to lower me down.  I can go down 10ft. In 20 seconds or so. Been doing it this way for years.  It gets harder to do the steeper the route.  Probably deemed too sketchy for most people but might work for you.

That might work perfectly for me. I know people use that method with the shunt but I hadn't considered trying it with the lift. Thanks!

For hard stuff when I'll be working sections repeatedly I drop two lines (anchor rope in middle). I put a PCD of my choice on one strand and a gri on the other. 

Use shock cord instead of a chest harness for your upper device.

The way. Girth through upper device, bandolier around torso. Play w length of tied-off loop to get it just right, will work for you for many years, never constricts your torso or breathing, never bears load.