A good SRT video

I have Peter Jenkins basic climbing DVD. It's very good. I'm use to DdRT, but would like to do some SRT. Are there any good DVDs on SRT out there? I'm especially interested in how do you tie the harness to the rope for safety when ascending.
What about a good rappelling device grigri e.g.?
I know there are a lot devices out there, but I;m looking for something you can lock off, safe, and not expensive.
If possible would fit the Poison Ivy rope I have.

I suggest a search of the old articles on this web site. Many a times we had long discussion on these topics including posting pictures and associated info.
Also, the tree climbers coalition site has a lot of info on SRT gear, techniques, types of ropes to use and other info that could help you get the basics clear in your mind before attempting to do it your self. Read the articles posted there first.

Learning SRT is not that complicated BUT it has special techniques that are VERY critical specially the switch overs from ascending to descending midway up the tree. Hope this can be of help and try to climb with an expert climber in your area that could point and suggest safety procedures in case you want to give SRT a trial. Welcome to the TCI site.

Thanks. I have visited Tree Climbing Coalition many times. I guess there's some things that I have missed.
Thanks again.

The Grigri is rated for ropes 10-11mm. Poison Ivy is somewhere around 11.5-.6mm. The Petzl ID (D20 S) is a good choice for a hands off/stop descender for PI.
-moss

The Grigri would have been a good choice but as you said it's only good for up to 11 mm.
I saw the I'd. It's quite expensive. The Stop and Simple (up to 12 mm ropes) are 2 other descenders.
Any one famaliar with these?
Since we are on the subject, what about ropes. I've seen a number of comments on different ropes, velocity, fly being two.
Any opinion on a good rope (11 mm or below) that will takes knots as well as mechanical devices.

The Fly is a popular rope that works with either system DRT and SRT. I do not have one but some comments I have read sounded positive. ( It has problems with "milking" when it is new.) Nick Araya is the best adviser on ropes and splices, send him a request for advise by e-mail.

Practice your DRT and all its variations in methods and techniques until you are very confident and later graduate to SRT if you have Very Tall trees in your area otherwise it may not be worth the extra investment in gear and stuff. I have SRT gear but mostly use it when I go to the yearly Rendezvous. I will probably take it to Colorado this year.

I use the Petzl Stop.

It works with a variety of rope sizes. I have many ropes but mainly climb on Fly or a fat arborist rope.

One drawback is that the Stop sometimes creeps down the rope a bit under load. I usually take a wrap on my leg if I need to stop creeping.

It is easy to get onto the rope while still clipped in to your harness.

Scott

Thanks guys.

The 'Stop' has been called the 'Creep' because of it's tendency to slip just a little bit. Locking it off by dropping a half hitch over the top works too.

The best place to learn about rope tools is here:

http://storrick.cnchost.com/VerticalDevicesPage/VerticalHome.shtml

There are several rap tools that have a 'sweet spot' where th rope slides. Grab the handle too tight and it locks off, let go and it will lock off too.

I'v got several tools that work quite well for rapping on SRT. None that I would recommend over another...except the Unicender

Thanks. I did a search yesterday on Treebuzz.com and got a lot of useful information as well.
I probably should have done that before I posted this thread.

Originally posted by moss
The Petzl ID (D20 S) is a good choice for a hands off/stop descender for PI.
-moss

GriGri vs. I’D – not better or worse, just different.

Finally. . .
After my yapping like a Chihuahua about the I’D being the “correct” device for the job in previous posts, someone of reputable authority at least recognized its existence.

Like the Petzl web site says. . .
GriGri: For work positioning on inclined surfaces.
I’D: For descending a rope.

Thank you moss, I’ll rest a little better tonight.
Now, back to my perch at the dropped carabineer thread. <chortle>

It is interesting, under the Sport category Petzl lists the Grigri as a belay device. Under the Work category they call it a descender.
-moss

Moss I had noticed that too. I've also seen post of people using it for a descender.

The splash screens on their web page for these two products differ in their suggested usage. However, if you read through the enclosed product literature, you will see that Petzl does show one graphic example of the GriGri being used as a solo decender.

The GriGri documentation does specify “short” descents.

The GriGri, like all Petzl products, is bullet proof so it’s not a safety issue, just a usage thing. The GriGri is a sweet gadget but I am exempt anyway since I spend 95% of my time on full half inch arborist line.

Short trees - Fat ropes,
Jersey climbers unite!

Yep, Grigri is my numero uno SRT descender, use it with 10.5 mm static and 11mm Fly semi-static. It's fine for long descents. I believe that Petzl recommends it for short descents as a "cover their butt" legal strategy. If you let it rip from 100 ft. on a Grigri it will get very hot. But then again any descender will to varying degree depending on the metal mass and heat dissipation qualities of the particular design. The usual tradeoff: the more metal and weight on the descender, generally the better it will conduct and release heat. So it depends how much you're willing to carry to the climb site and on your harness while climbing. I never fly down fast on rappel out of a tree so it's not an issue for me no matter what the height.
-moss