Category: Canyoning

Is 16mm webbing strong enough for rescue?

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Is 16mm webbing strong enough for rescue? webbing anchor header

The post tackles a practical question for backcountry rescue teams: is 16mm tubular webbing strong enough for anchor rigging, given the appeal of reducing weight in a rescue kit? To find out, the team ran a series of pull tests comparing different wrap-and-pull configurations — Wrap 1 Pull 1, Wrap 2 Pull 2, Wrap 2 Pull 1, and Wrap 3 Pull 2 — across several real-world surfaces: pins, carabiners, smooth rock, sharp rock, and edge-protected sharp rock. A baseline was first established using 25mm webbing before switching to the thinner 16mm webbing to see how it held up.

Does a smaller radius have more friction?

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Does a smaller radius have more friction?

The post tackles a common assumption in rope work: that a smaller-radius device — a carabiner, mallion rapide, or belay device — produces more friction on a rope than a larger one, since the rope is thought to have more internal resistance as the radius decreases. To find out if this holds up, the team ran friction tests comparing stainless steel mallion rapides at 12mm, 10mm, 8mm, and 7mm, all using the same 8mm static rope. The results are checked against the Capstan Equation, which doesn’t include radius as a factor in the first place.

Which Has More Friction, One Carabiner or Two?

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Which Has More Friction, One Carabiner or Two? Which has more friction One Carabiner or Two

With rope diameters trending smaller, there’s a common claim that two carabiners create more friction than one for a Munter hitch or a belay device like the Reverso. This post tests that claim across three stages: measuring the coefficient of friction directly, running slow-pull tests on different devices, and finally trying it out on a practical 10m abseil, using both round and frame-style carabiners.

2:1 Load Release Hitch: does it work?

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2:1 Load Release Hitch: does it work? 2:1 Load Release Hitch MMO Test 8mm cord

What’s in this post? We undertook testing to confirm the 2:1 Load Release Hitch rescue setup and see if it was suitable for both single and two-person loads as far as maximum force (tied off with a Munter Mule Overhand) and had enough friction for lowering during load transfer. The Load Release Hitch problem A […]

Setting up your Prusiks for Lightweight Rescue

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Setting up your Prusiks for Lightweight Rescue Measuring the Prusik bight

What’s in this post? We review how to set up 8mm Prusik loops for 10mm rescue rope.  Context Prusik Loops are tied with 3-wraps (3-on-3) onto the rescue rope to form a progress capture or rope grab in a pulley system for rope rescue. Pulley system setup Prusik Cord The Prusik cord we choose to […]

Why is a sling 2x the strength of a single strand?

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Why is a sling 2x the strength of a single strand? single strand vs sling

What’s in this post? This post is about the theory and testing behind why making a piece of webbing into a sling is 2x the strength of a single strand. We address the specific question about tension on a single section of sling around a carabiner at the end and draw vectors to show what […]

Lightweight Jigger Testing

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Lightweight Jigger Testing Lightweight Jigger Complete

What’s in this post? Testing of a lighter weight jigger (4:1CD/5:1 pre-rigged pulley system) using a 5mm Prusik and a 6mm high strength cord made with a Dyneema core with a polyester sheath. We also address the weight and volume of a jigger to compare the lighter weight version with a standard version using a 6mm Prusik […]

Webbing anchors: efficient rigging and 16mm testing

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Webbing anchors: efficient rigging and 16mm testing webbing anchor header

What’s in this post? The basics for webbing anchors: So you know why you are using webbing anchors, what to use, set up and four ways of rigging. How to rig webbing anchors efficiently: Get the right (minimum) webbing length, rather than halfway through a rigging job finding out you are short and have to start […]

Testing the Figure-8 Device Block for Canyoning

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Testing the Figure-8 Device Block for Canyoning

What’s in this post? Slow Pull testing the figure-8 device block variations with normal loading and incorrect loading. We also compare this to baseline methods such as the Munter mule overhand and figure-8 on a bight. Efficiency tests (speed) to find out if there is there any major differences in tying methods. Practical use comparisons […]

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