You're applying the Kong to the rope in a much more difficult way than necessary. All you need to do is open it and swing it the opposite way from the one you did and it will pull the cam out of the way and leave it perfectly clear for the rope. You also should be passing the rope through the carabiner to adjust position. The whole point of that silver drum is for the rope to run along it so that you don't damage the rope or knock the cam by accident.
We hear you. We had KONG USA's rep out to the warehouse and he saw how we were using it and had no problem with it. You are correct though, the method of using it that you described is the proper way of doing it as shown by KONG.
I use an 8mm with the ropeman 1, have no issues with it at all. I was told since it's static rope it don't stretch like dynamic rope which I wouldn't recommend using an 8mm with ropeman 1. I've been using it for 2 years like this. PS: there's a recall on one of the batches of thw ropeman 1, if you own one go to their website for more information on the batch number
Ditched my Kong because of weight, noise and I could never get the hang of working it with one hand. Went with your prusik and tender kit and wow how much easier and quieter is to use
Glad you enjoy it! We are coming out with some great new gear this season as well. Its gonna be a great season! Thanks for being a part of the Hang Free family.
Vergo by trango as well as grigri 1 and grigri 2. Ever tried those. Ya might wanna have a look at those and see what ya think. Run your pres not off your hip but above you belay device that connects to same carabiner and if ya just like it on your hip add a hoop under the pres that for when you want to pull slack the ring pulls pres up so you can do it one handed. Basic paracord through hoop that rope slides through
To climb, I use a Madrock Safeguard for progress capture; and a 5.5mm Beal Jammy with a DMM revolver carabiner to create a crude 2:1 mechanical advantage. Tie a figure-eight knot in a Beal Jammy creating two loops; one large, one small. With the large loop, tie a three-pass Prussik friction hitch on the mainline. Position the Jammy figure-eight knot near the Prussik. Clip a DMM wire-gate revolver-carabiner into the Jammy; between the Prussik and the figure-eight knot. Install the Madrock Safeguard to the mainline about 16-inches below the Prussik. Route the tag end of the mainline (that exits upward from the Safeguard) up thru the revolver carabiner; resulting in the tag end exiting downward from the revolver carabiner creating a crude 2:1 mechanical advantage with a favorable (downward) direction of pull as a climbing assist. To rappel, I remove the Jammy & revolver carabiner.
Well I had posted that you should back up the mad rock above the device, but I saw you mentioned it so thanks. I think I might use my lineman to backup above it, though I have always used an auto block below it on my repel hand. I guess that is unsafe though with the mad rock, though I am not sure why. I would love to see a video of how you one stick since I pretty much use the same set up as you. Great stuff as always!
We will be doing a one stick video with the Mad Rock here shortly. We sell and always highly recommend using a back up prusik above your madrock as a safety measure.
I much prefer the ropeman's for their size and quietness. Ascenders are not for one sticking! They can cut or de-sheath the rope if you climb above your attachment point and fall! They are for positioning or ascending a rope only. The Safeguard is a belay device. It is much better to fall on it, but again with the way so many one stick, if you fall on it from above your anchor point you could still cut your rope. The smaller the diameter of the rope the easier it is to cut it with a mechanical device. You couldn't pay me to one stick with 8mm rope.
You should be taking up the slack constantly no matter what device you're using so that you can't fall. None of these are really meant to be fall arrestors. They're for progress capture and positioning. This is why you should also be backing them up.
@@bfriendly100 Most ascenders will desheath a rope at forces you can achieve by climbing just a few feet above your attachment point, especially if you're using static rope. Whether it's using ribs or spikes/teeth, it's more about how hard the rope is pinched when the device cams. Never climb above your attachment point unless you're using dynamic rope with an actual belay setup.
on the saddle hunting forum there is a lot of info, and if a particular ascender was causing any rope problems I’m pretty certain I’d have read about it. I’m no pro nor even a rank amateur by any stretch, but I certainly pay attention to the pros on the forum. I also do all testing at ground level and I 100% trust what I’m using. I’ve used friction hitches and different mechanical devices and I’m still lost with how a quality static rope will get de sheathed or tear or rip from any device mentioned. My ropes are Canyon elite, C4 and resctech.
I would not suggest the ropeman2 as those teeth over time will eat in your ropes...sharp or not over time will damage your rope...speaking from experience
We only sell the Ropeman 2 with certain ropes that have an extremely tough outer sheath and will last for a long time in comparison to softer ropes, such as OpLux.
Sewn eyes will start to be available at the end of the year as well as new kit options. We are moving the sewing in house as the prices for sewn eyes are outrageous and we would not be able to offer customers good deals on the ropes. Our goal is always to get the best price for our customers.
Thank you for the quick reply! I am considering a Madrock system but really want a sewn eye. The only downside of the Madrock is 8mm Oplux being out of spec. That’s made me look at the F4 and also FCX. I see your kit offers 9.5mm. Is it a big difference in packability?
@@Chasen_The_Outdoors Once the 9.5 is used a couple times and is broken in it is very packable. 9.5 is slightly larger than the OpLux but it is very close in packability when broken in.
I use the Kong Duck and I don't believe you configured it the way that Kong recommends. The rope should be through the carabiner so that it uses the round part almost like a pulley. Love mine.
You are technically correct. That being said , what that is recommended for is using it to hoist a load. The Kong is not technically made for saddle hunting. As long as you use the correct carabiner and have a back up which we mentioned later in the video, this should be a perfectly safe way to use the Kong. That being said, always follow the manufacturers instructions! Thanks for watching!
The CT Ascender Simple + has a machining flaw ( razor edge) and picked my new rope jacket. I'm disappointed, and even worse, the seller won't take it back. Not happy. Ropeman 1 looks right for me.
@@hangfreeco yeah I bought it and it hands down way better than the tree tether I bought from bass pro easy one hand adjustments it makes climbing trees a 100 times easier
They aren't too hard to find on our website but if you need help finding anything specifically, feel free to call us and we would be happy to help. Have a great New Years!
You're applying the Kong to the rope in a much more difficult way than necessary. All you need to do is open it and swing it the opposite way from the one you did and it will pull the cam out of the way and leave it perfectly clear for the rope. You also should be passing the rope through the carabiner to adjust position. The whole point of that silver drum is for the rope to run along it so that you don't damage the rope or knock the cam by accident.
We hear you. We had KONG USA's rep out to the warehouse and he saw how we were using it and had no problem with it. You are correct though, the method of using it that you described is the proper way of doing it as shown by KONG.
I use an 8mm with the ropeman 1, have no issues with it at all.
I was told since it's static rope it don't stretch like dynamic rope which I wouldn't recommend using an 8mm with ropeman 1. I've been using it for 2 years like this.
PS: there's a recall on one of the batches of thw ropeman 1, if you own one go to their website for more information on the batch number
Ditched my Kong because of weight, noise and I could never get the hang of working it with one hand. Went with your prusik and tender kit and wow how much easier and quieter is to use
ALSO you should tell your viewers that are NEW to climbing ,, they should always back any type of Ascender with a Figure 8 knot / Jam knot ..
Very pleased with my hangFree one stick kit. Wish I would have bought it earlier in the season!
Glad you enjoy it! We are coming out with some great new gear this season as well. Its gonna be a great season! Thanks for being a part of the Hang Free family.
Vergo by trango as well as grigri 1 and grigri 2. Ever tried those. Ya might wanna have a look at those and see what ya think. Run your pres not off your hip but above you belay device that connects to same carabiner and if ya just like it on your hip add a hoop under the pres that for when you want to pull slack the ring pulls pres up so you can do it one handed. Basic paracord through hoop that rope slides through
To climb, I use a Madrock Safeguard for progress capture; and a 5.5mm Beal Jammy with a DMM revolver carabiner to create a crude 2:1 mechanical advantage.
Tie a figure-eight knot in a Beal Jammy creating two loops; one large, one small.
With the large loop, tie a three-pass Prussik friction hitch on the mainline.
Position the Jammy figure-eight knot near the Prussik.
Clip a DMM wire-gate revolver-carabiner into the Jammy; between the Prussik and the figure-eight knot.
Install the Madrock Safeguard to the mainline about 16-inches below the Prussik.
Route the tag end of the mainline (that exits upward from the Safeguard) up thru the revolver carabiner; resulting in the tag end exiting downward from the revolver carabiner creating a crude 2:1 mechanical advantage with a favorable (downward) direction of pull as a climbing assist.
To rappel, I remove the Jammy & revolver carabiner.
Looking at your products they seem very interesting
I’m a fan of the HangFree sewn Beastee tenders , work terrific with my 8mm and 10mm ropes, no backup needed
Glad you love it. That would fall under the prusik tender category of "ascender". We appreciate you!
Well I had posted that you should back up the mad rock above the device, but I saw you mentioned it so thanks. I think I might use my lineman to backup above it, though I have always used an auto block below it on my repel hand. I guess that is unsafe though with the mad rock, though I am not sure why. I would love to see a video of how you one stick since I pretty much use the same set up as you. Great stuff as always!
We will be doing a one stick video with the Mad Rock here shortly. We sell and always highly recommend using a back up prusik above your madrock as a safety measure.
I much prefer the ropeman's for their size and quietness. Ascenders are not for one sticking! They can cut or de-sheath the rope if you climb above your attachment point and fall! They are for positioning or ascending a rope only. The Safeguard is a belay device. It is much better to fall on it, but again with the way so many one stick, if you fall on it from above your anchor point you could still cut your rope. The smaller the diameter of the rope the easier it is to cut it with a mechanical device. You couldn't pay me to one stick with 8mm rope.
What’s gonna cut the rope? I have used a ropeman 1 with 8mm rope, but I did use a larger carabiner to take up slack. Held me flawlessly many a times
You should be taking up the slack constantly no matter what device you're using so that you can't fall. None of these are really meant to be fall arrestors. They're for progress capture and positioning. This is why you should also be backing them up.
@@bfriendly100 Most ascenders will desheath a rope at forces you can achieve by climbing just a few feet above your attachment point, especially if you're using static rope. Whether it's using ribs or spikes/teeth, it's more about how hard the rope is pinched when the device cams. Never climb above your attachment point unless you're using dynamic rope with an actual belay setup.
on the saddle hunting forum there is a lot of info, and if a particular ascender was causing any rope problems I’m pretty certain I’d have read about it. I’m no pro nor even a rank amateur by any stretch, but I certainly pay attention to the pros on the forum. I also do all testing at ground level and I 100% trust what I’m using. I’ve used friction hitches and different mechanical devices and I’m still lost with how a quality static rope will get de sheathed or tear or rip from any device mentioned. My ropes are Canyon elite, C4 and resctech.
I would not suggest the ropeman2 as those teeth over time will eat in your ropes...sharp or not over time will damage your rope...speaking from experience
We only sell the Ropeman 2 with certain ropes that have an extremely tough outer sheath and will last for a long time in comparison to softer ropes, such as OpLux.
Great video. Any reason why your kits do not have a sewn eye option? I noticed all the kits have tied eyes on the ropes.
Sewn eyes will start to be available at the end of the year as well as new kit options. We are moving the sewing in house as the prices for sewn eyes are outrageous and we would not be able to offer customers good deals on the ropes. Our goal is always to get the best price for our customers.
Thank you for the quick reply! I am considering a Madrock system but really want a sewn eye. The only downside of the Madrock is 8mm Oplux being out of spec. That’s made me look at the F4 and also FCX. I see your kit offers 9.5mm. Is it a big difference in packability?
@@Chasen_The_Outdoors Once the 9.5 is used a couple times and is broken in it is very packable. 9.5 is slightly larger than the OpLux but it is very close in packability when broken in.
I use the Kong Duck and I don't believe you configured it the way that Kong recommends. The rope should be through the carabiner so that it uses the round part almost like a pulley. Love mine.
You are technically correct. That being said , what that is recommended for is using it to hoist a load. The Kong is not technically made for saddle hunting. As long as you use the correct carabiner and have a back up which we mentioned later in the video, this should be a perfectly safe way to use the Kong. That being said, always follow the manufacturers instructions! Thanks for watching!
The CT Ascender Simple + has a machining flaw ( razor edge) and picked my new rope jacket. I'm disappointed, and even worse, the seller won't take it back. Not happy. Ropeman 1 looks right for me.
The ropeman 1 is a great product!
Hang Free make a roll pouch. Please 😂
We got something better coming. Take a look at our C.A.Y.N. bag set to be released in June, it'll hold everything you got and more!
Where are you located ? And do you have a web site ?
We are based in Orlando Florida and our website is hangfree.co
Love it, best gear avail
Appreciate it!
What tether was the first one called??
That is going to be a Prusik Tender. We have a multitude of options on our website that you can choose from.
The actual tether itself is our standard OpLux Tether.
@@hangfreeco yeah I bought it and it hands down way better than the tree tether I bought from bass pro easy one hand adjustments it makes climbing trees a 100 times easier
Need to provide links
They aren't too hard to find on our website but if you need help finding anything specifically, feel free to call us and we would be happy to help. Have a great New Years!
What friction know are you using in that video?
That 6mm TRC is going to be in a Schwabisch Hitch.