CT rollnlock vs kong duck vs beal tract up vs edelweiss micro b

I'm looking to get something to help me TR solo harder routes and tall-ish boulders that doesn't require pulling slack through like the grigri. I'm not concerned about using it to haul gear, just soloing. Do any of you have experience with devices similar to these, and what are your thoughts on them? Do they work well for TR solo? Is it difficult to work crux sections? How much should I worry about the teeth catching the rock and failing to grip the rope?

Any preference among the different brands? They look pretty similar, and there's not much info out there about the tract up and micro b. I'm interested to hear if any of you have used them.

(To clarify, the plan is to have two ropes on a pitch, one connected to the grigri, and one to the ascender. Then, I plan to pull slack out of the grigri at longer intervals, with the ascender as the primary. Am I gunna die?)

Thanks in advance!

g s wrote: I'm looking to get something to help me TR solo harder routes and tall-ish boulders that doesn't require pulling slack through like the grigri. I'm not concerned about using it to haul gear, just soloing. Do any of you have experience with devices similar to these, and what are your thoughts on them? Do they work well for TR solo? Is it difficult to work crux sections? How much should I worry about the teeth catching the rock and failing to grip the rope?

Any preference among the different brands? They look pretty similar, and there's not much info out there about the tract up and micro b. I'm interested to hear if any of you have used them.

(To clarify, the plan is to have two ropes on a pitch, one connected to the grigri, and one to the ascender. Then, I plan to pull slack out of the grigri at longer intervals, with the ascender as the primary. Am I gunna die?)

Thanks in advance!

Roll n Lock all day. I literally just got back from working on of my projects on TR solo with my Roll n Lock. Exact same setup as you described.

Being able to switch to pulley mode smooth and fast so you can rap on your gri gri and redo moves is everything. The less fiddling with gear the better so you can stay focused.

I use exactly that set up at the moment. Roll lock and a duck. One on the harness the other with an improvised chest(double sling)  happy and never died 

Check this out. There's further information if you click "next" at the bottom--the web design isn't great there.\

Your final setup will probably look something like this but maybe with different devices.

I'm surprised you didn't mention the Micro Traxion as this is probably the most popular TR solo device, at least from setups I've seen IRL. I've used the Micro Traxion and the Roll'n'Lock and the Micro Traxion seemed to catch a tiny bit quicker, though neither caught slowly enough to be concerning.

The new Edelrid Spoc looks possibly better than the Micro Traxion: I've fiddled with both and the Spoc seems to have a stronger cam spring. But I haven't TR soloed with it yet.

EDIT: The spoc is also cheaper than the Micro Traxion, $100 MRSP for the Spoc versus $130 MRSP for the Micro Traxion.

David K wrote: Check this out. There's further information if you click "next" at the bottom--the web design isn't great there.\

Your final setup will probably look something like this but maybe with different devices.

I'm surprised you didn't mention the Micro Traxion as this is probably the most popular TR solo device, at least from setups I've seen IRL. I've used the Micro Traxion and the Roll'n'Lock and the Micro Traxion seemed to catch a tiny bit quicker, though neither caught slowly enough to be concerning.

The new Edelrid Spoc looks possibly better than the Micro Traxion: I've fiddled with both and the spoc seems to have a stronger cam spring. But I haven't TR soloed with it yet.

The spoc works pretty well for tr solo. I've been using mine with out problem. Feeds really nice 

 For long rope length pitches where i’m not working any moves. 

Any of the progress capture pulleys you listed (plus many, many more) are going to work fine for TRS. If you are working a whole pitch or just getting mileage, it's a huge pain in the ass to pull slack through a GriGri - just use two progress capture devices on the same line. If you are working a short section or just a couple of moves - the Gri-Gri and a device that can be locked open is nice since you can immediately switch to descending and you don't have to pull slack while climbing.

No need for a second line - the best thing about TRS is that you can use the entire rope and do 2-3 pitch routes as a single mega pitch with no concern for rope drag. Why cut your pitch length in half by folding the rope or having to drag up a second line?

g s wrote: I'm looking to get something to help me TR solo harder routes and tall-ish boulders that doesn't require pulling slack through like the grigri. I'm not concerned about using it to haul gear, just soloing. Do any of you have experience with devices similar to these, and what are your thoughts on them? Do they work well for TR solo? Is it difficult to work crux sections? How much should I worry about the teeth catching the rock and failing to grip the rope?

Any preference among the different brands? They look pretty similar, and there's not much info out there about the tract up and micro b. I'm interested to hear if any of you have used them.

(To clarify, the plan is to have two ropes on a pitch, one connected to the grigri, and one to the ascender. Then, I plan to pull slack out of the grigri at longer intervals, with the ascender as the primary. Am I gunna die?)

Thanks in advance!

Petzl Microtrax is the only device I've tried other than the grigri. It works! They are on sale right now...

Microtrax doesn't like big fat 11mm ropes...

EDIT:  The Microtraxion DOES NOT tear up your rope. In fact it is nicer to your rope then the toothless design, which pinch your rope sheath.

Max Rausch wrote:

 For long rope length pitches where i’m not working any moves. 

My exact setup. When I am working moves, I've started using the Petzl Shunt on top and Roll'n'lock on bottom. That doesn't feel quite as safe since Petzl explicitly recommends against TR Solo with the Shunt, but I've still got the backup and in practice the Shunt seems to work--it's a tradeoff for the convenience of being able to release the Shunt under load to descend. I also extend the shunt on a quickdraw with lockers, which gives more room for switching on to a rappel device.

Jack Servedio wrote:

No need for a second line - the best thing about TRS is that you can use the entire rope and do 2-3 pitch routes as a single mega pitch with no concern for rope drag. Why cut your pitch length in half by folding the rope or having to drag up a second line?

If the rope is running over a sharp edge, and you’re going to be falling a lot. 2 strands are mandatory, or really really good rope protection. 

Ever jugged over an edge? It will de sheath any rope. 

Max Rausch wrote:

If the rope is running over a sharp edge, and you’re going to be falling a lot. 2 strands are mandatory, or really really good rope protection. 

Ever jugged over an edge? It will de sheath any rope. 

Sure, if you decide to TRS project rope-cutting routes that you can't directional around use 2 lines by all means.

But the other 99.9% of the time...

Hi again!

Thanks for all of your replies! I'm going to resurrect this thread

A common bit of advice for TR solo is to tie backup knots underneath yourself. For hard routes, however, you can't use both hands to do this.

Does anyone know of a good knot that can be tied with one hand in the middle of the rope?

I tried looking this problem up online and only found people tying bowlines around their waists and surgical knots, neither of which helps for this.

Thank you!

It just doesn’t seem reasonable to try and tie any knot with one hand. Just use 2 devices. Or just stop below the crux, hang, tie one knot, and take all the falls you want.