Poor man's(or idiot's) silent partner?

I am wondering if loading a clove hitch into two revos would work at all similarly to a silent partner, maybe with a ovo/gigi at the top to keep the clove from twisting the revos apart. My reasoning being the revo is an inertial locking drum just like the sp, if I understand the revo right that is. I am chuckling to myself just thinking about how stupid this idea is, and I am not actually considering trying it. Only curious what other people's thoughts are on this. I anticipate the feeding would be far inferior to the sp, but I can't really imagine how that setup would behave in a fall. Feel free to laugh, flame, or call me out for trolling which this more or less is.

Tyler Harrell wrote:

I am chuckling to myself just thinking about how stupid this idea is, and I am not actually considering trying it.

Yeah... I'm going to need to see you try this. For science.

the poor man's silent partner really is just a clove hitch on a locker on your belay loop.  that's pretty much how we used to do it (or at least how i used to do it).

This is akin to saying you can replace your car by strapping two motorcycles together side by side. 

There's no way that thing would feed rope if tied into a clove hitch.

I've heard of people using just the Revo lead rope soloing, or backed up in conjunction with another device like the TAZ Lov3. However, keep in mind that people prefer the Gri-gri or lead solo-specific devices because of the Revo's catching mechanism. The mechanism makes it really easy to feed rope, but the teeth on the wheel can apperently cut the rope sheath. Additionally, the little lip that clicks up on the Revo during a fall can be pressed down by the loose rope or some other equipment, rendering it useless. Yann Camus has a lot of lead rope solo information on YouTube, if you are interested in learning more. Here are some links for research:

Yann Camus - Silent Partner vs Revo (YouTube)

gunkclimber - Lead Rope Solo Gri-Gri vs Revo (YouTube)

From my perspective, it seems like your idea of tying a clove hitch on two Revos wouldn't work simply because of the size of the Revo. You'd have to fit two of them on a carabiner, keep them perfectly aligned, and more importantly, have the right spacing so the clove hitch actually catches. Also, I think the clove hitch itself would interfere with the locking lip on at least one, if not both Revos in this configuration.

You are right about the devices being similar since they work based off of an inertial drum, and about the rope feeding benefits associated with this mechanism. While I personally don't think this configuration is a viable option, I'd love to see tests if you manage to get your hands on the equipment.

slim,

learn from Todd Skinner; the belay loop is just one more thing that can fail. I have done a few roped solos and I put the locker clipped right to the harness.

But then what do I know.

i don't agree with the locker through the tie-in points, too easy to cross-load the biner in a leveraged position.  there was an ANAM (iirc?) accident report regarding a couple rapelling deaths with figure 8 devices on lockers that were clipped into both tie-in points.  when you clove hitch the biner you have a similar situation where that end of the biner is somewhat fixed (ie can't pivot as easily).  also, it is way harder to adjust/unclip/reclip the clove hitches .

when you belay do you clip through both tie in points or use the belay loop? todd skinner's death had pretty much nothing to do with the belay loop.

The Petzl “Ring Open” is the solution to concerns over belay loop failure or having to go through your tie in points.  The UIAA standard for a belay loop is I believe 15kn.  The Petzl Ring Open is rated for 23kn in any orientation.  On the harness I use for soloing I’ve cut the belay loop off and permanently mounted the Petzl Ring Open.  Not necessarily for strength but because when fixed 90 degrees to the recommended orientation I feel the Silent Partner feeds more smoothly and is less likely to short rope you during a high stepping move when the devices is against your thigh.  The Ring Open is shorter/smaller than the belay loop so it also keeps the device up a little higher/closer to you.   

slim wrote:

todd skinner's death had pretty much nothing to do with the belay loop.

???

Duct tape your partner's mouth shut.  Problem solved.

Please God, let's not rehash the Skinner belay loop debate.

OP, your idea sounds whack, give it a go with a backup. I had the SP for a few years but ultimately decided just to free solo, TR solo or find good partners instead because of the tediousness of it all.

I have used the clove hitch on lockers and I am far more comfortable with it than I am with the idea of using a grigri or most other devices, just because it's so easy to understand and has fewer failure modes. I stand by what I said in the op, I think it's a laughably stupid idea and don't plan on blowing $300 to confirm that. I hadn't thought about the 'belly' of the hitch possibly interfering with the mechanism of the revo, which potentially makes it an even worse idea. Although I seem to remember a revo demo video showing the inertial drum still activates and locks even when that lip is held down for any reason? And in my original pipe dream I thought it would make more sense to have the revos on their own carabiners, hence the suggestion of adding the extra plate to keep the clove hitch from twisting the revos in a fall. Even though adding that plate probably negates any improved feeding provided by the revos wheels.

I don't have anything to add to the belay loop discussion, but I'll echo the ideas I've come across that I agree with. I think if you don't trust your belay loop you shouldn't be climbing. Inspecting gear before using it is important, I don't think that's a revolutionary idea.

Thanks for indulging my gumby curiosity, and for derailing the thread in classic mp fashion. I'll post here again if I ever get my hands on two revos and have a day to waste fiddling around with it.

Mark Hudon wrote:

???

about 20 years ago i was rapping off a formation and my leg loop broke. my harness jumped up and slammed me in the ribs.  do i now stick my leg through my tie-in points (redundant!) instead of my leg loop? no of course not.

this event had nothing to do with my leg loop. it had everything to do with the fact that my harness was beat to shit (my wife had been riding my ass for 6 months to get a new harness). my partner at the time is kind of a hard ass.  when i said "shit, my leg loop just failed"  he quickly straightened me out by saying "no, it looks like YOU failed."

i learned a lot from that. hopefully others will too.

Belay loops are safe.

Worn and partially destroyed gear is not.

A double Revo grig setup is hilarious. It's probably also safer than a brand new belay loop, since you're not going to actually do any climbing.

The Revo works for lead soloing relatively well by itself (not as good as the SP but better than anything else available) so there's no need to double up two of them. I use the Revo for short fixing when I climb with a partner and there's going to be free climbing.