SHOW REPORT: OutDoor 2017 - Our Top 10 Products

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 UKC/UKH Gear 22 Jun 2017
Top 10 montage, 5 kbWe are just back from the OutDoor show at Friedrichshafen. We'll be releasing full show reports soon, but to kick things off we've picked our favourite ten products from the scores that we saw.

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 JR_NL 22 Jun 2017
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

Really intrigued by the Beal Escaper. If it needs full release of any pressure before it starts releasing again I can really see this working. If just a small release of weight and then putting weight on it again will make it wiggle loose I can see this being very deadly.
 jezb1 22 Jun 2017
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:
Good selection!

Apart from a duffle bag with wheels approaching £400...
Post edited at 12:25
 Mark Collins 22 Jun 2017
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

Wow, love that Beal Escaper.
 Greasy Prusiks 22 Jun 2017
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:
That Beal Escaper looks really interesting, maybe a bit more faff to set up but if it halfs the number of abs it's going to be loads faster. Still can't imagine the office was packed with volunteers for the first test though!

The scarpas looked good as well.

EDIT: That duffle bag is taking the piss. Arcteryx is just a fashion label.
Post edited at 12:52
 SChriscoli 22 Jun 2017
In reply to JR_NL:

My thoughts too. As long as the rope is weighted it should be ok, it seems the release of tension is the active factor.

Lile the look of that squirrel pack.
 galpinos 22 Jun 2017
In reply to Mark Collins:

> Wow, love that Beal Escaper.

By love it, do you actually mean puts the fear of god into you and wouldn't touch it with a barge pole?

How would you feel climbing back up to free a stuck rope wondering how man turns of the sling are left to "pop"........
 ianstevens 22 Jun 2017
In reply to galpinos:

But if it was stuck, the sling wouldn't pop surely. If the sling had released and the rope was stuck in another way (in a crack for example) then your in the same scenario you would be anyway.

Plus when you jug up a rope the rope is always weighted anyway, there isn't a complete release of weight that seems to be needed to get the sling to pop.

It has passed the tests, and I'm sure Beal have tested it extensively to make sure it's safe. It's not like its made by someone in a shed...
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 tjin 22 Jun 2017
In reply to JR_NL:

The Beal Escaper looks like the trick the guide showed us and told everybody never to use. I'll just use my double/twins for longer rappels...
In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

I saw this being demo'd and I was much more reassured after the demo than when the principle had been described to me. In fact the main worry I had after the demo was that the bungy prusik system would prove too difficult to actually operate properly when pulling a stretchy 60m rope around a few bulges.

Having said that, the fact that the guy in the video ties a stopper knot shows that he didn't have complete confidence in the system.

Alan
 Mark Collins 22 Jun 2017
In reply to galpinos:

> By love it, do you actually mean puts the fear of god into you and wouldn't touch it with a barge pole?

> How would you feel climbing back up to free a stuck rope wondering how man turns of the sling are left to "pop"........

Better than the alternative though
youtube.com/watch?v=b8Ute5c2BVk&
 galpinos 22 Jun 2017
In reply to Mark Collins:

Agreed! Though as a bumbly Brit, I stick to my half ropes and full length abseils....
 RBonney 22 Jun 2017
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear: Would the escaper work when wet? Recently had to bail of a multi pitch when torrential rain started. The rope gt much harder to handle well when wet.
 galpinos 22 Jun 2017
In reply to ianstevens:

I'm a coward, I get scared enough as it is abseiling without the added fear of Beal's new twisty lace system being the only thing between me and oblivion!
 Mark Collins 22 Jun 2017
In reply to galpinos:

> Agreed! Though as a bumbly Brit, I stick to my half ropes and full length abseils....

I guess the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. Although I think I would use it, would I actually I'm not sure, and would I be able to convince the people I climb with. I'd have to take them through the idea before I ever got near a crag, that's for sure. I am a fan of hugely extending gear so I can use a single rope for everything though, and this gadget feeds into that. I'm going to see how much they cost, if they're in the shops yet.
 Theo Moore 22 Jun 2017
In reply to Mark Collins:

The Escaper will be available spring/summer 2018 and will retail at £39.
 Mark Collins 22 Jun 2017
In reply to Theo Moore:

Thanks
 tjin 22 Jun 2017
In reply to Theo Moore:
39 quid! For a rope with sling thingy that is scary as f*** ?!
Post edited at 14:51
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 neuromancer 22 Jun 2017
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

Wonder how those new Scarpa's compare to Techno X's?
 JR_NL 22 Jun 2017
In reply to tjin:

whole lot cheaper than buying two half ropes though
 d_b 22 Jun 2017
In reply to JR_NL:

On the one hand I could really do with one of these to save me the weight of a rope on big routes. On the other, abseiling is already scary enough.
 Tricky Dicky 22 Jun 2017
In reply to tjin:

> 39 quid! For a rope with sling thingy that is scary as f*** ?!

You could always try making your own!!!!!!

 Greasy Prusiks 22 Jun 2017
In reply to Alan James - Rockfax:

That's interesting. I can imagine it being one of those things that you have to have a play with before trusting it.

My main worry would be if you have to ascend the rope for some reason. I can't imagine prusiking on it would be a good idea.

Did it look like it would cope with abseiling over ledges?
 Michael Hood 22 Jun 2017
In reply to Greasy Prusiks:
When friends first came out everyone was a bit wary of them - I mean how could they possibly work in flared cracks - until you'd had a fall on them, then they were trustworthy.

I suspect the Escaper will be a bit like that, scary until you've used it. There's bound to be an accident using them some time, but that may well be due to use outside its parameters rather than a product failure (friends don't always hold).

From the 10 we've been shown, it's the only truly innovative product rather than just a better version of...
Post edited at 16:31
In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

> My main worry would be if you have to ascend the rope for some reason. I can't imagine prusiking on it would be a good idea.

Once the thing is in tension, the ab rope is totally secure, so prusiking up it shouldn't be any different from abseiling down it. My worry would be if you hit a ledge and relaxed the tension on the rope and then pulled the rope again as you continued the ab (or prusik), that might initiate a 'tug' through the lattice prusik. You have between 8 to 12 'tugs' to release the rope, so 8 to 12 ledges later ...... well I guess that is a lot of ledges.

> Did it look like it would cope with abseiling over ledges?

If the rope was going over an edge at the top then I think that might make initiating a tug difficult, in addition to what I suggested above with regard to bulges and having a full 60m of rope out also making the 'tug' process tricky.

This is all just speculation from my part though.

Alan
 Greasy Prusiks 22 Jun 2017
In reply to Alan James - Rockfax:

Thanks that's interesting to know. It sounds really inventive to me.

I suspect Michael is right and they'll prove to be safe. New gear is always a bit scary.
 Tyler 22 Jun 2017
In reply to Alan James - Rockfax:

Do you wouldn't even need that meant ledges, three ledges by the time the third person is abbing....
 jezb1 22 Jun 2017
In reply to Tyler:

Reset it each time.
 Luke90 22 Jun 2017
In reply to jezb1:

The last person down would be the only one who needed to use the system at all. The video of the release mechanism reassured me more than the written description but I still wouldn't choose to subject the whole team to it on every abseil!
In reply to Luke90:
Yes, and maybe that is why Beal's video shows in two separate places a stopper knot being used; last person to ab would remove the knot? Would be surprised that they included the stopper twice in the video if that's not part of the instructions somehow but without seeing them though it's a guess.

I assume the stopper knot itself would prevent release?

Looks promising overall.
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

That Arcteryx duffle is hilarious. What would be cool is if someone made a robust frame with wheels that you could clip your duffles/rucksacks to when travelling, or perhaps a dismantleable frame that slides into the bags base (portaledge style) that you could stuff into your bag once you reach the airport. I doubt it would be hard to make and for sure wouldn't cost several hundred pounds.

Arcteryx, just message me for details on where to send the cheque.
 druss 22 Jun 2017
In reply to neuromancer:

I was wondering the same but then thought maybe Vapor lace was the better compare?

> Wonder how those new Scarpa's compare to Techno X's?

 Shone 23 Jun 2017
In reply to Alan James - Rockfax: I spotted that too and was wondering!

 airborne 23 Jun 2017
In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:
It's already done:

http://www.exped.com/international/en/product-category/backpacks/transfer-w...
Post edited at 09:15
In reply to airborne:

Just checked - costs about £110, so I could get 3 with some change if I didn't buy the Arcteryx.
 Theo Moore 26 Jun 2017
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

For anyone interested in seeing the Beal Escaper in action (indoors, with no one attached to it...) you can check out our video from OutDoor: https://www.ukclimbing.com/news/press.php?id=9508
 pauls911 26 Jun 2017
In reply to UKC/UKH Gear:

I was struck by the very different approaches shown by CT and BEAL in these product Videos.

CT have taken an excellent, idiot-proof design of something every climber needs (a belay device, in this case their Click-UP) and have added some new features that make it even more idiot-proof, so even the belay moron who does it all wrong probably won't kill their partner. They were at pains to point out that these improvements were to guard against bad/incompetent practice, but were there to mitigate risk for the climber.

BEAL, on the other hand, have identified a situation that I have never needed to address in over 30 years of very active Alpine/Trad/SPORT/Himalayan climbing, and have created a solution which looks fraught with potential for error - and lets face it, by their positioning its only supposed to be used every once in a while, so you're not going to get familiar with the operation of the 'Escaper' through frequent use, even if you remember to take it with you. Their video then positions it as an exciting mainstream bit of kit, and glosses over their own demonstrator using a stopper knot as backup.

It's only my opinion, but I feel pretty certain which of these developments is going to lead to "terminasion" - see videos for spelling reference, and I will vote with my wallet.
 NigelHurst 26 Jun 2017
In reply to Alan James - Rockfax:

yep, I noticed he tied a stopper which had miraculously disappeared when it showed it being released - doesn't instill confidence in the product when the demo video cheats!!!
 phil456 27 Jun 2017
In reply to Mark Collins:


If you only other option is dead,
Look at the Ashley Book of Knots p406 , knot no: 2535

 Mark Collins 28 Jun 2017
In reply to phil456:

Thanks I'll have to look that up.

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