Garda hitch instead of guide plate?
Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 12:49 pm
Late last night, I was sitting around playing with my ropes and crabs and other climbing gear, and I realised that "guide plates" (Kong GiGi, BD ATC-Guide, Petzl Reverso etc.) are pretty much just ratchets (when used to belay from the top). So, I figured, why not use a garda hitch and save all of $20 instead?
So, yeah, the monetary savings are ridiculously small, so maybe that's no good reason to use it, and of course the garda is no good for belaying a leader, but is there any reason *not* to use it for belaying from the top?
The one issue that I'm aware of is that it's tricky to feed rope out of a loaded garda hitch. Are there other problems?
So, yeah, the monetary savings are ridiculously small, so maybe that's no good reason to use it, and of course the garda is no good for belaying a leader, but is there any reason *not* to use it for belaying from the top?
The one issue that I'm aware of is that it's tricky to feed rope out of a loaded garda hitch. Are there other problems?