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Edelrid Conecto looks good - but only at first glance!

Edelrid Conecto looks good - but only at first glance!

Richard Tregoweth - Tuesday, January 18, 2011

The new Edelrid Conecto split-ring attachment point is attracting attention from tree climbers.

The traditional 'ring' is the preferred method for rope and webbing attachment because the ring retains the bulk of its strength when side-loaded. eg against the curved surface of a trunk or branch - that's one reason why 30kN DMM rings are used in the Treemagineers rope tool products. 

Typically you cannot 'open' a ring to add additional equipment. Webbing slings need to be girth hitched on, rope has to be spliced directly to the ring or threaded through the hole and then knotted or attached by some other method.

Petzl has a split-ring of sorts on the Sequoia harnesses. A small section of the ring can be removed to replace the webbing bridge but it will not accommodate anything over a few mm in thickness.

The Petzl ring is viewed with a jaundice eye by some climbers (what if the bolt became loose and dropped out?) and in any case it is not available as a spare part.

Enter the Edelrid Conecto. Both sides of the ring can be 'split' to accommodate webbing, pre-spliced rope or whatever.

Unfortunately, the Conecto is only rated at 15 kN and the 'split' might not enjoy being side-loaded particularly along the axis of the join.

Perhaps this one will be relegated to the 'nice idea' bin for tree climbers - it could come in handy even if you never use it!

The 6 Nm printed on the face of the Conecto refers the torque required to tighten the joining bolts - it has nothing to do with the strength of the unit.

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