Kong Gipsy Wide pro

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Messages 1 - 32 of total 32 in this topic
healyje

Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 2, 2011 - 02:38pm PT
http://www.vimeo.com/m/#/26088030

Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
Aug 2, 2011 - 03:18pm PT
Hmmm, similar advantages and disadvantages as 'bros... how much $?
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
Aug 2, 2011 - 03:35pm PT
They should send me a set for test and review in actual field conditions...
JMC

climber
oilfields of Sumatra
Aug 2, 2011 - 03:45pm PT
New? Only in a back to the future sort of way.

http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=392934&tn=20
jstan

climber
Aug 2, 2011 - 05:13pm PT
Does not seem to me this works. Maybe in really soft sandstone. Incredibly soft sandstone.

I suspect I could change them so they would work better though.

At least two things wrong with them.

Anyone actually tried to use this?

PS:
It does not have the expansion factor implied by the photo.
Prod

Trad climber
Aug 2, 2011 - 05:18pm PT
Don't place it upside down.

Prod.
Captain...or Skully

climber
or some such
Aug 2, 2011 - 05:22pm PT
They actually work, JStan. Well, the Cassin Blitz did. Finicky(sp), yes. But it did work, mostly. A friend had a set in the Valley once. We LOVED testing stuff.
nutstory

climber
Ajaccio, Corsica, France
Aug 3, 2011 - 09:11am PT
kc

Trad climber
sj, ca
Aug 3, 2011 - 09:43am PT
Hard to see scale in the photos--but Valley Giants are the best!
couchmaster

climber
pdx
Aug 3, 2011 - 11:05am PT
Stephan and JMC, thank you, I thought that they looked familiar.


John S said:
I suspect I could change them so they would work better though. At least two things wrong with them.

Love to see you elaborate your thoughts on this Jstan.....

mojede

Trad climber
Butte, America
Aug 3, 2011 - 11:17am PT
Ahhhh, the BLITZ.....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBdXS2BA3yI&feature=related




awwwww, maaaaannnnn!!!!!!!!
bhilden

Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
Aug 3, 2011 - 12:49pm PT
For my money, the best OW pro has to be able to be pushed above you as you climb. In really hard OW's the crux can be having to climb around pro so anything that easily travels up the crack above of you is a big, big plus.
couchmaster

climber
pdx
Aug 3, 2011 - 02:46pm PT
Alexbaker posted the weight of these on another site. They look very light in the picture, but the reality - not so much. I'm not so enamored anymore.

John Butler

Social climber
SLC, Utah
Aug 3, 2011 - 04:02pm PT
Seems like they would need a pretty strong spring to keep them in place with an outward pull... wouldn't they?
tolman_paul

Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
Aug 3, 2011 - 04:02pm PT
I've never used one, but my concern would be that the strength, or rather pullout force would vary based on how much the unit is expanded. At the greatest extent of it's range it would have the greatest resistance to pulling out, and as it gets put in narrower cracks the resistance to pullout would decrease. A cam or tube chock will have nearly the same pullout throughout it's range.

I can't tell from the pic or spec sheet if it is spring loaded.
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
Aug 3, 2011 - 07:10pm PT
For my money, the best OW pro has to be able to be pushed above you as you climb

Here's a tip you'll hear almost nowhere else; If you're bumping a Valley giant, the best way to do it, is from above. Just grab that sucker by the axle, like a handgrip on a suitcase, and pull it up after you. Way easier than pushing from below. Way easier to keep the cams distributed correctly. Limited application I realize, but this is a tip that really works!
John Butler

Social climber
SLC, Utah
Aug 5, 2011 - 07:46pm PT
I got to play with the Kong Gypsies at OR today. I think I'd feel more comfortable climbing above a well placed 2x4
Jaybro

Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
Aug 5, 2011 - 09:16pm PT
They have a price on them?
'Pass the Pitons' Pete

Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
Aug 5, 2011 - 09:30pm PT
They're not exactly big. 205 mm is only 8". [That's what she said]

So they're heavier than cams? Heavier than heavy two-axle Camalots? They'd better be cheap, then.

You can't beat a Valley Giant, however.
Captain...or Skully

climber
or some such
Aug 6, 2011 - 12:00am PT
It's true, ain't it?
John Butler

Social climber
SLC, Utah
Aug 6, 2011 - 11:03pm PT
They have a price on them?

No... and the guy I spoke with (from Liberty Mountain) had no idea what they were for. They were much more freaky to me in person than in the photos.

I would be totally warm and fuzzy hanging from the things, but can't see how they would stay put after climbing past them. The way the sling exits the bottom ensures that any outward pull will be on the bottom contact point, and the spring doesn't feel strong enough to withstand much more than a little tugging.

I can only imagine they are a special use anchor... industrial... rescue...?
nutstory

climber
Ajaccio, Corsica, France
Aug 7, 2011 - 04:01am PT
€78,95 seems to be the price of the #5
Dutchmountains

Sport climber
Wageningen
Nov 15, 2011 - 05:08am PT
Please don't just shout that they are heavier, etc. First read the specs!

Just got a complete set (3) of the Kong Gipsy "cams".

Here are my first impressions:
-Stronger than BD cams: no.4: 18 kN, no 5 and 6: 15 kN. BD cams 3..6 are 14 kN.
-To cover the same range with BD cams you would need to buy 4 cams, number 3,4,5 and 6(which cost 390 euro total in Europe). The Gipsies are less than half that price.
-The BD cam set weighs about 1.427 kg (range: 50.7 ..195 mm)
-The Gipsy set weighs about 1.045 kg. (range: 52 .. 205 mm)

I think the little button to fix them wide open is innovatie. This button makes single handed operation easy (quick to learn). Its fun to hold the big one at the lower end and stick it into a crack and tab against the rock with the upper part. This tab unlocks the button and it will snap in place.

In some cases you may want to limit the use a large Gipsy in a small crack (so select a smaller Gipsy) since this changes the camming angle in such a way that holding power may be reduced. But this will depend on placement.

I shall post more comments once I have tested them more.
ClimbingOn

Trad climber
NY
Nov 15, 2011 - 09:27am PT
Your arguments are that they are stronger and that they have a greater range, thus making it possible to carry fewer cams. Are you seriously afraid of falling on a BD #6 and having it fail due to its strength? Really???

I am so tired of this argument that greater range equals fewer cams. How many times can you place one cam? ONCE. This is the same as the link cam argument. OK, so maybe the link cam can cover the range of three cams. Great. I can still only place it once. Become a competent climber, be able to look at a route and see what cams you will need multiples of, and carry them. The argument about greater range here doesn't even work for an anchor piece, like the pro-link cam people routinely use to defend their overpriced gear.
kev

climber
A pile of dirt.
Nov 16, 2011 - 03:38pm PT
Mmmm wide pro :)
Dutchmountains

Sport climber
Wageningen
Nov 22, 2011 - 09:03am PT
Commenting on ClimbingOn:
-Fact is that they are stronger than BD's so its not something low quality...
-To cover the same range you would need 3 Gipsies (1045 grams) or 4 BD's (1427 grams) OR: You can carry 4 Gipsies (no. 4,4,5,6: 1285 grams) or 4 BD's (1427 grams) both covering the same range but the Gipsy set is still lighter!

Steve Grossman

Trad climber
Seattle, WA
Nov 22, 2011 - 09:59am PT
I would expect a fairly strong spring on those puppies. Is that the case?
mucci

Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
Nov 22, 2011 - 10:23am PT
Hah!


I can't wait to booty one of those sawhorses in the valley.


franky

Trad climber
Bishop, CA
Nov 22, 2011 - 11:14am PT
those things will be worthless when open past about 32 degrees.
nutstory

climber
Ajaccio, Corsica, France
Dec 7, 2011 - 12:35pm PT
couchmaster

climber
pdx
Dec 7, 2011 - 03:12pm PT
Straight from conception to the museum.....short lifespan.
nature

climber
Aridzona for now Denver.... here I come...
Dec 7, 2011 - 03:16pm PT
It's simply bad marketing to print...





























YER GONNA DIE


on the outside of the box
Messages 1 - 32 of total 32 in this topic
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