I tried mine out on Sunday and I wasn’t over impressed with the feed, mind this was at the bottom of the pitch on a 9mm rope with very little below. I got the feeling that the rope was being deflected over the maillon or Mocha in my case so getting a bit more drag there. Need to have another look.
Also compared to my old croll it was difficult to feel where the cam was with gloves on. I suspect that will be better with practice though.

More testing required...

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Hopefully we get some non-rainy weather and I can get the rope out on a tree or other practice ground.

What length of rope do we need for "The Wrexham Pipes"? 😉

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Well, if we whack a couple of bolts in a 50M a will be needed for the non-freehang. Otherwise, my "30M" is perfect.

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im not sure i like the sound of this ,camp turbo chest .i need a name change on here
:o

im not sure i like the sound of this ,camp turbo chest .i need a name change on here
:o

Mmm, sounds like it would be better for "rope mincing" than "rope walking":)

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So, I finally had chance to get the turbochest on a harness and have a play. Only on the tree outside, but it's enough for a quick impression.

It runs smoother than the Croll by a fair margin. Easier to engage and disengage. It's smaller as well. I think a bigger issue will be re-jigging the rest of my kit to give the rope a straight run into it.

I need a longer pitch to get a technique sorted for the foot ascender.

Disclaimer:- No rope was minced up, and Turbosteve's chest has remained unmolested.

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Just noticed that AN sponsor Starless River are now stocking the Turbochest.

https://starlessriver.com/shop/ascenders/camp_turbo_chest 

A piccie for size comparison for anyone wondering just how tiny the Turbochest and Turbofoot are. Ascension and Stop are from 2010-ish.

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One negative about my Turbochest, tidying up my SRT gear yesterday I noticed rust on the cam. It's possible that this is actually ochre but I do wash my gear quite carefully.
Treated the same as my croll which doesn't have rust.
Turbochest still works fine.

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Having tried out the Turbochest this evening, along with the associated foot ascender, I can only say....what a revelation! The chest ascender in particular....I went straight home and ordered one, its that good. :thumbup:

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Thought you would like it.

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I've got a black one on order....

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The Chinese Turbochest clone has appeared:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pro-Chest-Ascender-Riser-8-13mm-Rope-Clamp-Climbing-Mountaineering-Equipment/302254454848?_trksid=p2045573.c100507.m3226&_trkparms=aid%3D555014%26algo%3DPL.DEFAULT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20151016114640%26meid%3Db0ece92c29b84e76be33539efca00a79%26pid%3D100507%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26 

Slightly worryingly, that listing has this further down:
"It is for progression only and must not be used as a safety attachment. It is not intended for hauling or securing of bodies."

I hope by that they mean it's not suitable as a fall arrester or for purposes!:o

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I've got small amounts of rust on my Camp Turbo, but no more than you get on the Petzl gear cams *.

I do find this slightly annoying because I simply couldn't clean my kit any more thoroughly than I already do, as i'm a bit of a clean freak, and i enjoy doing it.

I was actually thinking about trying a chelating agent or similar to get rid.

Can anyone advise me whether it's entirely safe to use very small amounts of wd40 or silicone or oil on my screwgates and other shineys? I'm always worried it might progressively foul my ropes or cause chemical things to happen to them.

*Source: I've just cleaned my kit after returning from Wales and it's currently drying in my airing cupboard.

John 🙂

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I use a wax based bike chain lubricant (White Lightning Clean Ride) on all the moving parts of my SRT kit. It is very runny to start with, until the solvent evaporates which means that it gets where it needs to and stays there. I do wipe it off the rope running surfaces though as lube on SRT robe is a BAD THING (TM)

Because of the nature of the job they do, the cams will rust as the effect of mud and use will both scrub the surface clean and create oxidising conditions.

Using a chelating agent(apparently molasses works) will clean the rust off but will give you a clean surface that will oxidise at the first opportunity.

BTW WD40 is a penetrating and water displacement oil - it doesn't do a good job at protecting surfaces from rust.

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I recall someone (Shotlighter IIRC) relating the tale of someone in their club who WD40'd their Stop. I think you can guess what the next descent they made was like, and the state of their underwear afterwards....

I use a precision oil pen on the moving parts of my SRT kit - it dispenses a small amount of oil from a fine nozzle on the press of a button, so keeps it where it's needed.

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I've been using the same Camp Turbochest for close to three years now (just about to replace it due to worn teeth), but there's no rust on the cam at all - a tiny bit on the back spring, but that's it. Most of the cam is still black, to be honest, and it's had some serious abuse. My only tiny gripe with the Turbochest is that if you're doing wide rebelays to the right, the rope can sometimes slide out of the top roller, but I think it's more a case of me not adapting well to a new body shape than any major fault with the design.

Incidentally, three years is amazingly good value - I was getting through a new Croll every year in comparison, and that was always from worn teeth and an enlarging attachment hole, and in one case a v-shaped groove at the top. I've been using a Petzl Basic hand-jammer for one year, and the teeth are wearing flat already. Again. So I might see if I can get hold of the Camp Solo 2 instead and see if that too has a longer-lasting cam.

Thanks for the advice on lube from Noick and AR; i have now oiled everything very, very gingerly just to avoid any binding.

I also just remembered the reason i looked at this thread in the first place...

On starting a pitch at the weekend, my Camp Turbo's gate just refused to either open or lock properly, seemingly getting caught on the holdfast mechanism and taking a couple of minutes to free up. This was no problem on a standing rebelay, but on a changeover or under duress such as in a waterfall, may have been more problematic.

I inspected thoroughly at the pitch head and couldn't see an apparent problem and have been unable to replicate since.

Compressed air and light lube have now been applied, but I'd be interested to hear if anyone here has had any similar instances.

John 🙂

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…..Camp Turbo's gate just refused to either open or lock properly, seemingly getting caught on the holdfast mechanism and taking a couple of minutes to free up.

I inspected thoroughly at the pitch head and couldn't see an apparent problem and have been unable to replicate since.

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Had it been loaded at a funny angle? I have heard that they can jam if twisted under load. Torsional stiffness? Doubt you could replicate it by twisting by hand but if you hang 11 or 12 stone on it at a funny angle?
Dunno. :blink:

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