Cavechat.org

tamarmole wrote:The bungee was snarling in the vicinity of the pulley which hangs off the chest box - In addition the bungee may have been dragging on my more than ample gut.

I've seen several clever ropewalkers who have installed TWO pulleys onto their chest plate, one on each side, so that the bungee runs in a "U" rather than a "V". This has the benefit of keeping those pesky moving bungee cords out of the path of the ascenders and avoiding interference with bulging bellies. It does require adding a bit more bungee cord and a second pulley to an already heavyweight climbing rig.

I'll also note that if your upper back muscles are getting sore, the bungee cord is too tight! It need only be tight enough to yank the ascenders up; any tighter and you're simply making life more difficult for yourself.

Only consider adding a Croll (for conversion to/from Frog) after you've dialed in your Ropewalker proper. The Croll adds more friction and more gear to an already complex system. Some people like it, I found it to be more trouble than it is worth.