by bobby49 » Apr 11, 2019 2:29 pm
I understand your use of a rack. There are long racks and short racks, so there is a difference in the top to bottom length. Racks tend to give you a lot more flexibility in terms of how much friction you are applying to the rope, and for a big guy that is probably important. However, there are other descending devices to consider. Putting the right number of wraps or turns on them can provide correct friction as well. I've spent decades doing my descending with nothing more complicated than a simple carabiner or else a Figure 8. In fact, my usual problem is that I am getting too much friction, so I am going way too slow. Once I had to stop my descent mid-rope, detach the Figure 8, attach a carabiner with two wraps through it, and then continue descent. Initially I had your problem of leaning back too far, but once I got my descender hardware just right, the leaning issue went away. Additionally, most cavers are carrying some sort of gear bag. If you attach that lower on your body, then it will change your leaning angle. I like it when my gear load is attached two inches below my main half-round maillon.