Hauling - not just for big walls
On a long multi pitch route, you’re probably going to have at least one pack with food, water, extra layers, shoes for the walk off, headlamps, and maybe that #4 cam you only need for one pitch.
While climbers typically default for the second to always carry the pack, a better option is often for the leader to haul that extra gear. Previously, that might have meant lugging along a larger-than-needed additional rope.
Fortunately, with modern specialized equipment, hauling becomes much more feasible. Progress capture pulleys such as the Petzl Traxion (or even a Tibloc), combined with a 6 mm rope like the Petzl PURline, which is specifically made for hauling and a rappel pull cord, work great for lighter loads. (Plus, you have a perfect rope for a rappel pull cord, should you need it.)
Two good progress capture options (top photo) are the Petzl Traxion or Tibloc. The Traxion is a much more efficient pulley, so hauling with that will be quite a bit easier.
A few hauling tips . . .
Once the leader is secure at the top anchor, the first thing they do is set up the haul, and pull the bag a few meters off of the lower anchor. This allows the second to start breaking down the anchor.
The next thing the leader does is put the second on belay. Then, the leader can start hauling as fast as they can, while the second is deconstructing the anchor and getting ready to climb. That way the leader is (mostly) not trying to belay and haul at the same.
Small diameter ropes like the 6mm Petzl PURline can be very tangle prone. A stuff sack or rope bag is highly recommended, ideally one that has a little rigidity to it so it holds itself open when you’re stuffing in the rope. See an example below.
It's nice to rack your Tibloc and/or Micro Traxion on an oval locking carabiner.
If you have a Tibloc (or even another Micro Traxion), you can add a large carabiner to it and use it as a handle to pull down for moderate loads. This is a lot easier on your hands than pulling directly on the 6 mm cord. See photo below.
Don’t have a Tibloc? No problem. Take a large carabiner, take add a few wraps of rope, and use that as a handle to save your hands.
If you’re using a Tibloc as a progress capture, Petzl suggests rigging it as shown below, with the rope clipped through the carabiner. If you rig it as shown on the right, the progress capture function still works, but it can be hard on your rope.
image: petzl.com
If the load is heavier, you can try the method in the nice Petzl diagram below. Clip a Tibloc / ascender or something similar to the haul strand, clip in a double length sling (or aid ladder) for a foot loop, step in it, and haul with your bodyweight by stepping down in the sling. Usually this is easier than hauling with your arms. This is one of the common ways to haul when big wall climbing.
image: https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/Ropes/PUR-LINE-6-mm
Rope bags are great!
Here’s 65 meters of 6 mm Petzl PURline in a stuff sack about the size of a basketball, and weighs just a hair over 3 pounds / 1.3 kg. Smaller diameter ropes like this love to get hopelessly tangled unless you take active steps to avoid it; a bag like this is one approach. A bag that is slightly larger, and has a stiff opening, makes it easier to insert the rope.
Another option for minimizing tangles is to daisy chain your haul rope, as shown below. Here's a whole article on that technique.
Here's another tip: pre-thread the rope through your haul pulley as shown. You can do this on the ground and keep it that way for the entire climb. Doing this gives a couple of benefits: it's just about impossible to drop your haul rope, and setting it up is faster.
Finally, if you don't have a progress capture pulley, you can try the old school Garda hitch. Hopefully this is for a fairly light load, because it can add quite a lot of friction, but it still works.
To minimize evil friction, pull up on the “load” strand to create slack, and then down on the “haul” strand to capture the slack.
