Hey everybody. I'm not exactly a climber but I figured here was the best place to consult for advice. I'm about to do some work on a somewhat inclined roof on a 1 story structure and I'm designing the gear to keep me safe. This setup is only designed to keep the rope attached to me in case I start to slide and need to get stopped. There's really no possibility of getting into a freefall with my situation. Here's the harness and rope I got...





The rope is just over 1/2 inch at 9/16 ths and looks more like boat rope. Anyhow, the last piece I need is the attachment point between the rope and harness. Not familiar with what it would be called but I've seen it as a metal piece that the rope loops through whereby the rope can be loosened and pulled through when I need to adjust.

Can anyone possibly give a picture and name of the piece I'm looking for keeping the rope size in mind?. Also, where would be a be a good place to get such a piece at a reasonable price?

Thanks for the help

You can either tie the rope directly to the harness using a figure 8 follow through (https://www.animatedknots.com/fig8follow/) or buy a locking carabiner.

You shouldn't use that rope though... you need a dynamic rope. One that stretches. Otherwise you likely won't get the result you are expecting if you slide. 8 mm is probably thick enough as long as you have the rope short enough to stop you while you are still on the roof and not over the side yet... assuming the pitch is 9/12 or less.

There are a number of pieces of equipment that would work for your purpose including a Petzl Stop, an ascender, Petzl Mini Traxion or a good old fashioned Prusik loop. You will need a locking carabiner as well. I agree regarding the rope. An arborist's rope (Arborplex) would be a good choice. When I worked construction and had to do high work, I used an old climbing rope, which worked fine but they may be more expensive than what you might want to pay. I definitely would not trust my life to anything purchased at a hardware store.

Thanks for the replies. And yeah I hear ya on the rope. There's almost no chance of a free fall in this situation so as long as we keep the rope adjusted I think everything should be ok. But yes as soon as I can put the money toward it I'll be getting better ropes.

I'll probably end up going with a prusik knot / locking carabiner option as it'll be the cheapest. I've had someone else mention I should get a 5-7mm supple rope to use for the knot. What search terms should I use on ebay to get the right rope? Also, what's the name of the knot used to tie the ends of the rope together in a loop?

7 mm is too thick for most ropes, 6 or 5mm are better bets. Go to REI, and buy pre cut lengths for either Prusiks or cordelettes. The knot you want to use is a double or triple fisherman's (AKA grapevine) knot.

You mention that there is no chance of a free-fall and that all you want is something should you start to slide. Climbing harnesses and construction workplace harnesses are different which means if you want to comply with the rules you need a harness that complies with OSHA standards for residential roofing fall protection. I get where you are coming from trying to use the climbing gear but would fork out the money for a specially made roofers harness and system that allows you to move vertically along the roof.