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Prototype #1
Prototype #2
Prototype #3
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Carroll Bassett originally sold equipment under the name "Vertical Supply" before switching to "Bassett Metal Studios (BMS)" in the mid-1990s.
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I acquired this prototype Bassett Metal Studios Belay Spool from Vertical Supply in 1997.
This spool is 84 mm. long, 145 mm. wide, 76 mm. high, and weighs 831 g.
The spool is a 63.5 mm. (2-1/2 in) aluminum cylinder with two 8.5 mm. stainless steel roll pins that act as rope guides. The side plates are 5 mm. aluminum bolted to the spool with 3/8 inch (9.7 mm.) Allen-head cap screws. Each side plate has a slot and a second cap screw passing through a slot and into the spool. This arrangement limits the amount that the two plates can pivot to 45°, for a total of 90° with respect to each other. Although not strictly necessary, it does make the spool somewhat easier to rig. The second cap screw is set with enough clearance that the side plates pivot smoothly.
There are no markings on this Belay Spool.
The Bassett Metal Studios Belay Spool was designed for rescue situations where lowering heavy loads is a possibility. It is far to heavy to be used as a normal climbing belay device, although it could be used in some class situations.
The spool functions as one would expect, just open the spool by rotating the side plates, wrap the rope around the drum (separating the coils with the pins), close the side plates, and one is ready to lower. It works very smoothly, as one would expect from a spool. The large contact area keeps the device from overheating as much as many others do, and the large radius helps ensure minimal rope damage.
The Single Rope Technique Equipment Rescue Belay Spool is a similar device.
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I acquired this prototype Bassett Metal Studios Belay Spool from Mark Dickey & the New Jersey Initial Response Team in 2022.
This spool is 79 mm. long, 144 mm. wide, 76 mm. high, and weighs 923 g.
This model incorporates two improvements over the Prototype #1. First, the side plates are made from 2.5 mm. stainless steel instead of 5 mm. aluminum. Second, round drum was replaced by a triangular drum with rounded corners. The rounded triangle is 58.4 mm. high and 61.4 mm. wide.
There are no markings on this Belay Spool.
Carroll Bassett had the idea that a lobed spool might work better than a round one, so he made this prototype and the next one to test the idea. He gave the two prototypes to the New Jersey Initial Response Team, a group that he founded in 1994 with John Grumbs. The resulting spool has even better handling qualities than the original. It runs as smoothly if not more so, and it grips better when catching a falling load (rescuers should not drop their patients).
This prototype is the heaviest of the three.
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| Front | Side |
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| Open for Rigging |
I acquired this prototype Bassett Metal Studios Belay Spool from Mark Dickey & the New Jersey Initial Response Team in 2022.
This prototype is 79 mm. long, 143 mm. wide, 76 mm. high, and weighs 871 g.
This drum on this prototype has a rounded square cross section that can be approximated as a 51 mm. square truncated by a 62 mm. circle.
There are no markings on this Belay Spool.
Carroll Bassett gave this prototype to the New Jersey Initial Response Team along with the previous one. Testing showed that this spool had even better handling qualities than the triangular-drum second prototype. It is also somewhat lighter.
[ Top | Prototype #1 | Prototype #2 | Prototype #3 | Return to Belay Spools ]
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| Front | Side |
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| Open for Rigging |
I acquired this Bassett Metal Studios Belay Spool, Version B from Karst Sports in 1999.
This spool is 80 mm. long, 145 mm. wide, 77 mm. high, and weighs 870 g.
There are no markings on this Belay Spool.
The production model is identical to the second prototype. It is slightly heavier than the Prototype #1
or the Single Rope Technique Equipment Rescue
Belay Spool, but since no one was going to carry this thing
backpacking, the extra grams don't really matter. For the
rescue community, this device is excellent.
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