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Version A
Version B /w Rack Jack
Version C
Big Drop
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| Version A | Version B /w Rack Jack |
Version C | Big Drop |
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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| Front View | Rear View | Side View |
Carroll Bassett gave me this rack in 2023.
This rack is 279 mm. tall, 76 mm. wide, 24 mm. thick, and weighs 617 g.
The frame is made from 9.5 mm. stainless steel bent into shape, with an internal width of 19 mm. and a 20 mm. welded eye. There are four 21 mm. tubular 304 stainless steel brake bars. Three of these have a 2.5 mm. wall thickness, while the second bar is thicker with a 3.4 mm. wall. That bar has a rope-centering groove. The hyperbars are 76 mm. long and the standard bars are 51 mm. Allowing 45 mm. for the rope leaves only 33 mm. for spreading the bars.
There are no markings on this rack.
The hyperbars allow looping the rope over the top for a temporary lock-off, or permits more secure lock-offs by tying the rope in any of several ways. With only four bars, this is a fast rack, and with essentially no room to spread the bars for control, one should view it as a constant friction device.
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| Front View | Rear View | Side View |
The rod with the cable attached is a third-party accessory, not a BMS item. Please see the Rack Jack page for details.
I acquired this rack from On Rope 1 at the 1997 Old Timers Reunion.
This rack is 365 mm. tall, 51 mm. wide, 27 mm. thick, and weighs 771 g. The frame is made from 9.5 mm. stainless steel bent into shape, with an internal width of 19 mm. and a 21 mm. diameter welded eye. There are seven brake bars. The bars are 21 mm. in diameter and 51 mm. long. Six of these have a 2.5 mm. wall thickness, while the second bar is thicker with a 3.4 mm. wall. That bar has a rope-centering groove. Allowing 45 mm. for the rope leaves 83 mm. range for spreading the bars.
There are no markings on this rack.
Carroll Bassett made these racks for On Rope 1. This rack shows how little the classic design has changed - I could buy another one of these today, if I chose. Bruce Smith, founder of On Rope 1, is a most knowledgeable vertical caver that I've known for many, many years, and this rack shows his preferences. This rack has a welded eye, hollow stainless steel bars, and a narrow frame to save weight. It still weighs 10% more than the large BlueWater rack with aluminum bars, but Bruce dislikes aluminum bars (this one of the few things about which we disagree).
The frame is too narrow for my taste - if it were only a few millimeters wider, it would function better on the occasional times that I need to use doubled 11 mm. rope.
I don't need seven brake bars on this rack, but the extra bar cannot be removed. The bars were placed on this rack before the eye was formed, and so they cannot be removed. Once a bars wear out, the entire rack is shot. This is a poor design choice.
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| Front View | Rear View | Side View |
Carroll Bassett gave me this rack in 2023.
This rack is 375 mm. tall, 76 mm. wide, 26 mm. thick, and weighs 760 g.
The frame is made from 9.5 mm. stainless steel bent into shape, with an internal width of 19 mm. and a 22 mm. welded eye. There are six 21 mm. tubular 304 stainless steel brake bars. Three of these have a 2.5 mm. wall thickness, while the second bar is thicker with a 3.4 mm. wall. That bar has a rope-centering groove.The hyperbars is 76 mm. long and the standard bars are 51 mm. Allowing 45 mm. for the rope leaves 86 mm. for spreading the bars.
There are no markings on this rack.
The hyperbar allows looping the rope over the top for a temporary lock-off, or permits more secure lock-offs by tying the rope in any of several ways.
[ Top | Version A | Version B | Version C | Return to Racks ]
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| Front View | Rear View | Side View |
I acquired this rack from Vertical Supply at the 1997 Old Timers Reunion.
My Bassett Metal Studios Big Drop rack is 615 mm. tall, 93 mm. wide, 27 mm. thick, and weighs 1123 g. The frame is made from 9.5 mm. stainless steel bent into shape, with an internal width of 33 mm. and a 25 mm. diameter welded eye. There is one tubular stainless steel single hyperbar at the top, followed by five standard tubular stainless steel bars. All six bars are 21 mm. in diameter. The hyperbar is and 92 mm. long and the others are 64 mm. long. Allowing 45 mm. for the rope leaves 319 mm. for spreading the bars.
There are no markings on this rack.
This long-drop rack has a steel frame. I put only six brake bars on mine, since six are enough for my weight. The purpose of a long frame is not to allow adding more bars - in fact, long drops do not require any more bars than short ones - but to allow one to space the bars farther apart at the top of the drop where rope weight is greater.
My personal preference is to use a shorter rack with larger bars, and carry a water bottle for cooling the bars (if needed). If you do this, be sure to wash the soap out of the bottle, or the person following you down the drop will have a fast ride.
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