Giga Jul

I'm old school and have fully switched. I use the Edelrid Pinch and the Edelrid Giga Jul. Good form and diligence are hugely important, but predictably fallible.

There are people that didn't need a seat belt for 41 years too, but then they needed it. You don't have to start using one, but its probably a good idea. To me it is not about skills. You can do everything right and still get hit by ice-/rock-fall or you can have a medical emergency. The ABDs offer

All of those that you mentioned do exactly the same things: belay with single or double ropes, rappel on single or double ropes, and "guide mode" belay from the top anchor. They're all great, so you could pick any of them and be fine. Alternatively you could look into getting an assisted belay devic

Get an Edelrid Giga Jul. Single most versatile device which is compatible with twin/double ropes and has assisted braking, even in trad context. I'd ignore the CT Alpine-Up, just doesn't have any advantages over the giga jul.

Most versatile is definitely the edelrid giga jul. It's got assisted and standard modes, 2 rope slots for double ropes or rappelling, guide mode, and is pretty affordable. This is good if you want one device for literally everything. If you're only going to be doing single pitch sport, it's hard to

I think you've pretty much answered your own question where if you haven't had any issues with your belay devices, you probably don't need a third. You can consider whether or not you can get away with using just a single belay device for belaying a leader, belaying a follower, and for rappelling. T

I also don't know of any ABDs which can feed 2 strands, would be sincerely curious if you could name any. The Edelrid mega jul and giga jul do everything a regular tube does, and they're also assisted.

I like the Edelrid Giga Jul for trad climbing. Auto braking and still usable as a tuber and double rope rappel.

As long as your buddy is experienced and knows what he is doing. (Not just says he knows, but truly is knowledgeable and has hands on experience.) Then you should be fine. When it comes to gear: If you are setting up top rope from above, try to find out what you will be anchoring to. Is it bolts? Ar

For about the same price as an ATC Guide you can get an Edelrid Giga Jul which is a much more versatile device.