A best seller from day one the Ropeman 1 and 2 have become the ubiquitous tools for a wide range of mountaineering and cragging activities. From prussiking to pulleys and mouflage the list of uses and adaptations for these small but perfectly formed devices goes on and on. However it’s incredibly important to understand a little more about them and their strengths and weaknesses to appreciate which one you should buy for your chosen activity. So this is where the Ropeman Mk2 came in. With a stainless steel cam that allowed a more complicated (and more aggressive looking) but ultimately more rope friendly design the Ropeman Mk2 was the solution to Wild Country’s sleepless nights as it could be used on ropes down to 8.5mm. This meant for many of the Alpine activities it was adopted for it was a much safer alternative and with the pair of them available customers had a choice. Thus the bottom line and the most reliable piece of safety advice is to follow the simple rule that the Ropeman Mk1 is for single ropes only while the Ropeman Mk2 will cover both half ropes and single ropes. Please make sure if you are purchasing a Ropeman Mk1 or Mk2 that you fully read the instructions and make sure that the use suits the device you have bought. And please remember if you are ‘adapting’ it for other uses that may not be fully recommended you are fully aware of the risks inherent for you or your partner.