Whetman Equipment Python Slings

The Python is a 5m length webbing sling designed specifically for river rescue applications. The Python has a ring on one end and an open loop to receive karabiners on the other.It has a breaking strength in excess of 10kN. There are now three versions available: Python 5m which has a 6mm stainless steel ring and has yellow webbing King Python 5m which has a 12mm aluminium ring and has red webbing Mega 8 Python 8m which has a 12mm aluminium ring and has red webbing The benefit of the ring is that it can often replace the need for a karabiner which are a scarce resource on the river. An original Whetman Equipment product. Made in the UK.

The Python has a diverse number of uses.

• It can work as an anchor in hauling, lowering boats & traversing the river.
• The benefit of the ring being it can often replace a karabiner and receive other lines or webbing.
• On the river karabiners are always in short supply and the rings can be invaluable to save karabiners for other tasks.
• The ring can also be used as a pulley to create a Pig Rig when combined with two Pythons and two Ring Pull Prussiks .
• The Python can be a cowstail extension for work positioning a throwline deployment or belayer.
• Very handy for portaging over rough ground & large boulders to haul & lower boats.
• Short reach rescue: hold the ring in one hand and flick the coil out to reach to a close by swimmer. The rings acts as a stopper.
• Raft Guide Flip Line: Used with a krab, clip the krab onto the gunnel line, throw the ring end of the Python over the upturned raft, grab it the other side, climb up & flip.

Pig Rig

The combination of Two Whetman Equipment Pythons and Two Whetman Equipment Ring Pull Prussiks can make a very simple to set up Pig Rig pully system or external mechanical advantage (MA) system.

Fast & simple to set up.

Rings replace pulleys & karabiners so does not exhaust limited supply of karabiners

Setting Up The Pig Rig

The first python is the anchor & wraps itself around a tree like a true constrictor; ideally a full strength tie off which presents the ring forward as a pully & leaves the other end available as the anchor to set up a Ring Pull Prussik to capture the progress of the haul.

The second Python threads through the rope grab Ring Pull Prussik and returns to thread through the anchor ring and then back to thread through its own ring near the rope grab to create the MA haul line.