Climbing Gear

Question
I love to climb and sometimes I can't find anyone to go belay for me.  Saw a piece of gear called a soloist but not sure how it works with climbing alone. Wondering if you have had any experience with this piece or know how well it really works?

appreciate your input,
thanks
ted

Answer
Ted,
 I have experiance with the soloist.  I have climbed a couple of big walls solo, and for one of them, I used a soloist.
  Basicly it is a modified ascender that attatches between your sit harness and a chest harness.  The idea is that if you fall, the cam will lock up and stop you from hitting the ground.  This of course requires your protection to hold, and the rope to be securely anchored below you.
  Exact details on how to operate the device are sold with the soloist.
  The most common down side to a soloist is that the cam will not lock up if you take an upside down fall.  The advantage of the soloist is that you do not have to use one hand to feed the rope through the device; it is free running.  
  Other solo belay devices include the solo aid and the silent partner.
 The soloist works well under the conditions it was designed for, and is very nice on free climbs where you dont want to spend time feeding the rope through the belay device.
  One note on any solo belay device:  ALWAYS back up your belay by tying in short.  If you don't know what that means, read "How to Climb Big Walls" and get back to me.
Frankb