I'm looking for a triple extension ladder about 3 - 3.5m closed (so I can
carry it on the van roof). It's got to be a one-man lift (because I'm only
one man :-)) so no more than about 25kg, and I don't want the push-up type
with fixed hooks on the bottom rungs of the narrower sections so that
you have to tilt the bottom end of the section away from the larger section
to slide it up or down. When you're doing that with the middle section
with the small section already fully extended it gets very difficult to
control.

The rope-operated ladders generally have gravity latches and the sections
are constrained by guides to run parallel to each other so you don't get
this tilting out of control, but they seem to start at 4m and weigh a ton.

Anyone know if/where you can get reasonably lightweight ladders with
gravity latches. I know they are (or were) made because my parents have an
ancient long 2-section one, but My Friend Google hasn't found me one yet.

--
John Stumbles -- http://yaph.co.uk

Life is nature's way of keeping meat fresh