[Jaspersharpe]

[jwi]

fuck your hex's off (why have these and a full set of Camalots??),

phantoms all the way on everything; i only have a couple of normal size wire gates on me rack these days for bigger cams, shadow's on my wires, and it makes an unbelivable difference,

fuck the tat off; just use twice wrapped round cord for attaching chalk bag,

one HMS, one screwgate,  wire gates/ phantoms for all your slings and prussiks

fuck ya slidey things off unless you gonna do something hard(never had to use one of these in my life, know nobody who ever has them on their rack)

skinny 8mm 60m ropes or use 50's

share the weight with your partner,

sell all the shite you're gonna replace on UKC for a price you wouldn't pay for it and put this money into sorting out your new uber light rack.

or get some of these babies..23g each.. http://www.metoliusclimbing.com/fs_mini_carabiner.html
Happy days!

I agree with everything.   Furthermore, for trad cragging I often use just one 30-35 m rope (a.k.a. old 60 m that I've trimmed the ends off more than a couple of times...) It is almost always faster to scramble down than abseiling anyway.

[Will Hunt]

Furthermore, for trad cragging I often use just one 30-35 m rope (a.k.a. old 60 m that I've trimmed the ends off more than a couple of times...) It is almost always faster to scramble down than abseiling anyway.

Who the flip abseils off a sub 30m single pitch crag?!

[TobyD]

Who the flip abseils off a sub 30m single pitch crag?!

I believe the abseil into the leap is about on 30m. I for one generally tend to choose abseiling over the scrambling option there.

[SA Chris]

Of all the the things on your rack, the Hexes seem to be the most superfluous.

Instead of taking the "I have them, therefore I use them" approach try once or twice carrying them on a route, but avoiding using them as much as possible and and see if you cope without, likewise the esoteric slidey things. A weaning off approach, rahter than the proposed cold turkey.

I stopped carrying hexes of a few years ago, instead just carry one big metolius supercam to cover any "wide" placements I may encounter, and make up the rest with large nuts and cams. I tend to avoid wide cracks as a rule anyway.

[TobyD]

I don't think the useability of phantoms depends on how big your fingers / hands are, more on how you tend to clip (as Pauls says) if weight's really crucial, change your clipping technique (from finger in krab to pinch).

I have a really skinny trad rope (8anda bit mm), and while it's light and low drag i wouldn't get another one that thin, not because it scares me, but because
a) i have chopped through the sheath and a bit of core when falling over an edge on it. I have no way of knowing of this wouldn't have happened with a fatter cord, the margin of safety would be greater.
b) you fall flipping miles on, which becomes disturbing on routes where this may make the difference between giggling about it in the pub later, and not giggling in the hospital later. Having said that you do get lower impact force, which makes it reassuring to clip shit gear with.

thirdly, go mountain marathon-er style: drill holes in the toothbrush on your chalkbag. cut the labels off your clothes, bin the water bottle and drink from streams...

[chummer]

[wiain]

If you're really not going to get Phantoms wait six months or so and get DMMs new Alpha Trads (I think that's what they called em). They'll be a whole gram or so heavier and feel bigger.

Ditch the sodding hexes. If you're using them to save cams on longer pitches I bet you could just as well ditch the cams. i refuse to believe you have ever run out of both on one pitch without deliberate punterdom. Nobody carries a full rack of cams and hexes unless they are on Stanage on a baking hot day. Probably shouting 'tight' repeatedly.

[lagerstarfish]

Also, you have fucked up legs now so why not just get your climbing partner to carry all the heavy stuff 

One word...

reasonable adaptation


(I can't count so under the Disability Discrimination Act HMRC have to accept my tax returns that have little relation to the real world)

I would certainly feel obliged to carry more of the kit if my climbing partner had your health issues Fiend.

Oh, and dump the hexes. I haven't carried any since I bought my first Friends.

[Fiend]

I have had a few kind offers from climbing partners. However whilst struggling to get integrated with the Scottish climbing scene, I still don't have many regular partners that I'm close enough to to ask that.

As for the hexes....I use them a lot. Because I have Camalots, I don't have as many cams for the same size range as Friends, therefore the hexes are useful to provide extra bits of gear. Looking at the charts, one could have 10 Friends from 13-85mm, but I have 7 Camlots and 4 Hexes (okay I have a few smaller hexes too - but they save doubling up on larger nuts).

Alpha Lights look good, if the size is okay. I'd be waiting until spring I think, anyway.

Drilling holes in my toothbrush is a good plan.

[nik at work]

Fucks sake it's twenty ten, just get a jet pack.

[SA Chris]

So instead of carrrying 10 camming devices that actually hold falls, you are carrying 7 Ripalots and 4 hexes?

[kingholmesy]

So instead of carrrying 10 camming devices that actually hold falls, you are carrying 7 Ripalots and 4 hexes?

Do you really think the slight difference in camming angle makes Camalots pull significantly more often?  I've never heard any one else say this.     And they feel so much nicer than Friends.

Anyway, I second what everyone else said - ditch the hexes, sliders and probably the offsets, and reduce the number of screwgates.

[SA Chris]

It was a reference to a daft debate over on the other channel a while back but in answer to your question;

By the laws of physics it must, but unless used in very low friction rock is unlikely to make an difference.

Anyway, it's a bit OT.

[slackline]

The BMC have done just the article you were in need of Fiend...

[urlhttp://www.thebmc.co.uk/Feature.aspx?id=2332]On the Rack by Adrian Berry[/url]

[Fiend]

The BMC have done just the article you were in need of Fiend...

[urlhttp://www.thebmc.co.uk/Feature.aspx?id=2332]On the Rack by Adrian Berry[/url]

Cheers nice linking there slackbot

[slackline]

Bollocks! 

[alasdair19]

My trad rucsac contains the following: ?trad sac? can be really heavy eg my black ice weighs a kg or more less that the bomb proof pod

1 belay plate * ok
2 hms screwgates * swap for new petzl attaches or crazy light dmms
1 screwgate w/ prussics * as above or use snap links
2 slings w/ screwgates * ditch screw gates
2m of spare tat * use to tie chalk bag on

2 krabs w/ small wires *
1 krab w/ large wires & small hexes *
1 krab w/ peenuts & rps *
1 krab w/ misc offsets sliders tricams *
4 medium hexes w/ wiregates *

thats a LOt of passive pro but can see where your coming from you prob use half of it 1 percent of the time?

1 set camalots w/ wiregates
in scotland i'd ditch anything beyone a 3 camalot

8 small quickdraws *
2 medium quickdraws *
2 long quickdraws *

1 pair velcro 'stazis *
1 pair Galileos *
1 lightweight helmet *
1 harness *
1 chalkbag w/brush *
Spare chalk *
Rag *
Midge spray *
Camera * get your mate to bring one, then you get picture of you..
Plastic water bottle *
Thin windproof *
Snood *
Snacks *

you need to come to understanding with partners on racks. a set of wires really should be a set of wires! ditto camalots (which are probably the heaviest item)

[Fiend]

Uhuh.

I only take up to a 3 camalot with me.

Screwgates IS something I will change, yes.

Passive pro, I'd say I use everything a lot of the time, apart from the micro-death-rack which I use 1/5th of the time and it's pretty bloody crucial to me then.

[dizzy-heights]

How do you manage without a nut key?

Needs to be on a screwgate obviously...

[slackline]

How do you manage without a nut key?

Use your mates?

Needs to be on a screwgate obviously...

Why?  Some don't even need to be on a krab (as they've one built-in).

[chris05]

Needs to be on a screwgate obviously...

Why?  Some don't even need to be on a krab (as they've one built-in).

Think there may have been a touch of irony there (from dizzy)?

 Although now I'm worried that you were also being ironic and I have missed that....

[slackline]

No I'm almost always literal (but often with a large smattering of sarcasm).

[chris05]

 

No I'm almost always literal (but often with a large smattering of sarcasm).

[mrjonathanr]

How do you manage without a nut key?

Use your mates?

They would need to be really skinny.