When You Don't Have the Right Gear...

[Handy2]

I took a friend rec climbing the other week and somehow left my Rope Runner at home. I was going to use the runner and have her on a hitch climber/wrench. Ended up putting her on a hitch climber DRT while I managed to use a wire gate carabiner to attach my wrench tether (Caralink-type) to the large eye of the Camp Tethys pulley I had. I wasn't a fan of having 2 'biners in that one eye, and i didn't climb on it for very long.

Later at home I came up with a better way to use the equipment I had, for future situations. I just tied the Caralink 'biner to the tail of my hitch eye with a buntline. Looks solid and tends really well.

What solutions have you come up with for those times when you don't have the right gear on hand?

 

[Stumpsprouts]

I took a friend rec climbing the other week and somehow left my Rope Runner at home. I was going to use the runner and have her on a hitch climber/wrench. Ended up putting her on a hitch climber DRT while I managed to use a wire gate carabiner to attach my wrench tether (Caralink-type) to the large eye of the Camp Tethys pulley I had. I wasn't a fan of having 2 'biners in that one eye, and i didn't climb on it for very long.

Later at home I came up with a better way to use the equipment I had, for future situations. I just tied the Caralink 'biner to the tail of my hitch eye with a buntline. Looks solid and tends really well.

What solutions have you come up with for those times when you don't have the right gear on hand?

Sticht hitch if it requires SRT, but preference for DRT VT or Blakes hitch. Especially if it’s a rec climb / training climb, DRT can be a little more beginner friendly, as you also can skip the ascenders.

 

[evo]

Sheeeit…. I started with a left handed bowline tied straight to my bridge and a Blake’s. A rope snap, and a bootlace prussic with a cmi micro pulley to self tend the Blake’s was a huge upgrade.
Many conifers I’ve body thrusted 60’ to the first live limb..

A VT and a figure 8 above to descend when just trying SRT, then moved to the f8 revolver.

I’ve damaged, or forgot my lanyard more than once and since I only had one rope just used a spare carabiner, axed 3’ if the tail to make a Blake’s split tail and used the tail of the climb line as a lanyard.

 

[Phil]

Many conifers I’ve body thrusted 60’ to the first live limb..

This hurt to read lol.

 

[Lignotuber]

The in-laws needed help while we were visiting a few years ago. I got a $50 harness and cheap rated rope. Cut one piece of rope for a split tail tied directly to ring on bridge. Cut another 2 pieces of the rope for lanyard, one was tied as a split tail directly to side D and threaded the lanyard rope through the D for one handed tending. Worked out pretty well and got by with 2 lockers. Was funner than fixing their plumbing this Christmas eve