That one piece of gear...

Greg_L

Greg_L

Participating member
Location
Bloomington, IN
Curious question.

The climbing world is so loaded with gear that looks insanely useful to some, and like a complete waste of money to others. I've bought a fair number of toys myself that sit in the bag most days, but there are a few others that I use every climb, and immediately notice their absence when I'm in the tree and they're still in the bag.

What, assuming a person already has their hands on a helmet, saddle, rope, carabiners, and a flipline, would you tell a person was the one (or two?) piece(s) of noncritical gear that you've purchased over the years that really made a huge difference, and you can't live without?

It could be an upgraded component to one of the above pieces, or something separate, but I'd prefer to not turn this into another "this rope/saddle/biner works way better than that other one..." thread.
 
Any foot ascender. Which one isn't a major concern (I like the CT out of the three or 4 I have tried.), but it is one of the first pieces of gear every climber should get.

EDIT: It's so important that you should throw it on that list of basics. It makes Ddrt much more reasonable and makes SRT possible.
 
JeffGu said:
The one item I'd pick would be the ropewrench-zigzag-omniblock-footascender-saka-afb-rignwrench-apta-gopro-zillon-trangocinch-REtransporter-device with integrated whiskey decanter and cell phone holder.

Obviously, I couldn't pick out just one or two. The task is beyond reasonable expectation.
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Man, I didn't have that to spend on week 2 as a climber... and I would have had no idea how to go about using all of it right away. I think I am missing about 8 of those anyway.
 
Obviously, I wasn't expecting a universal fix-all. I myself have most of the toys listed here, but I'm going to have to agree with Somethingwitty, that the purchase that changed my life most in early DdRT was a foot ascender. Interestingly enough, I had a Zigzag before I got my CT, but never fully appreciated it in any mode other than descent/limbwalking until that foot ascender rolled in.

My first thought before posting, however, was in line with Boomslang; some sort of sling/multi-purpose redirect. I have a snake tail that I won't leave the ground without.



As for the boxers...I'm not sure I can justify spending more on my underwear than I do on Carabiners...
 
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Let's not forget Mike's. Powerscenders. That and the Haas knee ascender has cut down on my time spent and pain felt while doing big conifer removals.
 
I think we all have devices we love, and I equally belive that those items depend a lot on our climbing styles, trees serviced, and our ages. There are just so many good toys to own now, why stop at just two, lol.
 
monkeylove said:
...climbing styles, trees serviced, and our ages.
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BINGO! Those are the three things that probably add more to the complexity of tree work than anything else, no matter what gear the other guys are using, or which techniques you employ. @monkeylove nailed it. If it seems like us older guys have too much stuff, it's because we either started late in life and have to go through a lot of gear to find what works well after the effects of time have made some of it impractical, or else we bought a lot of stuff that would have been great to have back in the day, but isn't practical for the slower pace we work at now. I agree with @Greg_L though, the addition of a foot ascender with the ZigZag makes those things shine with an even brighter light. Ascending with the less efficient moving rope system doesn't bother me in the least. Slower, yeah... but the MA is super nice at my age, when the occasional mild injury cuts your stamina in half. Besides, I don't do anything real slow or real fast. I do it half-fast. ;)

I will try a single thing that made all the difference in the world, anyway... SPLICING! Talk about opening doors to new things that will work just right for how you do things... learning to splice rope will do that in subtle, little ways that will have you forever thanking the people who convinced you to try it. For me, that was the folks on this board. Some of these guys splice with such skill it leaves me in awe.
 
36" loop runner and a spare biner.


I can wrap around a limb a few times and use it as a redirect. I can use it as a step on a skinny top. I can use it as a handle on a piece I need to handle but doesn't really require rigging and may be a bit awkward until I can reposition after the cut and send it down. I can hang tools from it that I might not have a permanent spot for on my saddle. I can use it for a speed line though I don't do much of that, I have sent one or two pieces off the tail of my rope where it just made sense. I can use it as a false crotch to rig a small piece if I need to really quick without having to mess with a large sling and block.


Im sure I forgot some uses.
 
JustinK said:
36" loop runner and a spare biner.


I can wrap around a limb a few times and use it as a redirect. I can use it as a step on a skinny top. I can use it as a handle on a piece I need to handle but doesn't really require rigging and may be a bit awkward until I can reposition after the cut and send it down. I can hang tools from it that I might not have a permanent spot for on my saddle. I can use it for a speed line though I don't do much of that, I have sent one or two pieces off the tail of my rope where it just made sense. I can use it as a false crotch to rig a small piece if I need to really quick without having to mess with a large sling and block.


Im sure I forgot some uses.
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My only question is why a 36"?
I have found a lot of times my 48" slings just aren't quite as long as I'd like (usually for holding things while i put my saw away to toss them with both hands), so I also carry a 24".
 
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