Whats on your harness?

Naw, your point is valid. I find that I can lead routes that are new to me with a bolder attitude knowing I can bail without gear worries, but I am still a relatively new leader. No doubt, my harness will lighten up as I gain experience. The OP does not state his experience in his profile, but the post sounds like a fairly new leader-type question.

Between getting off route twice and getting rained out in the middle of a flatiron three times last year, that twelve feet of tat and biner probably averaged no more 25 pitches. I am not sure if that provides justification or makes me a noob.

Attempted snark: you are aware you posted route comments about bringing twelve draws on a 15 bolt climb, right? Ha

Well on my harness I always have a belay loop, a few gear loops, 2-4 depending on my objective and harness for the day, so many to choose from. There is usually two leg loops and some nice little keeper straps that hold my leg loops up in the back, and last but not least my harness usually has a waist loop or the belt part if you will, with a fancy looking buckle to hold it closed and keep it all together. Thats mostly what's on my harness.

But seriously, The infinite ways to answer this question is somewhat ridiculous, It depends. It's a new list for every climb, how do you answer this question with all the variables?

3 lockers
everything else is on the rack

will smith wrote:3 lockers everything else is on the rack

and if you need to partner rescue?

I keep a rap-ring, tiblocs, and knife in zipper pocket of my chalk bag. I've used all of them though i could get by with just the knife. Cordolette + big rigging locker and 1 light locker. 6-9 shoulder length slings and 3 90cm slings, tripled with light biners. Usually one 48" sling too. I know it's alot of slings, but I climb mostly wandering face routes and it keeps the drag down, esp when linking. If i don't know the rap route, i'll carry some 9/16 webbing, otherwise it stays in the pack. Autoblock cord and light backup belay device (old mammut fuse) clipped on a locker on the back. I wouldn't go out of my way to get a spare belay dev, there are other solutions with what you're already carrying. But i have one and I like to have it in case one of us drops theirs.

"They carried the common secret of cowardice barely restrained, the instinct to run or freeze or hide, and in many respects this was the heaviest burden of all, for it could never be put down, it required perfect balance and perfect posture." --Tim O'Brien, "The Things They Carried"

Anchor gear consists of 2 lockers a cordelette on a locking biner and 2 48" slings over my shoulder.

The number of slings I bring depends on the route I'm climbing, but when setting out on a multipich route I've never done before its usually 10 slings tripled with biners.

I have an "Oh Shit" locking biner that I may or may not bring with that has webbing and a knife.

For bailing a long route at a minimum you should bring a knife, your cordelette can be cut up to be used as bail gear, or if your desperate use a sling, a locker can be sacrificed too. If your climbing at a place like the Gunks, where you continually use tat rap stations webbing is a good thing to bring with you. Bringing another rap device is redundant, use a munter hitch and keep a BD Rocklock as your "Oh Shit" biner. Slings can be used as prussics. A PAS or similar is extra bulk, tie in with the rope.

Bottom line is that all you really need is to bring an adequate amount of water, the correct clothing and a knife. Utilizing the gear you have on your rack can get you out of almost anything, its about having the knowledge to use what you have with you, not fuel your gear lust with specialized gear.

Crossing wrote: Bottom line is that all you really need is to bring an adequate amount of water, the correct clothing and a knife. Utilizing the gear you have on your rack can get you out of almost anything, its about having the knowledge to use what you have with you, not fuel your gear lust with specialized gear.

I agree for the most part but I never carry water unless it is really hot, in the alpine, or over 5 pitches. I bring rappell slings if the route calls for it (a descent without bolt anchors)but I don't carry them at all times. I don't use a cordellete either unless leads are not being swapped. Its all about taking only what you really need and this varies by climb.

Since I mostly climb multi-pitch bolted routes I always carry a tiny crescent wrench for tightening loose bolts, a tiny vial with my emergency heart medication and a PAS to clip in with along with the rope. (All you PAS haters can suck my choda).

I always have:

- My rack
- Appropriate number 24" runners, all tripled w/ two biners
- Autoblock w/ two lockers
- One Petzl William and one super light locker
- Bail locker w/ webbing, quicklink, prusiks, tiny knife from the AAC
- 24" and 48" nylon slings over my shoulder

Sometimes I also have:

- Cordelette, I think mine is 7mm?
- Extra lightweight locker or two

Lately I've been leaving the Cordelette behind in favor of using the rope. I always use the rope to stay safe on the anchor.

On longer routes we take:

10L pack for the second. Inside are rain shells, bars, tiny headlamps, lighter and a few cigs, two liters of water and one liter of red wine or a pint of whiskey.

There's a lot of comments about just being able to use the gear on your rack. There's also a lot of truth about that, too, and you should know how to improvise (bachman's, klemheist, munter, garda, etc). However, I've seen it several times where the belayer is hosed when their partner (with the whole rack) gets injured or separated from them (like on rappel)--leaving the belayer without enough gear to escape the belay or self-rescue.

For that reason, I always carry two short prussik loops (6mm cord) and a dyneema double-length sling on a pear locker that I also use to hold my chalk bag. That's, what, 6 extra ounces in a small, out of the way package. That's enough to escape a belay with a load-releasing hitch or to jug up a rope if a rappel doesn't reach the ground or next anchor; even if I don't have the rack.

Most importantly KNOW HOW TO USE THE GEAR YOU DO HAVE. Have you practiced escaping a weighted belay, or transferring from rappel to ascending a rope? Just as importantly, do your partners know these skills?

Gear doesn't help if you don't have both the knowledge and practice of how to get out of bad situations.

WilliamJ wrote:We all know about the rack but what else do you bring up with you on multi pitch routes? cordelettes, webbing, extra slings, spare binners for anchors, prusiks, bail gear? Whats your method of getting it all on your harness?

For me, all my active pro goes on my shoulder sling for smallest to largest, usually im leading and that the way I like to rack it.

On my harness.
one set of stoppers divided in to 1/3 s, m, l each on it own biner.
6 quick draws
25ish feet of cordolet.
master point/belay biner and belay device.
chalk bag with rain shell
nut tool
10 or so extendable draws

my second carries the rest of the crap

There's a lot of comments about just being able to use the gear on your rack. There's also a lot of truth about that, too, and you should know how to improvise (bachman's, klemheist, munter, garda, etc). However, I've seen it several times where the belayer is hosed when their partner (with the whole rack) gets injured or separated from them (like on rappel)--leaving the belayer without enough gear to escape the belay or self-rescue.

For that reason, I always carry two short prussik loops (6mm cord) and a dyneema double-length sling on a pear locker that I also use to hold my chalk bag. That's, what, 6 extra ounces in a small, out of the way package. That's enough to escape a belay with a load-releasing hitch or to jug up a rope if a rappel doesn't reach the ground or next anchor; even if I don't have the rack.

Most importantly KNOW HOW TO USE THE GEAR YOU DO HAVE. Have you practiced escaping a weighted belay, or transferring from rappel to ascending a rope? Just as importantly, do your partners know these skills?

Gear doesn't help if you don't have both the knowledge and practice of how to get out of bad situations.

There's a lot of comments about just being able to use the gear on your rack. There's also a lot of truth about that, too, and you should know how to improvise (bachman's, klemheist, munter, garda, etc). However, I've seen it several times where the belayer is hosed when their partner (with the whole rack) gets injured or separated from them (like on rappel)--leaving the belayer without enough gear to escape the belay or self-rescue.

For that reason, I always carry two short prussik loops (6mm cord) and a dyneema double-length sling on a pear locker that I also use to hold my chalk bag. That's, what, 6 extra ounces in a small, out of the way package. That's enough to escape a belay with a load-releasing hitch or to jug up a rope if a rappel doesn't reach the ground or next anchor; even if I don't have the rack.

Most importantly KNOW HOW TO USE THE GEAR YOU DO HAVE. Have you practiced escaping a weighted belay, or transferring from rappel to ascending a rope? Just as importantly, do your partners know these skills?

Gear doesn't help if you don't have both the knowledge and practice of how to get out of bad situations.

There's a lot of comments about just being able to use the gear on your rack. There's also a lot of truth about that, too, and you should know how to improvise (bachman's, klemheist, munter, garda, etc). However, I've seen it several times where the belayer is hosed when their partner (with the whole rack) gets injured or separated from them (like on rappel)--leaving the belayer without enough gear to escape the belay or self-rescue.

For that reason, I always carry two short prussik loops (6mm cord) and a dyneema double-length sling on a pear locker that I also use to hold my chalk bag. That's, what, 6 extra ounces in a small, out of the way package. That's enough to escape a belay with a load-releasing hitch or to jug up a rope if a rappel doesn't reach the ground or next anchor; even if I don't have the rack.

Most importantly KNOW HOW TO USE THE GEAR YOU DO HAVE. Have you practiced escaping a weighted belay, or transferring from rappel to ascending a rope? Just as importantly, do your partners know these skills?

Gear doesn't help if you don't have both the knowledge and practice of how to get out of bad situations.

Chris Plesko wrote: and if you need to partner rescue?

use slings with a Machard knot bachman (sp) knot, these seem to work better with slings than the prusik. I also have cord on my nut tool which I forgot to list.

will smith wrote: use slings with a Machard knot bachman (sp) knot, these seem to work better with slings than the prusik. I also have cord on my nut tool which I forgot to list.

Then it's more than you listed right? The rack slings do no good if they're all with the leader when he needs rescue. I don't carry much but 2 prussic cords/slings whatever gives you a lot more rescue ability. I don't really carry or consider a cordalette enough as cutting it up to make what you need could be a huge time waste in an emergency.

Chris Plesko wrote: Then it's more than you listed right?

Correct, I'm old and sometime forget wait 40 years. I use slings equalized in the anchor, 2 most often, one is often extra.

The whole idea of rescue of the leader depends on how far out he is, more than half a rope length complicates things greatly.

will smith wrote: Correct, I'm old and sometime forget wait 40 years. I use slings equalized in the anchor, 2 most often, one is often extra. The whole idea of rescue of the leader depends on how far out he is, more than half a rope length complicates things greatly.

Heh, no doubt. I just want to present an accurate picture to those new climbing lurkers like I was. I personally don't like to rely on having to steal something out of the anchor as that's not constant like your personal gear can be. I mean you could cut up the rope but that's going to be sloooooow.

My friends and I held a "climbing accident" rescue day with top rope backups and it was hugely eye opening. I don't go out on multipitch without a prussic and a personal shoulder length runner anymore. Ideally I'd take a little more like an personal double length sling but with those 2 I know I can do quite a lot. The prussic is also my rappel autoblock if needed and the nylon sling (I usually carry dyneema) is my rappel setup backup sling since the nylon is more heat friendly than dyneema and rapping puts the sling near a potentially hot device. On a climb I tie in with the rope all the time.

WilliamJ wrote:We all know about the rack but what else do you bring up with you on multi pitch routes? cordelettes, webbing, extra slings, spare binners for anchors, prusiks, bail gear? Whats your method of getting it all on your harness?

For me, all my active pro goes on my shoulder sling for smallest to largest, usually im leading and that the way I like to rack it.

On my harness.
one set of stoppers divided in to 1/3 s, m, l each on it own biner.
6 quick draws
25ish feet of cordolet.
master point/belay biner and belay device.
chalk bag with rain shell
nut tool
10 or so extendable draws

my second carries the rest of the crap