What do you bring in case you epic on route?

I'm curious what others are bringing in case of an epic on a multi-pitch climb. This can encompass anything from spending more time on route than planned because of a mishap (weather, stuck rope, off-route, etc.) to provisions in case an you need to spend an unexpected night out. Also, how do you usually carry these things? I am curious what people are bringing on everything from sport cragging to alpine objectives with multiple bivies required.

I find that on longer, done-in-a-day (hopefully) routes, I am usually very conscientious about bringing some emergency gear, such as: headlamps, first aid kit, cell phone, rain gear, food, water, knife, etc. This all usually goes in a backpack carried by the second. But often on routes of say 3 pitches or fewer, I am leaving the ground with little more than the rack and a half liter of water clipped to my harness. But I feel that the potential for an epic is still very real in this situation. So I am curious what other people are bringing on routes of this length. In particular, how do you carry the necessary items if you don't want to bring a backpack? Obviously clipping things to your harness is an option, but I don't really like the idea of leaving expensive/fragile items like a headlamp exposed to potential damage from the rock.

Thanks in advance!

mainly climbing in the desert, i never leave the ground without at least a full liter of water (on my harness). i also always bring a knife (in pocket), a head lamp for anything over three pitches (on my helmet secured by the plastic tabs), two prussiks so i can ascend a stuck rope a lot easier than with just one, and a rig of bail gear (biners, a quicklink, and 4 feet of cord) which is all on my harness.
i also always bring a rain jacket, and a warm fleece/puffy depending on the season but these things tend to stay in the pack at the base of the route.
luckily this is all i have ever needed because i have have never been benighted.

whiskey and medicinals are essential to back country survival scenarios.

Norco/Vicodin

Knife

Camels

Mini airplane bottles of swill

Lighter

For anything multipitch, increase the above to 2-3 full day rations.

Bigwalls mandate you acclimatize the body to the above items for at least 6 months.

The obvious, a good partner for starters.

Minus a good partner

I have the sog micron knife which is tiny. About an inch long. I had it sharpend so its a razor. the keeper cord is tied through the wires of a tiny wire gate.

My cordolette for cutting a bailing.

My chalk bag belt is 3/8s webbing with two of those shitty smc rap rings for the buckle.

I have a tiny first aid kit for big days.

1 roll coban
4x vocodin
Some Ib profin
2x Caffeine energy gel
Small packet of electrolyte mix
A small space blanket
Headlamp one battery is flipped around.
Large Guaze pad and small roll of guerilla tape if things are bleeding alot

Very small and compact it seems like more than it is... never had to bust it out seems adiquet

The chalk bag belt has been used as a runner when I ran out before.

Rob Warden, Space Lizard wrote:Minus a good partner I have the sog micron knife which is tiny. About an inch long. I had it sharpend so its a razor. the keeper cord is tied through the wires of a tiny wire gate. My cordolette for cutting a bailing. My chalk bag belt is 3/8s webbing with two of those shitty smc rap rings for the buckle. I have a tiny first aid kit for big days. 1 roll coban 4x vocodin Some Ib profin 2x Caffeine energy gel Small packet of electrolyte mix A small space blanket Headlamp one battery is flipped around. Large Guaze pad and small roll of guerilla tape if things are bleeding alot Very small and compact it seems like more than it is... never had to bust it out seems adiquet The chalk bag belt has been used as a runner when I ran out before.

I like the rap rings as the buckle of your chalk bag idea... never heard that one before. For your first aid / emergency kit, do you put that in a pack, in your pocket, clip it to your harness, or something else?

Since I'm a diabetic, sugar is of utmost importance. I usually bring a roll of sugar pills that taste like sweeties and can easily fit into my pocket. I also make sure my partner is educated about my condition and what to do if need be..

Turn off one or two cell phones. Leave one on, especially if it has tracking, so you are set if you end up having a super not so fun epic and really need help. Cell is available sometimes in surprisingly remote locations, even if not in your office, but of no use if all the phones are dead. Absent phone service, a whistle where you can reach it.

If it takes 5 hrs. of bushwhacking or bad dirt roads to get there, you may be on your own many, many hours, so cache extra where you can off the climb, too.

And layers. Almost got hypothermic overnight in August (teeth chattering uncontrollably). On the ground, with all the clothes I brought on, a blanket and a tent! Sheesh!

Wilson On The Drums wrote:Since I'm a diabetic, sugar is of utmost importance. I usually bring a roll of sugar pills that taste like sweeties and can easily fit into my pocket. I also make sure my partner is educated about my condition and what to do if need be..

Or a special needle with instructions... of which the same partner of mine has used twice from me not waking up...

My med kit could fit in a thigh pocket if you tried hard. Mostly rides in a shot pack or small haul bag for routes needing bolts.

Pen and paper or a phone to write a note so others know what you epic'd on. (most walls around here you can't can't get a cell signal)

Remember you don't want to tell them what really happened because you want to leave notes that make you sound epic.

I remember me and a friend were discussing what to do encase of death, aka what he could have of my stuff, what things needed to be dispose of at my house, what computer related items to get rid of, etc as I was attempting a route. I guess the other people prepping at the base of the route thought we were being completely serious and told my friend that is F'd up man.

Rastafarian bivy kit: 2 joints and a lighter

Highlander wrote:Rastafarian bivy kit: 2 joints and a lighter

Screw pink points, red point, etc. We all know high points are all that really matter. Inhale at the base and don't exhale until you top out.

Small knife, small prussik, a roll of tape, tied sling as bail webbing. On big walls I bring some leftover percocet just in case I get eff'ed up bad and need to stick it out for a day waiting for rescue.

Ambien...that ledge just turned into a Sleep Therapy mattress.

With the exception of a headlamp, if I dont expect to use an item I do not bring it up a climb unless we are talking about a full-on multi-day wall. I also try to avoid bringing items that have duplicate uses (e.g. why bring a prusik if you have trad draws/ slings you can use to make a prusik?).

If I was hiking in a very long distance (e.g. 5 hours or longer), I might bring some extra stuff that I keep in my backpack, but I still would not take it up on the line with me.

On long multi-pitch climbs or first ascents, I usually carry my cell phone, webbeing and old biner for bailing, small knife, water bottle, food, and possibly a headlamp and jacket. Everything fits in pockets or on the harness. I always have nuts on my rack to rapel off of.

If things go wrong everything you have (gear, runner, draws, even rope) is disposable if it helps you get down safely. Left behind gear is booty for someone else and a lesson to be more careful in the future.; or perhaps you can retrieve it later. You can improvise a lot if you understand that everything is fair game for getting yourself off. I heard a story about a couple who chewed through their rope to get a some rope to build an anchor with and used the remaining rope to get down. Personally I think I would have tried rubbing a section of rope rock to cut it slowly.

Alex Abrams wrote: This can encompass anything from spending more time on route than planned because of a mishap (weather, stuck rope, off-route, etc.) to provisions in case an you need to spend an unexpected night out.

I wish i had the magazine with me, but I cant express how deeply the word Epic is overused. The author of the article (Maybe it was in Ascent?) stated something along the lines of remembering when you use the word epic, you're comparing your experience with Mark Twights group on the Rupal Face.

I like to tank up on 1-2L of water with about a teaspoon of Chia seeds/L in the AM before I start climbing. Chia seeds slow the absorption down so your prehydration doesn't pass right through you within an hour. Now that you don't have to carry soo much friggin water, you can afford the weight of a lightweight shell like the Alpine Houdini or a brighter headlamp so you can make better routfinding choices when you're trying to pick your way down cliffy terrain in the dark. For all day climbs with tricky descents, having a big-ass headlamp (like the princeton tech apex) and one petzl e-lite significantly improves your ability to self-rescue.

I got a chalk bag with a little zipper pocket that I really like. I've seen a few around, the one I have is the BD Mojo:

blackdiamondequipment.com/e…

I leave a small knife, lighter, and a bit of tape in there. Don't even notice it. You can stash a headlamp in there too, although you might notice the bulge when you're chalking up if it's a bigger headlamp.

Instead of the usual chalk belt I use 6mm cord, that way it doubles as a prussik/auto-bock for rappels or self-rescue. Could also use it as tat for a rap anchor. Pretty handy, especially for unknown rappels in the dark.

I'm also a big fan of pants with a zippered hip pocket. Nice way to stash food, headlamp, topo, and/or camera. Just don't put your phone in there on offwidth pitches...