What's the best way to mark your gear ?

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Dean Wright wrote:

How does everyone mark their personal gear ?   Old school way was to etch the last four of your social 

Old school.... ?????    I like TESTORS model airplane paint.....   put it down in the gate hinge of the biners, a dab between the cam lobes, a line across the top of your stoppers, if you have gear with knurels (sp?) put it their so it can not get removed.... any place that will not wear. 

All of my OS friends just say... "any gear that is not marked is mine..." 

Dean Wright wrote: Old school way was to etch the last four of your social 

Um, no, it wasn't.

Nail polish! For extra credit use a nail polish pen to write your name or initials. 

I've also seen spray paint work well.

Tape always peels off after a bit...

I use electrical tape on hard stuff, although its starting to get chewed up on some of my biners, so I might switch to paint or something. For slings, I cut a triangle into the tag. Speaking of old school, my dad carved his initials into all of his old trad gear (80s era), not his SSN though lol. 

+1 spray paint

Backstep wrote:

+1 spray paint

Works, but is really ugly.

I used loctite marine 2-part epoxy. Super durable, excellent adhesion to metal, cures white, inexpensive. I picked up some epoxy pigment to mix with it, and put a white spot and a colored spot on each piece of hardware. (In depressions on the carabiners, etc.)

I use blood red nail polish... that way it looks more core that i may have bled out while sending your proj mannnnhhhh....

+1 fingernail polish on areas that don't scrape on the rock. Having two colors is handy at the Creek.

Whatever you do, don't pee on it.  I had a friend do that, and all he does now is rope-solo.  

These: http://www.sharpie.com/en-US/oil-based-paint-marker---medium-point-sp-00030--1 more precise to apply than nail polish and dries thinner/more durable.  +2 for multiple colors to differentiate from other people's gear.  

I use reflective tape. It's durable, only problem is around biners that have indentations in their diameter. They come in all sorts of colors and if you're fighting to get out at dusk, a quick scan with your headlamp will reveal any stragglers on the floor or wall.

I bought pattered 3/4" duct tape. and put it where there is less likely to get worn off.  I have a nice Hawaiian pattern.

LB Edwards wrote:

I use reflective tape. It's durable, only problem is around biners that have indentations in their diameter. They come in all sorts of colors and if you're fighting to get out at dusk, a quick scan with your headlamp will reveal any stragglers on the floor or wall.

For H shaped biners I use a butter knife to push the tape into the corners when i put it on. It really helps seat the tape and ends up lasting noticeably longer

Don't use tape for your gear.  It eventually falls off and is left scattered on the ground at the crags. 

Memorize your gear and you'll never have to worry about marking it.

Jplotz wrote:

Don't use tape for your gear.  It eventually falls off and is left scattered on the ground at the crags. 

Memorize your gear and you'll never have to worry about marking it.

I'd still like to know which is my #1 instead of my friend's when we meld racks and then split them back up at the end of the day.  If you inspect the gear and replace the tape before it gets ratty, you should be fine.

Next time you have some sort of an accident, bleed all over your gear.  If things get contentious you can DNA match your gear.

T G wrote:

Line up the hardware on cardboard and hit it with spray paint of some distinctive color. It'll wear off with use, but penetrates into the small areas. It's quick, easy, effective, and immediately noticeable. We used to use nail polish-- it was durable, but it was never noticeable enough when cragging to prevent someone from accidentally taking gear home. We also use a Sharpie and write initials or a name on anything soft-- dogbones on draws, runners on cams, and slings. (Yeah, I know, 'you're gonna die,' and all that.)

Wow, hard to believe that folks have such a hard time keeping their gear separated from others' that you'd need to fugly up all your equipment with spraypaint. What's wrong with just keeping tabs on the gear as you climb during the day or using one person's rack so there's no mixing? For the creek, just use some nail polish on a low wear place on the cams if needed.

Another vote for nail polish or an oil based paint pen

A colorful zip tie (with the excess cut off) cinched around the stem is something I saw recently, and I like it. Doesn't wear off, fall off or compromise anything, and definitely unique.