Stuff you don't NEED, learn from our mistakes

Patrik wrote:

I have different thoughts on this. I have seen in the last ten years or so a LOT of beginners starting out with a shiny rack of double set of cams and single set of nuts. After two years, they have a rack of "experienced" double set of cams and a still very shiny set of nuts. With zero relevant experience in placing nuts. Starting out with less gear than you "need" will force beginners into practicing creative solutions. IMO this is a lot safer when being on easy "beginner terrain" than after two (or four) years they want to start pushing the grades into 5.10 or higher. Yes, I know that there are areas where climbing with only cams works fine, but there are also places where solid nut skills are absolutely required, especially in "non beginner grades" (5.10 and up). Many beginners seem to be suspicious about passive gear and are very trusting in cams that do not come out no matter how they yank on them. When placing only cams, many develop a "plug-and-go" attitude where fine tuning a placement is just not needed (or at least they think so). For some, nut skills simply don't develop at all if they have more gear than they need, because they will always take the "easy way out" and plug in a cam. I have also seen that their eyes get "tuned" into seeing only cam placements. With the most georgeous bottle-neck nut placement an inch away, they still prefer a mediocre slightly flaring cam placement. 

What I would do differently starting out: Don't trust your mentor to decide what gear you "need"! I ended up with a fig-8 rap device and a dedicated gear sling that I never needed. Never buy a hex that is smaller than your biggest nut. 

I agree with this. I've also seen this issue with other climbers who don't take the time to hone their passive gear placement skills. Particularly spending time on the ground working all kinds placements whether active and passive, and makes me wonder if some of the dislike for things like hexes, and tricams is the result of this. The last thing I'd want to do is learn a new piece of gear while I'm climbing. Spending many hours on the ground placing gear and bounce testing some of them has helped tremendously with seeing the placements and selecting the right piece and size. And also gaining confidence in what I've placed. 

I see the mentor as a starting point, at some point you will likely branch off and discover your own way. 

Ryan Maitland wrote:

Dope Ninja?

If so, my friend and I enjoyed that traverse (pitch 5?) in some pretty strong winds as well, without radios, and tons of rope drag so rope commands were inneffective. We made it but bailed for margaritas immediately thereafter.

Yup! Fun stuff. 

Oh. My. God. Guys, CONRAD ANKER IS USING A PAS WHAT A NOOB. One of you surely much more experienced and accomplished climbers should totally tell him how stupid and unnecessary a PAS is. 

Big wall aid climbing in a party of 3 isn't something beginning climbers need to worry about yet. 

Meh, I love my PAS. Perfect extension for comfy rappelling and cleaning with a third hand. Ideal tool if I would have to rescue rappel with an injured partner. And the other day, my friend was able to clip into my tether at a rappel anchor to avoid joining the anchor cluster at Red Rocks. AND it wraps around my waist when I climb to stay out of my way. Sooo, as long as I don't gain 20lbs, what could be better?

Stickers on your helmet.

Skye Swoboda-Colberg wrote:

Belay gloves.

I made a pair by cutting the fingers off a pair of leather gardening gloves and reinforcing where needed. One of my favourite pieces of kit. No need to by a fancy pair though.

trailridge wrote: Stickers on your helmet.

I put a new sticker on my helmet after every send like Ohio State. 

Marc801 C wrote:

All that makes me almost glad I learned how to climb and protect before cams existed.

Same, I can trust a hunk of metal easier than I can a wibbly wobbly science stick

Cylon kill/toaster tags on your viper -- those from Galactica say it's really not necessary, but the ones on Pegasus say you gotta have

you just can't please everyone

Ryan Maitland wrote:

A dedicated tether, or PAS thong. Just use the rope or slings already on your harness...

I've long ago lost the public opinion battle on this one, but still think a dedicated tether is a very useful thing.  The pros and cons are all over the site at this point, and I'm certainly not going to reiterate arguments already made more than once, other than to observe that many of the "anti" arguments fail to realize the full extent of applications and only speak of, say, rappel extensions.

Does anyone "need" a dedicated tether? Absolutely not.  But climbers nowadays are absolutely loaded down with things they don't "need," making the concept vague to say the least.

A dedicated tether, or PAS thong. Just use the rope or slings already on your harness...

This is a great opportunity to restart a PAS debate with a post from over a year ago, so I'll pitch in.

The phrase "rope or slings already on your harness" captures exactly why I do use a dedicated tether.

- It is already on my harness...always, no matter what the situation

- The rope is not always on my harness (e.g. multi-pitch rapping)

Really, we don't need any gear at all...It's been proven that you can work 5.13 projects with only tennis shoes.

Heck, we don't "need" to climb at all. Everything about this business is superfluous.

Sloppy Second wrote:
This is a great opportunity to restart a PAS debate with post from over a year ago, so I'll pitch in.

The phrase "rope or slings already on your harness" captures exactly why I do use a dedicated tether.

- It is already on my harness...always, no matter what the situation

- The rope is not always on my harness (e.g. multi-pitch rapping)

Really, we don't need any gear at all...It's been proven that you can work 5.13 projects with only tennis shoes.

Heck, we don't "need" to climb at all. Everything about this business is superfluous.

Pls no not again

NRobl wrote:

...There were many instances wherein someone else's cheap headlamp made by a battery company was much brighter and lasted longer than the expensive ones I owned. I have yet to see an expensive headlamp ($60-80 range) make a significant difference relative to a cheaper version.  Other people in this thread have suggested the same... 

BrightassmfZebralight

This thing...

Wibbly wobbly science stick

Made me lol irl 

Nick B wrote:

Anti cross loading belay lockers. They are a pita and not necessary.   Get a nice big autolocking hms biner (triple action or magnetron. Not dual action like twistlock, you are better off with a screw gate in that case) and call it good.

The DMM Rhino is pretty great.

hangontightly letgolightly wrote:

What did you buy early on that you thought you needed, but ended up either useless or unnecessary? Hoping we can save noobs some $$$

I'll start: Two way radios for multi pitch climbing. When my partner and I started doing multi pitch routes we recognized an issue with communication around corners and below roofs, etc.. The first thought was to get some radios, but quickly learned they can't get around the corners any better than our voices. Rope tugs have proved to be the answer and they are free fifty free.

i really like carrying a radio. screaming is annoying. rope tugs can work, but sometimes there might be nuance, and then you’re back to screaming. i have yet to have the radios fail on a rock climb. not necessary, but not a waste either. 

I've never carried a radio.  I've seen some hilarious incidents with people screaming into their malfunctioning radios so loud half the valley could here them, not to mention their partners.  But I've also been in situations (typically when climbing above or alongside raging water) when radios would have been a boon.

I used to be on the cheapo headlamp bandwagon for a very long time going back to my backpacking days.  Then I had an incident when I was rapping off Space Boys at EPC where I pulled the rope and it smacked my headlamp knocking the batteries out.  Thank goodness my partner and I were simulrapping anyway so it wasn't a huge deal but it def got me to at least get one that is durable enough to take a good smack from a rope going near terminal velocity.  I've got the mid priced BD one with the battery indicator now (which is a feature I've found I really like anyway).

rgold wrote: I've never carried a radio.  I've seen some hilarious incidents with people screaming into their malfunctioning radios so loud half the valley could here them, not to mention their partners.  But I've also been in situations (typically when climbing above or alongside raging water) when radios would have been a boon.

Had the opposite, screaming trying to be heard and completely failing (river side, but roads and wind can be as bad or worse), bought radios, use them all the time.