Favorite way to Rack your gear ?

Doesn’t have to be the same for every situation

Onsighting: single rack on each front gear loop, couple QDs on the back loops. I might put some pieces on a sling if I know that size will be used a lot.

I use a Steph Davis Simple Gear Sling. Weighs next to nothing, padded, full strength. Might get a slightly longer one as well, but nice and tight on your ribs is nice.

https://stephdavis.co/blog/simple-gear-sling/

Redpointing a route: if I have each piece wired, all goes on the gear sling in order, that way I don’t need to worry what side the crux piece is on.  My harness is clean and I have zero extra shit when I get to the anchor.

I’ve found that having all the weight a heavy rack on my harness is not helpful for having good hip positioning once things get really hard or scary.

I always prided myself for being flexible, able to swing leads rack'd anyway that was copacetic with whom ever I was climbing with.
 That said,   I'm short all over. So things that hang off my harness often bang against the back of my knees.
I have rack'd up off my harness for sport routes, but almost always given the choice, a dedicated gear sling has been my go to way to lead.
 I'm not all that particular, and can use any shoulder length sling, But have a 3-4  different types of Slings.

 The REI adjustable,  Better over clothing in colder weather - has, almost, to thick pile

                                                                                                                                                                                             

 A piece of rolled 2" flat tape, like seat belt webbing that is un-padded,
 backed with a linen macrame` guitar strap style,

&
 a fixed sling,
not to short, it hangs, fully loaded, below the ribs, with pile.

I also messed around & made this:

Worn on one side,Short, it rides high, at the base of the lowest rib, best for shorter pitch (fewer pieces) hard leads. (Gunk's climbing)
Climbing should be about the journey, and individual freedom to decide what works for you, independent of what works for others.

Jon Rhoderick wrote: Doesn’t have to be the same for every situation

Onsighting: single rack on each front gear loop, couple QDs on the back loops. I might put some pieces on a sling if I know that size will be used a lot.

I use a Steph Davis Simple Gear Sling. Weighs next to nothing, padded, full strength. Might get a slightly longer one as well, but nice and tight on your ribs is nice.

https://stephdavis.co/blog/simple-gear-sling/

Redpointing a route: if I have each piece wired, all goes on the gear sling in order, that way I don’t need to worry what side the crux piece is on.  My harness is clean and I have zero extra shit when I get to the anchor.

I’ve found that having all the weight a heavy rack on my harness is not helpful for having good hip positioning once things get really hard or scary.

That's interesting. Maybe I'll try using mine again and wearing it much TIGHTER. 

Yeah, that blog post convinced me to order one of hers.  $20 and goes direct to one of the coolest climbers is worth a shot.

I do this. Petzl Corax

Totem basic blue to c4 purple on left front.
C4 green to c4 blue on my right front.
About 4-6 alpines on front loops behind each of these.
Big nuts, bd red and yellow up to tricam red on left rear.
Small nuts, bd red and yellow down to peanuts on right rear.
Device and anchor material in back of left rear.
4’ slings, rap gear, nut tool, and lockers in back of right rear.
Any extra draws or specialty pieces I but at the all the way back by my chalk bag.

And depending on the route some cams can switch to left hip or right hip if I need more or less.

It’s going to be about what you like and what habits you’ve already developed though.

Mobes Mobesely wrote:

Never dropped anything besides a stopper in 25 years. Don't drop shit.

Six years in I dropped my first piece a week or so ago. DOH! Thankfully it was pitch one!

Thanks for all the Info People, Very helpful.   Looks like i am going to wonder in to Rock and Snow this weekend and check out some of the gear slings they have for sale.   I'm also thinking of putting my caritool holders back on my harness for the summer and getting some racking out of them.   I initially took them off for the summer because i felt they were getting in the way, but they may be more useful than i initially thought. 

Yea, keep in mind that Steph is all about teh cracks and when I think of a "racking dilemma" that is the one where it really matters ie if you are hanging off a left hand thumbs down lock you want anything you might need on the right side. A gear sling on the wrong side can still be pulled around front...much harder if you racked the needed piece on the wrong side of a harness.

But once I get into mixed crack + face pitches (like I envision much of the gunks) then harness racking becomes more viable as you can reach each side more easily and regardless I usually have my draws racked on my harness. Just move more to the free side if its a crack ie if you are shoulder racking left side then have the draws on left side harness loops, mostly at least.

Hope that makes sense. Fundamentally I decide how to rack at the base of every pitch. Fortunately having all those gear loops plus a shoulder sling along gives you all the options.

You can make some room on the harness gear loops by moving rarely-needed stuff to the haul loop.  Preference should be given to soft items (in case you land on your back side).

One thing to bear in mind about slings is that when climbing overhangs they can be a little annoying as all your gear tends to hang back a little more than when on your harness (obviously you can balance gear across both harness and sling to account for this). A friend of mine tried out a double sling for the first time on a steep route and much cursing ensued as all the necessary cams slid to the back and were danging nearly out of reach. Still, they are definitely handy for chimneys and changeovers. Like anything it comes down to personal preference and the route. Partially depends on how you search for your gear in the moment. I like to be able to look down to a specific spot and my harness keeps things from swinging around quite so much. I suspect it's a weakness I need to correct but I really tend to favor placing and cleaning with my left hand (I'm a lefty, so big surprise) and having the sling on the other side feels weird. Sort of like carrying a bookbag on the "wrong" shoulder.

I'm also fond of Arc'teryx harnesses, which have big gear loops that have a rigid plastic form on top and that makes it a bit easier to rack up at the waist. My old BD had smaller loops and it made getting all the gear on a pain. Back when I used that I'd sometimes use a sling just because it was too tightly clustered without one.

on my partners harness

Brian wrote: Use a gear sling to rack.  This is what happens if you rack off your harness.

you need to know when a Gear Sling is the right call, how to find the right balance, there is no way that is always the right way.   Especially  overhangs, roofs & awfulwidths, are often climbed, by picking a few of the right pieces, then retriving the rack  .  .  .  . 

Suburban Roadside wrote:

you need to know when a Gear Sling is the right call, how to find the right balance, there is no way that is always the right way.   Especially  overhangs, roofs & awfulwidths, are often climbed, by picking a few of the right pieces, then retriving the rack  .  .  .  . 

Too true. Flexibility and practice using different racking techniques makes climbing less of a pain in the ass. Even really good climbers sometimes make a snafu and rack up a gear sling for an overhang...bad move. Everything slides to the rear and becomes impossible to see and select. 

For off widths I do like to use a single sling in case of hip scumming opportunities.

Over the shoulder slings suck.  As you can see most people have little love for them, even if they use them.     If you are going to use a sling the backpack harness style ones are far superior as long as you don't mind looking like a trad nerd. For multipitch moderate trad I use the grivel lynx which combines a removable 13 liter pack with a full set of gear loops.

  I rack my qds and slings off the loops of the chest harness and cams at my waist.   If I know what my next placement is likely to be and it is a difficult spot..I can pre rack it at my chest which is easier to get to and required less body rotation.  

One thing I haven't seen mentioned that I find important is to size the harness such that it is almost maxed out in adjustment thereby bringing the loops as far forward as possible. Someone else mentioned Arcteryx and although expensive, its also my go to trad harness. I rack one rack of cams on each side with color coded biners; smallest in the front, largest cams/nuts towards the back of the front gear loops. Alpine draws, belay device, cord, etc. all go on the back loops.because I don't need to access them as quickly. When I know its chimney time I use a shoulder sling period.

Doug Kinsman wrote: One thing I haven't seen mentioned that I find important is to size the harness such that it is almost maxed out in adjustment thereby bringing the loops as far forward as possible. Someone else mentioned Arcteryx and although expensive, its also my go to trad harness. I rack one rack of cams on each side with color coded biners; smallest in the front, largest cams/nuts towards the back of the front gear loops. Alpine draws, belay device, cord, etc. all go on the back loops.because I don't need to access them as quickly. When I know its chimney time I use a shoulder sling period.

I went for the Arcteryx harness and have had a lot of issues with it. It loses its shape in my pack so it takes a full pitch or two on a cool day to re-shape to comfort, and the rubber covers they put over the gear loops come off a lot, sometimes mid-climb. I've had worse harnesses, but I'd say it's only okay, and I'm going to try something else next time I buy a harness (which may not be for a long time).

Huh, that's interesting on the harness. Mine is a bit older and I have never had the issues you describe. Wonder if the newer gen harness was a step backward, thanks for sharing its limitations.

One cool trick a buddy taught me for those of you who primarily harness rack their gear is to have one shoulder length sling with your QDs, free biners, etc on it.  Keeps the weight down so it’s not as cumbersome around your shoulders but makes them easier to access than the junk drawer of your harness.

Strange experience with your Arc'teryx harness!  I have never had the plastic peices come off or problems with it being deformed.  You might consider sending it back under warranty.... Seems like something is weird.....

To be clear, I haven't read all of the replies in this thread so my one suggestion may have already been stated.

Except for particular climbs where you can clearly see that certain gear placing stances are going to dictate how you rack your gear (i.e. certain pieces on just one side of your harness), I would highly suggest choosing one way to rack your gear and sticking with it. I climb with plenty of people who don't rack their gear in the same manner as I do, but like everyone has said it just boils down to personal preference. By racking the same way all the time, you'll start to memorize exactly where every piece of gear is on your harness (or gear sling). This will be super helpful when you are trying to onsight/flash climbs that are at the upper end of the spectrum for your ability. Last thing I want when I am climbing is trying to figure out where a particular cam/nut is when I am pumped out of my mind.

Same goes for why I highly prefer to just climb with my own rack as opposed to climbing with a partners rack. Some people don't care if the biners aren't color matching the cams, but it drives me crazy when they aren't that way. Same goes with how I prefer racking my nuts.

Just my two cents.