Racking on a gear sling or harness?

Harness with the exception of long alpine climbs where were swapping leads. It is super convenient to just take the sling and pass it to your partner at the belays. 

Since I am not as bold as I used to be I tend to carry a double set of cams for most trad routes that are close to or at my limit.  I rack nuts and a single set of cams to .75 on the gear sling.  On the front 2 loops of my harness I carry the other small set of cams to 1 on the right and the big stuff on the left.  I have a couple draws on the back of the front 2 loops on my harness and the back loops carry the rest of my slings and anchor stuff and my nut tool and belay device.  I have a biner of rescue stuff on the haul loop out of the way. (revolver biner, auto block, prussik, spare locker). For easier routes (like a flatiron) and slabs a carry a lot less gear and rack on my harness.  I tend to always have the gear sling for alpine climbing.  

There’s obviously a wide range of opinions depending on the route and the individual. 

Personally, I prefer gear on my harness , but I switch it up depending on the partner or the route. It’s just easier for me to keep my balance without heavy crap swinging around on my chest.  Single pitch I always have all the gear on my harness.   Mutipitch - I’ll sometimes deal with the sling since it’s more efficient for swapping leads. 

On her website, Steph Davis published a good write up on the pros of a gear sling and sold a nice one which is rated.

I rack a gear sling when climbing with a double rack.  The gear sling can get in the way in chimneys or weird corners but so can any gear on my harness. The sling is easier to move out of the way.  

• Ever seen Tom Randall, Pete Whittaker, Brittany Goris, Tommy Caldwell, Babsi Zangrel, or any other person crushing traditional routes with a sling on??

   Yes 

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

I like to rack short draws, and biners filled with small chocks on the front harness loops. Large cams and a belay device go on rear harness loops. I like to rack small to medium cams and biners with medium chocks on a grear sling over one shoulder, and rack alpine-triple draws on a sling over the other, along with a couple extended slings with single biner. That way nothing gets too heavy or bulky. A tight belays it is easy to work together with a partner to re-rack at belays because different pieces go in different places. Gear slings make good last-resort runners as well.

 

Josh Squirewrote:

Have you ever done a Gunks roof?

Hundreds of times. You just slide the sling around and plop it on your thighs - makes it real easy to find the piece you want.

Nic Nic wrote:

I considered trying one when I started trad but was (perhaps irrationally) put off after reading this very sad accident report - https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201004802.

I have a frightening photo of what can happen to your body when you take a bad fall with cams on your rear gear loops, but it's too personal to put online.  Suffice it to say, even though it took more than 6 months to recover from the injuries sustained in that fall, I said a big prayer of thanks that the cams impacted soft tissue rather than my spinal cord, or I'd probably be a paraplegic today.

Marc801 Cwrote:

Hundreds of times. You just slide the sling around and plop it on your thighs - makes it real easy to find the piece you want.

Haha. Ok, if that works for you.

On routes where the amount of gear you carry is too much for your harness (to either stay organized or comfortable), i like to put just draws on my sling. Up to 6 sport style and 6 alpine style fit really light and nice on a shoulder sling which can also be used as a final draw. This way you are never struggling to keep your harness organizes when the loops are maxxed out. And you dont really have to wonder what it is you are pulling off the sling. When you are in a tough spot, need to extend, you just grab any biner off the sling.

There are many people climbing 5.12-5.13 trad who carry gear slings. The reason you dont see 5.14 climbers carrying gear slings is that they are usually bringing sparse amounts of gear and often time the gear is preplaced and extended on the hardest pitches. There arent many 5.14 trad ascents where the climber sent the pitch placing, clipping, and extending 15 or more pieces. Not that I know of anyways. Also on extremely difficult routes the pros are not worried about placing 5 pieces on a section of 5.11 splitter. They plug one piece and save their juice for the crux sections.  

Sometimes....gasp...I do both....at the same time!

Marc801 Cwrote:

Hundreds of times. You just slide the sling around and plop it on your thighs - makes it real easy to find the piece you want.

Just can't imagine doing this on a lot of the harder routes where gear placement isn't from a stance.  Trying to picture swinging gear slings around on some of the more balance-driving 10's and 11's, or when you need to make a fast placement in a roof or ceiling and keep moving.  if it works for you that's awesome, but I only carry a single rack on any gunks climb I'm not linking pitches or simulling (doubles in a few sizes if the pitch needs it), so no real need or want for an extra piece of gear to hold my gear. 

All of the best dressed climbers rack the gear on their harness...  

Well if the old school guys carried all their gear on slings then it must be the best way to rack yer gear.  Oh wait, my swami didn’t even have gear loops.  This seems to me a simple matter of gear evolution.  I almost always rack on my harness but will sometimes wear a sling if climbing a OW but still rack the majority of gear on my harness.  Gear slings definitely have their place but I can’t think of any reason why it would be consistently better than racking on my harness.  

Kevin Mokracekwrote:

Well if the old school guys carried all their gear on slings then it must be the best way to rack yer gear.  Oh wait, my swami didn’t even have gear loops.  This seems to me a simple matter of gear evolution.  I almost always rack on my harness but will sometimes wear a sling if climbing a OW but still rack the majority of gear on my harness.  Gear slings definitely have their place but I can’t think of any reason why it would be consistently better than racking on my harness.  

Besides preference, I think it mostly a matter of what you learned. As previously mentioned, swami belts didn't have gear loops. Although I've said gear sling for trad the truth is a mixture. First, I have a vest-style gear rack, with a single loop on each side. Since it sits on the shoulders rather than that around the neck feeling, it's a lot more comfortable and distributes the weight better. If I were carrying them, bigger cams would be on the back gear loops of my harness; some draws or biners on the front loops. When I sport climb (which is 99% of the time now), the draws are on my harness.

Tommy Caldwell's dad, Mike, made a rig he called a "gear brazier." It worked pretty well, and I used one for several years. Maybe the best of both worlds?

That's the top of CRS, Keesee's standing on a rock, I'm not that short, I swear it.

Bigwall: chest harness racking

Ow/chimney: gear sling

Everything else: harness

Kristian Solemwrote:

Tommy Caldwell's dad, Mike, made a rig he called a "gear brazier." It worked pretty well, and I used one for several years. Maybe the best of both worlds?

That is exactly what I was describing. Fish made one with massive padding for big walls and Misty Mtn (?) made one similar to the one in the pic. I have both.

Dave K wrote:

The old school guys managed it. 

There seems to be a correlation with gear slings and tube socks.

Right on.  I have seen so many of these pictures, the Dangler comes to mind!! Climber hanging, gear hanging behind.  You post the picture before I could.