Favorite Gear Management Hacks

1) Multipitch phone tether for slim cases. Route a 1mm accessory cord through both sides of the cutout in the case that exposes your charging port. Tie it off, burn it, then girth-hitch a 60cm 7mm dyneema sling. I then girth-hitch the sling to my leg loop and stuff the phone in a pocket for climbing and taking photos while top-belaying, or throw it over my neck for taking photos while lead belaying.

2) Paint pen from Michaels for writing phone number on Grigri, haulbag, rope bag, GPS beacon and shoes. Better than sharpie, sticks to metal and fabric, works on black backgrounds. I actually sold a pair of shoes seven years ago and got a text a year later saying someone found my shoes. I put them in contact with the new owner.

3) Storing cams in their own rope bag inside the pack. Instant tarp for sorting, keeps cable wires from committing sudoku. Since I normally roll with quints or sexts of the fun sizes (0.5 and 0.75), I clip each cam group to an HMS locker. Easier to deal with than a sling or clipping them to each other.

4) Leukotape with a thin layer of superglute on the outer edges. No need to wrap your hand circumferentially and risk clipping a tape glove at the crux. 

5) Dr. Skyeler's Onsight Juice (TM) aka Climbing Viagra -- Tablespoon each of beetroot powder, cacao nibs, collagen and pea protein. Choke it down with water or make it slightly more palatable in OJ or a phancy drink. Take ninety minutes before cruxing and witness the fitness of vasodilation.

Obvs you already know all of these things and I just wasted ten seconds of your life. And obvs there are other threads on this topic but onyX is paying me by the word here to boost ad revenue for the site.

What are some of your favorite random gear tricks?

F r i t zwrote:

Obvs you already know all of these things and I just wasted ten seconds of your life. And obvs ..

You payed it back by not making us read the full “obviously.”

Marc Hwrote:

You payed it back by not making us read the full “obviously.”

I do what I can. Watch out, the other Marc is going to assert his moral superiority by critiquing your mistaken homophone there.

Maybe a common one, but if you’re carrying multiples of a cam size, only clip one to your gear loop, then clip the other(s) to the biner on the first one. 

Clip a bottle on harness for hydration on big routes. I could use a bladder in a pack, but this allows me to swap bottles when they get grungy with another bottle I already have from a gas station stop. Small clippable pack in the background for belay/mid-pitch snacks.

Kyle Berthiaumewrote:

Clip a bottle on harness for hydration on big routes. I could use a bladder in a pack, but this allows me to swap bottles when they get grungy with another bottle I already have from a gas station stop. Small clippable pack in the background for belay/mid-pitch snacks.

Just an FYI but the lip of the bottle isn't that strong

Ben Hawrote:

Just an FYI but the lip of the bottle isn't that strong

No big deal. It won't hit him when it fails on the third pitch. It will tag his partner or the girl racking up at the base. 

Before you take your harness off, start to lower it, then clip a carabiner from your right side gear loop through your right leg loop.  Clip a biner on your  left side gear loop through your left leg loop.  The continue to slide the harness off for storage.  Next time you go to put it on, just shake - it will be in the correct configuration to slip right on, no fussing around.  

On multipitch, hang your ropes on the anchor.  Can use the rope itself to create a loop (if swapping leads), a sling, or the Metolius rope hook.  

Store your head lamp in a just-the -right size hard plastic snaplock storage container.  Tape your extra replacement batteries to a little piece of cardboard and store it in the same container.  Will never be accidentally turned on.

phylp phylpwrote:

Before you take your harness off, start to lower it, then clip a carabiner from your right side gear loop through your right leg loop.  Clip a biner on your  left side gear loop through your left leg loop.  The continue to slide the harness off for storage.  Next time you go to put it on, just shake - it will be in the correct configuration to slip right on, no fussing around.  

Thank you. It looks like it’s my first time climbing every time I try to put on my harness. 

Ben Hawrote:

Just an FYI but the lip of the bottle isn't that strong

I've been doing this for years with no ill effects but that's not science. SEND IT TO RYAN JENKS FOR PULL TESTING!!!

Andy Eiterwrote:

Thank you. It looks like it’s my first time climbing every time I try to put on my harness. 

I was reminded of this just the other day at the gym when my husband, who has been climbing for FIFTY YEARS, had to f*%k around with his harness for ten minutes before he was able to get it right!  I reminded him to do this trick.

Kenneth Campbell wrote:

seppuku not soduku. Unless your cam wires are playing pattern games…

Intentional; I was hoping someone would catch that. Although seeing a bunch of enmeshed microcams does evoke a bit of sudoku vibes ;-)

If youre tired of carrying it, you can slide your stick clip between a backpack's strap, resting it on the waist belt where it lays parallel to the ground and is pointing straight ahead. It's easy to balance it where it'll ride unattended for a while before needing to be adjusted.

Isaiah aka Zay Foulks wrote:

Rack your gear gates-out, and the spines will lay cleanly against your hips, creating less cluster.

And you won't look like an idiot.

We need some artwork of the valley thief with gates in. Stat. 

Kyle Berthiaumewrote:

Clip a bottle on harness for hydration on big routes. I could use a bladder in a pack, but this allows me to swap bottles when they get grungy with another bottle I already have from a gas station stop. Small clippable pack in the background for belay/mid-pitch snacks.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=frVvdf41Y9w

F r i t zwrote: Since I normally roll with quints or sexts of the fun sizes (0.5 and 0.75)

Why though

Kyle Berthiaumewrote:

Clip a bottle on harness for hydration on big routes. I could use a bladder in a pack, but this allows me to swap bottles when they get grungy with another bottle I already have from a gas station stop. Small clippable pack in the background for belay/mid-pitch snacks.

I use two zip ties. one to form a little loop and the other to secure the loop to the bottle neck. Other wise 2mm cord with two turns around the bottle neck with a scaffold hitch.

F r i t zwrote:

 a thin layer of superglute 

How much do you have to squat to get that?

Re: hanging bottles. I tend to use a clove or constrictor hitch, then a few overhands opposite it. Then a slightly long loop, and do a overhand on a bight in the middle 2 give 2 places to clip to if I want it to ride higher or lower. I keep a dedicated locker for it to my chalkbag belt. Plastic Arizona Tea bottles are a good size, a bit on the big side, but nice for longer multipitch in the desert where I'm not carrying a pack up due to chimneys... I keep some spare cord of this size where I store my gear so that when selecting the rack I can do the same for a partner if needed.