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Worst/Least used piece of gear you own

Original Post
Grant Adams · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2019 · Points: 164

What’s your least used or most disliked piece of gear you own? 

The piece that sits in your closet that never sees the day of light. The piece you absolutely have no use for or is just god awful. The one that every time you put on your harness to spice things up, you wonder what the f$&k you were thinking. That piece you’d never recommend. The blight of your rack, but some reason you hold onto.

JaredG · · Tucson, AZ · Joined Aug 2011 · Points: 17

yellow link cam comes to mind

Ethan B · · state of confusion · Joined Jul 2021 · Points: 0

Probably the Mammut Smart. Its not that its a bad piece of equipment, it works well and as advertised, I just kinda forget about it. 

F r i t z · · North Mitten · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 1,190

Rope-X.

Seriously though, maybe the largest classic BD Stopper.  A like-sized ULMC weighs about the same.

I would've answered a reslung SMC Camlock that my trad mentor gifted me ten years ago, but I bear it no malice.

BFK · · TBD · Joined Jan 2009 · Points: 287

My double rack of C3s

Daniel Joder · · Barcelona, ES · Joined Nov 2015 · Points: 0

“…the one that every time you put on your harness…”

I’m reminded literally every time I put on my harness of the piece of equipment I hate the most because it is the harness itself. Well, more precisely, the waist buckle on the harness—the actual harness is fine. But that damn waist buckle! It’s one of those you have to double back and it’s a pain in the ass to get it tight then get the end re-inserted back through the buckle. I hate it. I won’t buy another harness that requires you to double back the webbing in the buckle. 

Tradiban · · 951-527-7959 · Joined Jul 2020 · Points: 212
Daniel Joder wrote:

“…the one that every time you put on your harness…”

I’m reminded literally every time I put on my harness of the piece of equipment I hate the most because it is the harness itself. Well, more precisely, the waist buckle on the harness—the actual harness is fine. But that damn waist buckle! It’s one of those you have to double back and it’s a pain in the ass to get it tight then get the end re-inserted back through the buckle. I hate it. I won’t buy another harness that requires you to double back the webbing in the buckle. 

You’ll be disappointed to know that the quick buckles creep loose. Stick with a double back, it stays put.

Josh Rappoport · · Natick, MA · Joined Sep 2017 · Points: 31

Gear sling. Bought it and NEVER use it 

Mitchell L · · Raleigh, NC · Joined Apr 2021 · Points: 521

The BD #11 (big purp) and #10 hexes. I bought them for cheap, second hand for use in large water grooves in NC granite. They just sit in my gear bin though because I don’t want to drag them 3+ miles through rhododendron thickets to actually use them. 

Kelly O · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2019 · Points: 0

BD ATC Pilot belay device…. Always end up going with a regular ATC or grigri

PWZ · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2016 · Points: 0
Daniel Joder wrote:

“…the one that every time you put on your harness…”

I’m reminded literally every time I put on my harness of the piece of equipment I hate the most because it is the harness itself. Well, more precisely, the waist buckle on the harness—the actual harness is fine. But that damn waist buckle! It’s one of those you have to double back and it’s a pain in the ass to get it tight then get the end re-inserted back through the buckle. I hate it. I won’t buy another harness that requires you to double back the webbing in the buckle. 

Do people really fully unthread their harness buckles? I've never quite understood this complaint.

John Clark · · BLC · Joined Mar 2016 · Points: 1,408

Offset BD 0.3/0.4 X4. Every other offset and oddball cam gets used a few times a year, but that one just never fits anything.

Elaine Gilstrom · · Netherlands · Joined May 2019 · Points: 84

I've luckily done a pretty good job at buying good gear, but if I had to name a piece, it'd probably be the shorty black diamond quick draws. The carabiners on them are small enough that it makes it a pain to clip or unclip it from anything and its so short that it doesn't really do anything for rope drag.

Climb On · · Everywhere · Joined Jan 2016 · Points: 0

The metolius mini carabiners. Horrible if you have a hand larger than a 10 year old. 

Noah Betz · · Beattyville, KY · Joined Nov 2017 · Points: 49
Climb On wrote:

The metolius mini carabiners. Horrible if you have a hand larger than a 10 year old. 

Ditto, I’ve received a couple as gifts and I can’t imagine using them for anything serious. Instantly relegated to shoe clipping duty for me

Michael Butera · · St. George · Joined Aug 2021 · Points: 0

micro z4 cams

Caveman Y · · NO VA · Joined Nov 2017 · Points: 950

Gear sling. Used it once and hated it. For a while, when I didn't have much, it was an OK way to organize gear. Now it just sits at the bottom of the bin.

Nick Thomas · · Duluth, MN · Joined Nov 2016 · Points: 35

Big ol’ green tricam. I think I’ve placed it once

S Saunders · · Oakdale, CA · Joined Sep 2007 · Points: 45

Many years ago a regular partner would try to hand me his set of Ball Nuts at multipitch changeovers. I’d refuse, saying I’d be less scared of the runout than I would relying on one of those things. He’d bust my chops, promising to “teach me to use them one day.”

A couple years later he was working a route and hanging 12 feet off the ground on his only piece, a ball nut. Apparently he shifted the piece as he sussed out the route with his feet pushing hard against the face. The piece popped, he flew backwards in dramatic fashion and knocked the wind out of himself when he landed flat on his back.

He quit climbing and offered me his entire set of Ball Nuts. I hate them.

Grant Adams · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2019 · Points: 164

Z4 0.2 cam. Has the worst action. You have to pull so darn hard to retract it.

Jeff Mac · · North Bend, WA · Joined May 2019 · Points: 10

The largest two or three BD nuts - I stopped taking them with me entirely. I've found plenty of placements for the largest DMM offset nut though.

I think I've used my #6 only once or twice, but there isn't a ton of side climbing around me.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Trad Climbing
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