Personal Gear for Alpine Multipitch

The post "Lockers vs non lockers for anchors", and specifically the comments by Hillbilly Hijinks inspired me to pack my bag with a fresh pair of eyes. This is my personal gear for climbing a long ish route in RMNP tomorrow. I have been climbing in the park for about five years, so I feel pretty dialed, but there's always room for improvement. I'm curious how this compares to what other people are doing. 

I'm not trying to go as light as possible, but I am always trying to reduce excess weight where it makes sense.

I removed three lockers from my kit, and this is what's left. One on my grigri, one on my micro, and three spares. They are mostly Rochas, which are 45g, but you can still comfortably fit a clove or a munter.

The micro is new-ish to me, but I love top belaying with it, and it's a handy tool to have on you for simuling, self rescue, etc.

The descent tomorrow has four rappels, so I'm bringing a connect adjust, which will stay in my small bag until it's time to rap. This is kind of new for me, but I consider it an improvement in comfort, functionality, and safety over just using a sling. I replaced the stock cord with 7mm cord which is way less bulky, and I'm comfortable with the strength for my use case. This used to have its own locker, but I realized that this is totally unnecessary, since I can use one of my spares on the way down.

I carry a prussik and a thin double length sling for self rescue, which I also leave in my bag until it's needed (hopefully never). I used to have a locker on this, but I replaced it with a non locker today. Probably fine without any carabiner at all, but it helps keep things organized.

the black cord doesn't always come with me, but some of the rap anchors are tat, so I'm bringing some in case it needs to be replaced. This had a locker on it, because I used to always bring it with me for anchors, but I figured this was not necessary.

Backpack is staying at the base of the climb, small green bag below it will be clipped to my harness. This is where I put my food, sunscreen, etc

Red drawstring bag has a small wind layer. Climbing in the sun so this is all I'm bringing for layers.

Filter water bottle stays empty until the last water source on the approach

Green drawstring bag has a wag bag in it. I have started to always bring one with me, and I put it in a small bag so that when my partner ends up using it, they can keep it clipped to their own harness.

roast me

I think it's pretty cool that Hillbilly maybe inspired you a bit to try the less might be good game.

Your kit looks tidy. I am curious about the objective?

No roasting here. My hat is off to you. 

I am interested in what your thoughts are after the outing.

Ill bite.

• My micros don't get lockers, instead they have a dedicated oval as that seems to sit best. You use yours as a belay so maybe that justifies a locker.  I bring up to 4x micros for lots of long simul blocks, depending on objective. They also normally sit on a single runner over the shoulder so after the micro is placed and off the runner, you now have a single runner ready for extending gear. Helps me manage the micros without clogging the harness.
• I normally have a locker on my shoes clipped to my harness, plus 4-5 other (2 for top belay plus my clove, 1-2 spare = 4-5). 2 of those lockers are the edelrid slider lock, rest are normal (attache and rock exotica pirate). So your number of lockers is good, just my personal opinion on employment (i.e. not on a micro).
• I normally only bring one grigri per team. Each has their own top-belay device, which can also be used to rappel (i use the gigi or megajul). So three total devices gives 1 redundant for descent. 
• I still wouldn't bring the tether, just use a double runner.  I know you explained why, but i still wouldn't bring it and think the double runner is more efficient.  Hot take?
• Tat wouldn't get a biner, it would just be shoved into a pack; unless you think you'll need to leave hardware (i.e. biners or rings, but that doesn't sound like the concern in this post). Nothing IN the pack gets a biner.
• Do you really need the headlamp?  If so, I'd have a second headlamp and battery as a spare (or I'd leave them at the base). I don't ever just bring ONE headlamp, I'd always have redundancy.
• Sunscreen tube is huge, they make tiny ones. I'd have some lip balm as well.  TBH, i use a tiny refillable tube and top it off with sunscreen at whatever frequency necessary (so i know i always have enough, but im not bringing enough for a month). In reality, with sun shirts and long sleeves and pants i barely use any sunscreen. 
• Missing: Some type of sat phone or messenger (unless you're in full cell coverage, unknown in this case)
• Missing: First aid kit between the group, bare essentials but something is always with me.

Without knowledge of the objective can't really roast any more :)

I'm jealous, tried to get out to RMNP about a week ago but couldn't line up a partner as i was blasting from CA to VA.  

Cheers!

I agree with Dave: ditch the tether, one ABD per team, add an SOS device and FAK.

I'd consider your cord useful for the way up and down: you can use it for anchors, self rescue, and a tether if you want. You can decide if that means you can ditch the 120cm sling. You can ascend, do load transfers, rappel extensions, and tandem rappels with just a single friction hitch if you know how to use the rope effectively. When I anticipate leaving tat I make a few alpine draws out of tied webbing and make my anchors out of cord I'm willing to donate to the mountain. You can make do without on the next objective or experience little downside if you only have one objective. 

I'd say ditch the mirco+locker and bring an ATC-Guide/Reverso/plate. Having a two strand device is quite practical as opposed to two single strand devices.

If you want to make your tether easily adjustable add a clove hitch and adjustment carabiner. 

Don't forget someone will have alpine draws! You may have to go get them during a self-rescue scenario, but they can be super useful for anchors and extensions while rappelling. 

-> Echoing Adam (partially, no opinion on ditching the Micro), where's the ATC? Are you assuming only single strand rappels? If so how do you do this? Two ropes? Tagline? Rope block w/out tagline and certainty that all rappels are < 1/2 rope length? Yes, a munter on two strands will work on your HMS carabiners but I'd rather leave that as a backup strategy, not my primary two strand rappel method. Guide mode-capable ATC for versatility of course (DMM Pivot is my fave), AlpineSavvy has a good walkthrough on using such ATCs as an ascender (also 2-strand capable, which may further favor eliminating the Micro).

-> Bring a knife. My Trango Piranha is tiny, it almost disappears* when clipped to my modest rescue kit 'biner alongside a Tibloc, lightweight rap/bail ring, quicklink, and small sling. (*this may not be a desirable quality if you're in the midst of an epic)

-> A trick I heard recently but haven't implemented, replace the belt on your chalkbag with sufficiently chunky, rated accessory cord. Instant prusik / tat material in a pinch. You may want that knife right about now...

• Adam Flemingwrote:

When I anticipate leaving tat I make a few alpine draws out of tied webbing and make my anchors out of cord I'm willing to donate to the mountain. You can make do without on the next objective or experience little downside if you only have one objective. 

I second all of Adam's post. Especially the quote above, since I don't see people carrying tied slings. Every sling carried is potential tat. Tied slings are a little heavier and bulkier, but cheaper and give a foot of more extra length over cutting a sewn one. I always carry some tied slings on general multipitch trad routes.

Still not roasting. 

I don't really get the point of carrying extra things purely in case of self rescue. You've got a rack full of slings and biners, why do you need another double length, prussik, micro, and more lockers without a clear use?

No Shell? Weather likes to weather out of nowhere in the alpine....unless your not taking that into account here.

Ended up not going out today because my partners dog got sick last night. c'est la vie!

lots of good responses on here! thanks for the feedback, everyone. some points:

-we were planning on climbing Arrowplane. 60m raps, so we packed a tagline, and were going to rap on a single strand.

-this partner actually has an inreach, but I often climb without one. maybe I should consider forking out the cash.

-a knife is a good idea! so is a first aid kit, although I'm not sure what I would put in one. Climbing tape, alcohol wipes, and gauze? what do you guys pack?

-Adam, I see that you're an AMGA certified guide. I would love to hear your reasoning behind why I should have a two strand device. I feel like I'm almost over prepared for a self rescue with this kit (grigri, micro, prussic, multiple extra cords and lockers) but maybe there's a scenario that I'm not thinking of?

-red bag has a shell :)

-I could write a whole post about the adjustable tether and why I think it's so practical, and how it makes rapping safer... but ultimately it's not necessary and I just like to have it. I bring it if I have multiple rappels, or a lot of hanging belays. otherwise it stays at home

Yukon Corneliuswrote:

I would love to hear your reasoning behind why I should have a two strand device. I feel like I'm almost over prepared for a self rescue with this kit (grigri, micro, prussic, multiple extra cords and lockers) but maybe there's a scenario that I'm not thinking of?

I almost exclusively do pre-rigged rappels. It allows each partner to check each other, eliminates the need for a knot in both strands (and therefore the need to pull up a rope that falls past you), and speeds up transitions since only one anchor is needed for both stations. You can't pre-rig on a grigri. I personally like rappelling on a plate a lot more because I can do it with one hand (arguably a self-rescue advantage, but really just a rope management advantage). I also prefer a plate for top belaying because it's less likely to have failure modes from rock interference as well as issues with back-feeding. Belaying with a micro is not recommended for 5th class terrain where the climber can fall with slack in the system.

I try to avoid carabiner blocks when I can, especially in places with lots of snaggy bits of rock I can pull down and where the rappel line is not the climbing line. Granted, I didn't realize you were only doing single-strand 60m rappels, but I still think a plate in the party is more useful than a micro which can be replaced with a friction hitch or garda hitch. A quick search of the ticks shows me people rappel this route with a single 70m rope, with one account as recent as 2023.

For the first aid kit, really the things you want are:

-gauze and tape

-tourniquet (that you know how to use!)

-maybe some steri strips

-emergency blanket

-ibuprofen and tylenol

-SOS

-WFR cert :)

Most minor things you can deal with back at camp/the car, but if someone has a bad fall and needs to settle in overnight, you want to make sure you can avoid hypothermia and manage any severe bleeding and pain. I would consider some training in this very important for any remote endeavor

You're a guide, and you LIKE top belaying with an atc??? RIP your elbows

Always very careful about managing slack while belaying with a micro (or simuling below one!)

Good eye noticing that tick where they say they rapped with a 70! I wonder if they went a different way, or if there are intermediate anchors? the book describes a 190ft, 160ft, 120ft, and 200ft rappel.

Yukon Corneliuswrote:

You're a guide, and you LIKE top belaying with an atc??? RIP your elbows

Usually it's a gigi, but I hear ya! I've become a fan of the Vergo for single-strand top belays as well. Usually I keep the pitches pretty short so the drag and rope weight is low anyway.

Yahoo!

Yukon,  your OP is well written, seemingly based on careful thinking and understanding. That's more important  than what gadgets you choose  to take. I don't even own a microtrax, but I am considering buying one. Most of what Adam says is closer to my thinking, but a grigri is a good tool. I have belayed clients on many hundreds of pitches on Grade IV, V, and VI routes in Yosemite with a grigri, sometimes while hauling at the same time. But I have belayed many times that number of pitches with a plain old ATC, not off the anchor, and my elbows are fine. 

Simul climbing in my opinion is grossly over used. Same for prerigging rappels, which in my opinion is lazy guiding. It's using technology to make up for lack of real guiding skill. But it's what guides do now. It's normal. 

FYI, I was the director of the very first AMGA guides certification exam. I was the only examiner/instructor/participant involved in the program that was already a certified guide. 

I still think it's really cool that you are exploring other possibilities. It's all a journey.

I'm no guide, but top belaying with a micro (or two) on moderate alpine terrain truly was gamechanger once I adopted it. The 100g of extra weight is nothing compared to the energy savings you get from not having to deal with a standard autoblock. If my partner is following on terrain up to 5.6 I'll used one, and I'll throw on a backup for up to 5.8 or if I'm on ice. It absolutely requires an attentive belay, but that's a small price to pay. Especially on ice where flat-tiers and long pitches are the norm, using a pair of micros will save me at least a quarter of my normal energy expenditure, and you really can feel it the next day. 

Tape. Good for small cuts, finger/ankle injury, torn clothes, broken laces, etc.

Otherwise looks +/- like what I carry.

I know most people hate this but I actually prefer to put my hiking shoes and non-climbing gear in a very light and close fitting running vest. Just my opinion but I really hate non-climbing stuff dangling from my harness. 

Jabroni McChufferson wrote:

Most of the stuff I bring fits into my shoes dangling from my harness 

Yes that makes sense. But still, I don’t like my shoes (or anything not needed) dangling from my harness. 

Big Redwrote:

I don't really get the point of carrying extra things purely in case of self rescue. You've got a rack full of slings and biners, why do you need another double length, prussik, micro, and more lockers without a clear use?

The team has a rack full of slings and carabiners, but it's usually with one person at a time. I want to be ready to do some things even if I don't have access to the rack. That means a bit of personal gear that lives on my harness. For me that is usually an ATC Guide on an HMS locker, a prusik on a locker, and a nylon double-length sling on a wiregate.

James -wrote:

The team has a rack full of slings and carabiners, but it's usually with one person at a time. I want to be ready to do some things even if I don't have access to the rack. That means a bit of personal gear that lives on my harness. For me that is usually an ATC Guide on an HMS locker, a prusik on a locker, and a nylon double-length sling on a wiregate.

the only time I've had to use my emergency kit was right after giving the longest, coldest belay of my life, and then had to climb a hard crux right off the belay. I had basically zero gear on me, because I had just started the pitch.

I climbed most of the crux (twice!), but then dry fired off, and there was almost a whole rope out, so even with a tight belay, I sank all the way back down to the start. My hands were totally numb. I was five pitches up, with two or three to go, and it wasn't getting any warmer. In that context, if I wasn't able to ascend the rope and keep the team moving, I'd sure be a shit alpine partner, right? People would stop rope gunning for me

Yukon Corneliuswrote:

The post "Lockers vs non lockers for anchors", and specifically the comments by Hillbilly Hijinks inspired me to pack my bag with a fresh pair of eyes. This is my personal gear for climbing a long ish route in RMNP tomorrow. I have been climbing in the park for about five years, so I feel pretty dialed, but there's always room for improvement. I'm curious how this compares to what other people are doing. 

I'm not trying to go as light as possible, but I am always trying to reduce excess weight where it makes sense.

I removed three lockers from my kit, and this is what's left. One on my grigri, one on my micro, and three spares. They are mostly Rochas, which are 45g, but you can still comfortably fit a clove or a munter.

The micro is new-ish to me, but I love top belaying with it, and it's a handy tool to have on you for simuling, self rescue, etc.

The descent tomorrow has four rappels, so I'm bringing a connect adjust, which will stay in my small bag until it's time to rap. This is kind of new for me, but I consider it an improvement in comfort, functionality, and safety over just using a sling. I replaced the stock cord with 7mm cord which is way less bulky, and I'm comfortable with the strength for my use case. This used to have its own locker, but I realized that this is totally unnecessary, since I can use one of my spares on the way down.

I carry a prussik and a thin double length sling for self rescue, which I also leave in my bag until it's needed (hopefully never). I used to have a locker on this, but I replaced it with a non locker today. Probably fine without any carabiner at all, but it helps keep things organized.

the black cord doesn't always come with me, but some of the rap anchors are tat, so I'm bringing some in case it needs to be replaced. This had a locker on it, because I used to always bring it with me for anchors, but I figured this was not necessary.

Backpack is staying at the base of the climb, small green bag below it will be clipped to my harness. This is where I put my food, sunscreen, etc

Red drawstring bag has a small wind layer. Climbing in the sun so this is all I'm bringing for layers.

Filter water bottle stays empty until the last water source on the approach

Green drawstring bag has a wag bag in it. I have started to always bring one with me, and I put it in a small bag so that when my partner ends up using it, they can keep it clipped to their own harness.

roast me

- Put your chalk bag around your waist ON that thin double length sling, tie it with a square knot. Leave the buckle belt thing at home. You can take it off as a rappel tether on the descent.

-If you are actually tieing into the rope to climb (as opposed to TR soloing) and not aiding, then don't bring your connect adjust. Just clove in w/a locker at belays on the way up and use that double length sling on the way down.

-Don't top belay with a micro. Top belay with a belay device or have your follower TR solo a fixed rope.

-If you aren't bringing a bag up the route, seems like 3 total lockers would be fine. 1 for your grigri, 1 for cloving into the belays using the rope, and an extra for whatever.

-Sharp small rock, blunt bigger rocks, and even big cams can be used to cut through cord or ropes in an emergency. Just tension the rope/cord supertight and have it against a cliff or boulder.

-Or duct tape a razor blade or tiny bread scoring blade and a couple pain pills (wrapped in plastic wrap) to the upper to inside of your helmet.

In lieu of a knife I tape a razor blade to the inside of my helmet: light, compact, you never forget to bring it. Just don't forget to remove it if you take your helmet in a carry on at the airport.