Gear 4 Devil's Tower

Hello everyone,

First, I apologize for being long winded.

Pretext: I live in Illinois, so gym climbing is the most of my experience so far. I'm eager to climb real rock.

This is my first time posting to Mountain Project. I started climbing in 2012, senior year of high school, and lasted about 2 years until life pulled me away from it. At the end of last year my life changed (for the better) and at the begining of this year, I'd gone back to climbing and haven't stopped. 

It's amazing how climbing is similar to riding a bike in the sense that you don't really forget how to do it. I sent my first 5.11a this week, and in 2014 the my best was a 5.10a.

Realizing I was having fun, and still advancing as a climber, rekindled many of my goals from back in the 2010's. They seem within reach now. One of which is to climb Devil's Tower, possibly Durance.

I intend on taking classes through my gym and REI memberships to familiarize myself with real rock, as well as gain a solid understand of placing pro. If I can find a partner that's experienced on Devil's Tower that knows the routes, that'd be very ideal. I don't know if guides exist for it, but I'll be looking into that as well.

This plan is set for a year or so from this month. I understand it's not uncommon for trad partners to split the gear brought for the route. So what I'm looking for is suggestions on what pro gear I should invest in for climbing something like Devil's Tower. I'm aware of cordlette, slings (nylon and dyneema), carabiners, quickdraws, rope. I have a small collection of fundamental basic equipment I've been slowly growing on. I'm more curious of the type of pro I should use (cams, nuts, sizes common for DT/crack, brands or pro my climbing partner may most likely already be familiar with).

I'm looking to build off of this "Devil's Tower" trad rack since I want to climb more walls an will most likely make it an annual (if not more often) trip. I want to get gear that is reliable, versatile, and something any potential climbing partner probably already knows how to use. Ive already decided that DT is going to be my first trad climb (be it a year from now) and I figure it is worth asking this app if there is gear that is specific to the climbing area I want to scratch off my "walls to climb" bucket list. The worst I could be doing is wasting your time with a dumb question, which still teaches me more about climbing!

Anyway, I look forward to hearing your responses and learn from you

Since you're starting small, I'd suggest a single rack of C4s or Friends will do nicely.  .3-3 in BD sizes if that helps.  Totems are a fan favorite (no disagreement here) but they're expensive and bulky, but they do give me more confidence than any other cam...

Nuts are all mostly "good enough" in my opinion.  I prefer offsets but they all generally work about the same.  

No matter where you climb, a few alpine draws will be required so get some of those too.

I just climbed Durrance about a month ago.  When we did it, I had doubles of .2-3 with a single #4 and a small rack of medium to large nuts.  I think I placed 1 or 2 nuts on the whole Durrance route, but I had plenty of cams to burn. The climbing was well within my redpoint grade, so I could have gotten by with less, but having never climbed there I went the conservative route and brought too much.  The extra weight didn't really slow us down.

TL;DR Get a single rack of cams (used if you want to save dollars) and about 6 alpine draws.  Pair up with someone with that or more.  A 70m rope works, but double 60m ropes get you down faster.

Oh and don't rule out hiring a guide.  They will do all the leading, but you will learn A TON!

It can also be done with stoppers and hexes. . .

Sean Hoffeckerwrote:

TL;DR Get a single rack of cams (used if you want to save dollars) and about 6 alpine draws.  Pair up with someone with that or more.

First, thank you for the thorough advice!

If I were to look into used cams (be it C4s or Totems or Friends) are there certain things I should be looking for that suggest the quality of the piece of gear? Nuts I think I will buy new since I know they last a very long time. I actually didn't think about buying used for cams though, it's a good idea if I can learn how to identify points of concern on gear.

For the alpine draws, would that be in addition to the typical 10-12cm dogbone draws? Or, you're saying it would be better to have all the draws used be alpine draws?

I really appreciate your help, thank you.

Edit: was the #4 something you felt you needed on the route? Just curious since it was lone cam of it's size 

Nick,

Under normal use, the sling is what goes first on a cam. 7 years is a normal replacement interval on a sling, but they can wear faster, get cut, exposed to battery acid, UV, etc.

The other common failure points that can kill you are damaged axles and lobes. Both are usually obvious. Trigger wires fray and triggers crack, and you don't want that either. If buying on MP, it's cool to ask for pictures/if any of these issues exist. Better to ask before you make an offer. Oh, and make sure you aren't buying from someone with a brand new account.

Check comments on routes on MP. For most classics, you'll find that several people list the rack they used. If you don't have giant hands or good offwidth technique and someone recommends a #4, you probably want to bring one.

Best of luck on your adventure!

Logan Petersonwrote:

Nick,

Under normal use, the sling is what goes first on a cam. 7 years is a normal replacement interval on a sling, but they can wear faster, get cut, exposed to battery acid, UV, etc.

Very helpful, thank you! If a sling is past the point of trusting it, is it possible to "re-sling" gear?

Nick Foranwrote:

Very helpful, thank you! If a sling is past the point of trusting it, is it possible to "re-sling" gear?

Yes. Many companies offer reslinging services. 

Nick Foranwrote:

I don't know if guides exist for it, but I'll be looking into that as well.

The guides at Devils Tower Lodge seem friendly and knowledgeable. Hiring a guide might your best bet for a fun and stress-free day.

I really appreciate all the help everyone! Between gear suggestions/advice and advice on hiring a guide, I'm feeling even more confident in climbing DT next year. I'm sure I'll be back again soon to seek out advice. Until then, thank you for all the help! :)