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tko
Feb 23, 2004, 7:56 PM
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Registered: Feb 18, 2004
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Hey I was just wondering whats a good amount of gear to use when starting to trad climb. The height of the climbs range from about 12m to 50m. And on very loose rock should you double up your gear just for safety. Thanks any help is helpful. Sean
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pipsqueekspire
Feb 24, 2004, 11:07 PM
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Registered: Nov 3, 2003
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Hmmm...for real?? Here is the short version- it depends on the climb and the climber! Here is the long- If you have a long climb with cracks and options all around you might need a full set of nuts a full set of cams and a few extras like tri-cams or hexes in many sizes. But for example- maybe you just freesolo all the 5.4 parts with lots of options and only bring enough to protect the crux 5.9 part- say a finger crack for 40 feet- This would change the rack a lot even on the same climb! Most likely you wont be doing that soon but you get the point. You need to own a rack that gets YOU through the climb. Im not that bold and I suggest throwing in a piece every once in a while no matter what the grade. To answer the other question- You only need to back up what you think is a questionable piece (say a shallow crack but bomber rock quality) or when you think its the crux and you might fall. If you and the piece are bomber then save your energy and gear for a more demanding section. Backing up a crappy placement in crappy rock with another piece in the same crappy rock doesnt really help you. You should be looking for good rock on the first try. I would suggest that you stay away from questionable rock until you are a solid leader and can really evaluate your placements and the rock quality. You have enough to worry about as a beginner- dont add one more risk. If you are in doubt about a route and its rock quality then ask a local! My first rack as a trad leader took me a long time to gather but this was most of it... 1 set bd nuts size 5 and up 1 set aliens from green to purple 1 set BD cams from .5-4 (all cams racked on individual biners) 5 quick draws 5 'trad' draws (single length slings with 2 biners ready to go) 2 cordolettes 2 double length slings 5 extra free biners Belay device harness etc etc.... and a helmet! From all of this I pick and choose for every route. Very rarely do I bring all of it with me on one climb. Now I own a lot more smaller pieces since thats the size crack I find hard. If youre a sick man you might like climbing offwidths and go out and buy a lot of big cams... not for me Again- it all depends on the climb and the climber..... -pip
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dontfall
Feb 26, 2004, 1:22 PM
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Registered: Mar 31, 2003
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dontfall moved this thread from Beginners to Trad Climbing.
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a_scender
Feb 27, 2004, 5:54 AM
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Registered: Feb 25, 2004
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My first trad rack consisted of a set of nuts, a set of hexes, and a number one, two, and three camelot. Soon after that I started buying smaller cams. I think hexes are a cheaper alternative to doubleing up on the large cams right away. I like doubles on some nut sizes as well. Nuts are also easier to learn how to place when you are beginning.
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lightboi
Feb 28, 2004, 4:05 AM
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Registered: Apr 27, 2002
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my first rack was a full sets of WC and BD nuts, a full set of hexes doubles in the 2 largest sizes. This provided me with a range of 1/4" to 4". I climbed on this rack for 6 years untill i started adding cams. In those 6 years I climbed in wisconsin, illinos, ohio, minnesota, N dakota, washinton, idaho, iowa, quebec, sweden, norway, oregon, utah, and nevada; and never missed a day of climbing due to lack of gear. josh
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hosh
Mar 1, 2004, 1:25 AM
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Registered: Dec 15, 2003
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I've got 4 tri-cams (Sizes 1, 2, 3, 4), a full set of Metolius Curved Nuts (Love them!), 4 Trango Flex Cams (Sizes 4, 5, 6, 7) and a few draws and what not. That's been enough for me so far. But then again, most of the trad lines here are short and uneven. Ask around your local area before you start buying gear to make sure you're getting the right sizes.
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