Trad and mountaineering rack
So the trad and mountaineering kit;
Helmet –
Without a doubt my helmet goes anywhere and everywhere.
Harness –
My harness is a very comfy, fully adjustable and has 5 gear loops. I find harnesses that have four gear loops get a little cramped so the fifth ones give the optimum amount, you can get them with more I tend to just forget where I put the gear.
Belay device with karabiner –
I personally use a Wild country guide plate, this is the perfect size for using two ropes both lead belaying and in the guide plate mode.
2 x Prusiks with krab –
Two prusiks for those hoists, and abseils.
Nutkey –
Attached to a piece of string and snap gate.
1 x HMS & 2 x D shape karabiners –
These are kept on the back of my harness for the anchor setup when I get to the top.
10 x Quickdraws –
I carry a selection of quickdraws but all with very light karabiners, weight does matter so save it where you can. My selection of quickdraws consists of 15-22cm tapes and extendable quickdraws able to extend my gear if its needed.
3 x Rockcentrics –
Excellent for the mountain crags and can often be that little bit of bomber gear you need when times are looking a bit thin.
2 x Sets of wires –
I have two different makes of wires split over three karabiners, a set of DMM and a set of Wild Country nuts. I find these compliment each other nicely. I split them over three karabiners (See picture) so it helps me when I am gripped trying to get the little wire off a krab with over twenty nuts on. It’s also a good idea to overlap the size of nuts as you will always pick the wrong set up and have to keep swapping karabiners.
4 x Friends/cams –
These are expensive bits of kit but well worth having, I usually take four but get what you can, I use the Black Diamond camalots as I think these are the best, I take out size .50, .75, 1 & 2. These cam sneak into places gear doesn’t usually go and can be a very quick lifesaver when you’re needing a little bit of gear fast.
1 x 240 sling & 4 x 120 sling –
Make sure these all have karabiners on, if I am on a Gritstone crag I may even take out 2 x 240 slings as the gear is big boulders.
1 x 3 metre length of old rope (Tat) –
If for any reason I need to retreat of the crag it’s always worth while leaving behind a little kit not really needed rather than your new sling. This being said it’s not a case of going out to clutter up our crags with old tat!
1 x lockable knife –
For cheese at lunch……
Also for when I find the old tat on crags I tend to cut it down, always check though if it is an obvious abseil spot for a particular route or if it has been left in an emergency. If so cut it off and take it with you, if it’s for an in situ abseil then I make check the condition of the tat and change if with mine if needed.
