Shoulder length sling climbing reddit trad. Once harnesses came equipped with gear loops most people never went back. If the bolts are connected with a chain (thus, redundant), I clip to the chain. The home of Climbing on reddit. Middle Rear (5th loop): Bought my Petzl Aquila specifically for this loop for trad climbing. If you're an experienced climber and want to contribute to the community, these threads are a great Took me about three months of trad climbing to fall on my gear. Is it alright to use a knotted sling as a personal anchor system? I know daisy chains are discouraged for the obvious reasons, but is a knotted sling relatively bulletproof? I assume so, but having been surprised by counterintuitive safety hazards I figured it best to ask. The basic beginner trad rack is Black Diamond C4s . My time frame is probably late spring before I start trad climbing, and at that time I'll be looking for experienced people to climb with. I use a 240 centimeter sling for trad anchors and it works for many different types of anchors as well as being lighter than the same amount of cord. I would make the . Learn how to choose the type you need. 12 votes, 50 comments. 4 small lockers So $800 added onto your sport gear of draws, belay device, harness, shoes, chalkbag. nuts, extended quickdraw My thought was to start climbing… The home of Climbing on reddit. A thing about trad-climbing is being able to improvise with what you got, in the most efficient and safe manner. I also really like to keep 1 or 2 lengths of cord, still 6 mm, About the same loop length of a shoulder length sling because I could use that as an Emergency runner if I need to. See full list on outdoorgearlab. As mentioned already - flip the stacked rope from you to her. If 10 feet extension from each bolt isn't Mar 9, 2023 · Alpine draws consist of two non-locking carabiners, also known as snap gate carabiners, and a 60cm or “shoulder length” sling. This piece is not necessary) Nut tool! (If you would like to do more trad stuff, it can be very useful to buy your own. That gives a couple more options for length based on where you put the biner. Hi all, Last year I bought some trad gear (1x cam from 0. Clip the other two biners around the lower section (should be 4 strands) then rope goes into those biners. But Hey guys, gonna be going to Cochise stronghold to climb this weekend. to a locker on each bolt and tie a BFK. Do you girth hitch around it and clip a beaner to the one loose end or do you place the sling around, tie an overhand knot and clip both ends of the sling together. In most cases, the non-locking carabiners are wire gate carabiners. Any advice on minimum needs? Brands to avoid? Thanks! Trad climbing with quickdraws is not ideal, but it works if you bring a few alpines as well for strategic extensions. Your illustration is perfectly safe, but way more complex than it needs to be. This thread will be posted again every Friday so there should always be an opportunity to ask your question and have it answered. Drop the quad and just run the rope through the lockers on the slings - just like you would TR through two quickdraws. Slings, runners, cord, cordelettes and webbing are all climbing essentials. Dmm dragon 2s. I prefer rope for swapping leads, and just use slings other times so I don't have to carry a cordelette. Taking it slow, learning a lot. I however started with exactly the cams you have (or maybe first with hexes I don’t remember) and a single rack of nuts. 37 votes, 63 comments. I already have a good set for sport, but the bolt I tend to use slings or cord when leading in blocks and use the rope when swinging leads. Exactly. Short draws won’t be much use, long (what Americans call “alpine draws” made with a 60cm sling) will be, as will the sizes in the middle which will get the most use. Rope is dynamic but a factor two on a short length is still going to be uncomfortable. Shoulder length slings/runners can be made easily and cheaply with tubular webbing with a water knot. 3, . Check the dates on the cam slings. The spirts makes it really easy and fast to change out dogbones, unlike those pesky hotwire draws. Forget BD. 1. 40m+), shoulder/body slings are the shizzle. If you are trad climbing you will probably need four to six 60s, a few 120s and even a 240 or 480. I think the best advice I ever heard is focus 100 percent on the placements when your placing, then 100 percent on the climbing. Thanks! Edelrid Nineteen G + Mammut Contact sling + DMM Alpha Trad Light will give you a super light draw, great sling and the right size biners for each side. Quickdraws/Slings/'biners 6 pre made "stubby" quickdraws draws, 4 shoulder length slings, 2 double shoulder length slings, 25' of 7-8mm accessory cord. I also love 120cm alpine draws which I rack at 1/5th length so they extend as easily as a 60cm alpine, however they aren't very common. E. So your calculations shoud go like this : 2* (rating oft the sling)*0. 240 cm is the biggest standard sewn sling size and is the perfect amount of material for a quad. 6 depending in the knot //the 2 comes from the fact that you have 2 strings when knoting cord together Tldr: slings are fucking cheap, and when in doubt buy new I rarely use 12cm draws for trad outside of 'trad protected highballs'. The one that I use the most is the double fisherman but it's a pain to untie. I've done a fair amount of trad but little involving the little buggers. Black Diamond is the gold standard for cams. The benefits of a clean nose carabiner really make a difference on bolts. Since your quickdraw will all be a standard length, using different lengths of runners to create a variety of options for draw lengths to use together. My favorite sling for multipitch trad anchors is the rope I am climbing on. Typically sling lengths can measure between 60 to 180 cm. Hopefully these descriptions make sense. 12s in a few places I've gone. Depending on your setup you may only need one 120 sling. If that is not an option for whatever reason then I use whatever slings I have available on my harness. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Popular Uses for Climbing Slings Draws and extending quick-draws Slings and runners generally come in single and double sizes, with the single length being at least 2-3 times longer than the average quick draw. Hello climbers of the world I've been doing multipitch climbing for a while now and I have tried a few knots to make a cordelette loop. This gets you a "minimal single rack". In this thread you can ask any trad climbing related question that you may have. Unpopular opinion: If you're doing moderate trad as I do, and you don't do a lot of hanging belays, you can probably do really good on a black diamond BOD harness, maybe a shoulder sling, and a nice backpack. From my experience, that gear sling will be the first thing to go. Setting up anchors Slings are Anyone have experience with the ? Thinking about replacing the normal cordelette/quad length sling with a 15' length of tech cord for multipitch trad. Grigri, ATC, prusik, triple or quad length sling or a cordalette, bail gear, etc. For an all-around sling, go with 120cm nylon. 3-1", a set of BD stoppers, 6 quickdraws, and 4 shoulder length slings or 4 alpine quickdraws. I rack my draws on the sling and gear on my harness. The slings for alpines are fairly cheap on their own. I don't know why people are feeding you a bunch of ridiculous information in this thread. That way, if you need to fully extend a cam, you can just pull the sling off your shoulder, and clip it to the biner thats already on the cam, and clip the rope to the biner that was already on the sling. For top roping, you can buy about 40 ft. 4-6 lockers, with at least two being dedicated solely for top roping and one being dedicated for your belay device. Adjama Is my go to as well. Cams can be reslung by places like mountain tools, metolius, and black diamond. Your gear is stronger than most rock you put it in. Go with 18s. Obviously if there's I use either a traditional strap worn sling style with the strap over one shoulder and the camera resting on the opposite hip, or I wear a camera holster on a belt. I might use a sling that I personally bought 10 years ago, but I wouldnt use a 10 year old sling from Craigslist. I have only ever seen 5-6' prusiks used as a 3rd hand while abseiling or rappelling. Even climbing on Little Cottonwood Granite with weird flares and pin scars, one of my Metolius cams or an offset cam/nut fit the same or better than an equivalent Totem. I use a nylon daisy to connect to the anchor, and then a clove hitch above my tie-in as a backup. 5 X-4s. of tubular 1" webbing and cut it into lengths to make you own double length, or even larger, tied slings. 4, and maybe the . If you're an experienced climber and want to contribute to the community, these threads are a great Depends on your local climbing area. In normal trad areas I don’t take the locking draw, as many slings, or as many free biners. What is the ideal sling length? The length of the sling determines what you can use it for when climbing. 1). / $30 wild country rocks 1-8/ $53 dmm offsets/ $464. The ones I was thinking about getting come in 10, 15 and 20 cm. ) I have cordelette, slings, and of course plenty Recommended gear What do y’all recommend for a beginner trad rack? How much of what kind of gear should one buy? Thank you in advance. He suggested buying Alpine Quickdraws as opposed to regular quickdraws if I will eventually get into trad climbing. The 5th loop holds all of my nonsense gear that I carry for non climbing/emergencies. Been trad climbing with some buddies for a while now and ready to commit and buy my own rack. Clove/8/Bowline/etc. You can either cut up your cordelette, cut up one of your nice expensive Dyneema slings or take my sage advice about carrying at least one tied runner. Then I would set aside 4-6 shoulder length slings, each with a single non-locker clipped on, and have those slings over my shoulder. Bear in mind we don’t have any bolts on trad at all in the UK so you When cleaning shoulder/double-shoulder length slings, always sling them the same way (over the same shoulder) in order to make the transition smoother without a clusterfuck of slings to sort out. Girth-hitch the sling through the two tie-in points on your harness and snug it up, keeping the bar tack close to your belay loop (fig. I like having a bunch of shoulder length slings with me, and some double shoulder length slings in case I need to sling a chockstone/horn, or need to deviate from my original route to reach pro. I have nine 60cm alpine draws, two 120cm slings for roofs, and one 240cm sling for anchors (I have a cordelette as well for multipitch anchors). Aug 31, 2020 · We field tested 10 of the best climbing slings and runners in 2025 to see which nylon and dyneema offerings are worth your money. although some of these roof scenarios might require an alpine draw / shoulder length sling . But they all have advantages and disadvantages. com $50 10 shoulder length slings $20 2 double length slings Gear express $150 30 nonlockers $26. . I'm solid leading 5. Just curious. I have a double rack but I climb at the Gunks where most of the pitches aren't all that long, so I don't need an extension for every piece I bring up. Luckily slings are a relatively cheap part of your climbing kit and you can always add more as time goes on. And I carry 2 short ones, generally to extend stuff like cams, or slings, which are already long, but need a bit more for whatever reason. Or the smaller rack they intend to bring up a specific climb. Also, try to rack gear on your harness as you are cleaning in the same way that you would rack it when you are leading. I say nylon because it has some elasticity if you accidentally shock load it. com I'm looking at a 10mm thick 60/100cm long sling. What size slings and how many each do you like having set aside for trad anchors? Or do you prefer cordelette? And why. 5 can vary from 0. And yes we are scared of falling. How strong are they? As the title suggests, as someone who's looking to start building a rack, I'm curious as to whether or not long time trad climbers replace every single sling in their kit every few years due to age. If not, I'll do a sling in each bolt. I climb mostly in Utah in rock canyon and Ibex with the occasional moab trip. On here sits all the extra stuff. Hi all, I’m fairly new to trad climbing and particularly inexperienced when building anchors. Additionally, I have seen some say that prusiks should be 5-6' in length and other say you should always have at least one prusik that is 10-11' in length. They are designed to be carried on your harness gear loops just like a normal quickdraw, which gives you quick and easy access to shoulder length slings. A trad climber’s trad rack can be their entire collection of trad gear they’ve collected over the years. But I don’t use shoulder slings as they are too annoying Please be also advised, that the knot in the sling will reduce the holding power of the sling. Apr 10, 2020 · Think you'd be grand with 18cm draws and alpine draws for the majority of all trad climbing. Know all 3, and pick one you are most comfortable with. Jan 31, 2023 · Trad rack is a term used by climbers to describe the collection of equipment they use for trad climbing. Get some cord to make trad anchors with, as your pieces may be spread out at the anchor. I like carrying 4-6 shoulder-length tied slings with water knots for descent anchors. I’d just I am not doing much trad climbing, mostly sport, and the quad will be used to set up top rope anchors. Which I do see myself headed into. You can share carabiners between your quickdraws and alpine draws and just swap them out depending on if you're trad climbing and sport climbing. It also makes for an easy way to to extend my What kind of slings you need (and how many) depends somewhat on where you're climbing. how you rack them tends to be personal preference, but I usually keep a couple on my harness as alpine draws and keep the rest slung over a shoulder (most w/ 2 carabiners, some w/ 1) Anchors: You can use cordallete or slings (120cm or 240cm, nylon or dyneema). With all the slings on alpine quickdraws and cams (I believe I was seeing Dmm cams had slings permanently stitched together around the cam stems) that could get pretty crazy. This is typically what I bring on most multi pitch climbs and how I’d rack it to maximize space for pro + draws, the extra carabiners shown (not attached) are situationally Please sort comments by 'new' to find questions that would otherwise be buried. Also, have her clean the gear onto a shoulder-length sling - that way all she has to do is hand you the sling, and you have all your gear back. Sure it may take just a bit longer to hand off gear when swinging leads, but carrying everything on a sling around your neck does not help your climbing. 10-15x 60cm ('shoulder-length') slings. , if the bolt line is not straight, longer draws can ameliorate some of the drag instead of the rope zig zagging between the bolts, the longer draws will assist; or if the route goes over big roofs the rope will hopefully run a bit smoother. I currently have all dyneema slings and am planning on buying a few nylon slings for clipping the first piece, building anchors, etc. I'd get some 30cm open slings instead, good draw for in between alpines and 18cm dogbone draws. In this thread you can ask any climbing related question that you may have. Very versatile edit for clarity: The smaller your friction knot diameter is the more it Bites. I use 120cm slings with a couple knots in them. This article explains how to use slings for protection, how to rack them and more. 5 = breaking force oft the system //the 0. Long enough to build and anchor and tie a knot in so you can clip two bolts when using as a PAS. What would be the best way to utilize these trees for an anchor? (Configurations, knots, etc. Dyneema slings are also easier to break when there isn't anything that can stretch in the system (eg an anchor of just dyneema slings). Jun 3, 2022 · To extend your device, use a double-shoulder-length sling or your personal anchor system (PAS). Enough carabiners for all of that (except the cord) to have 2 per sling/draw. Keeps the front 4 loops clear for cams/nuts and slings while I climb. Trad climbers use the term rack frequently. After about 1 year For trad climbing many places consider a “standard rack” something like cams bd sizes 0. It's very common to do this with shoulder length slings (60cm) in trad or alpine climbing, as extending them allows to place protection far on the sides while keeping ropedrag minimal. Right now I have been sport climbing and now how to lead and clean routes, and soon will get into 2-3 pitch of sport only climbing. I just came across the zeppelin bend wich is super easy to I have about 8-9 shoulder length slings with wire gates as quickdraws, I haven't used a normal quickdraw outside of sport climbing for years. 1 or 2 prussiks or Autoblock 1 shoulder-length sling (can use as gear sling if needed or as prussik/rap backup if needed. Since you're asking about trad climbing, at some point in your career you're going to have to untie and thread your sling or use it for rap tat. 4M subscribers in the climbing community. Mammut contact sling is my personal favorite. A nut tool to remove stuck gear Five to ten shoulder slings for extending pieces (24 inch/60cm length is most common) Two or three double shoulder length slings, useful for building anchors on bolts (48 inch/120cm) A few free non-locking carabiners for extending pieces and other things One or two large locking carabiners for the anchor masterpoint 30 meters seems like a lot of material for an anchor considering most ropes for climbing are 60-70m. If your home turf is like the Rockies with lots of wandering pitches on limestone then mostly shoulder length runners makes sense. May 29, 2020 · New to trad climbing? Our Beginner's Guide to Trad Climbing breaks down everything you need to know to get started trad climbing today. I don't take any one post for gospel, but I value the opinion of experienced climbers in this group. Get a handful of alpine draws for trad climbing to supplement your quickdraws, get more when you start climbing mountains. Stuff like prusiks, gloves, belay plate and a nanotrax+tiblock for rescue. I tried the simple overhand but I'm just too scared of it rolling and potentially open the loop so that's a no for me. If you plan on working easy'ish long pitches (ie. A benefit of slings is that they're cheaper than the PAS and they aren't single-purpose, like a PAS is. If I can ask a bunch of stupid questions here, I can get them out of the way before I do much actual climbing. 5 trad draws (shoulder length slings + 2 snapgates for each) 2-3 double length slings Quadruple length sling or cordelette + 3-4 locking biners for anchors Hexes, small cams, big cams, offset nuts, extra tricams and all of that can come later when he has a better idea of what he wants. Slings are static so a factor two is going to be disastrous. Clip the sling to the two bolts, then pull the center down to equalize, then do an overhand or 8 on a bight to create a master point. Reply [deleted] • A nut tool to remove stuck gear Five to ten shoulder slings for extending pieces (24 inch/60cm length is most common) Two or three double shoulder length slings, useful for building anchors on bolts (48 inch/120cm) A few free non-locking carabiners for extending pieces and other things One or two large locking carabiners for the anchor masterpoint I started climbing by sport climbing and picked up Petzl spirit draws from the get go. I recommend the Wild Country one with a leash) 1 cordalette (if you have 2, bring the other in the car. Previous to having this harness, I just squeezed all this stuff behind all the alpines, but it was a pain. Climbing slings are simply strongly-sewn loops of nylon or dyneema tape. Last thing you need is your biners catching on slings and gear as you try to release them. Roof, corner etc. Steep and cheap. That’s why every complete set of climbing equipment includes a wide variety of slings in various lengths and materials. My double lengths go around my shoulder and clip into itself. g. I find myself using the cordelette less and less often and just making anchors out of a double length sling and maybe an additional alpine draw. 8-12 is a good starting point. however, im not doing any trad, or using them in situations where weight/bulk is an issue. Living in North Carolina, there are so many great spots that I can't go to without knowing trad! We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. I know this is mainly subject to opinion but what length dogbones do you use on your quickdraws for trad? I was thinking that longer draws might be nice for the extension, but then again the whole reason I am using them in addition to alpine draws is to tidy up what I am carrying. 4 to 3). I also have multiple different slings with me anyway (Saxon Switzerland protection) and some spare biners on my harness. Usually bring 8-10 alpine shoulder length draws, 3 double length slings with carabiners over the shoulder ( for extension, anchor building, slinging shit, and rap tether), and often like 4 regular lightweight sport draws. Keep slack out of your static anchors. Standard UK rack for trad is a set of cams (DMM Dragon 0-6 or equivalent) a set of wires (DMM Wallnuts 1-11 or equivalent) and maybe 8-12 quickdraws. Honestly they are just a joy to clip and when I got into trad I just picked up some dyneema shoulder length slings and switched some of the biners off my sport draws onto them and made alpine draws. I climb with my shoulder lengths over one shoulder each with their own biner. If anyone has some tips or advice it would be much appreciated considering that some of the climbs out there require an anchor created entirely of chicken heads. Edit to say: I Also would include at least one double length sling and a few shoulder length slings. So you need to know exactly what length fits your requirements. Some opinions about this would be great. 3 to 0. If there are bolted anchors just get a double shoulder length sling and 4 locking biners. If your crag has a lot of meandering, zigzagging lines, you'll need more slings (and biners/crabs too) in order to prevent rope drag. all my slings are nylon because theyre cheap. Any suggestions on what a good “starter pack” would look like as far different cam/nut sizes? and then I can experiment and add to it based on need from there. 12s on trad) and he said just be thoughtful placing your gear, it shouldn't be too bad. Hi guys, I've been climbing sport for a long time and am interested in getting a trad rack. There is a climb I’m wanting to project, and the top is accessible by foot to set up a top rope. Is it as safe to weight any knotted segment as it is the ends? I'm about to buy gear and was discussing quickdraws with a friend. What type of climbing will you be doing? For me, I go with a pre-built 120cm sling quad anchor for anything bolted, 120cm sling for building trad anchors, and a 20’ cordalette for anywhere I need to extend an anchor. This thread will be posted again every Sunday so there should always be an opportunity to ask your question and have it answered. I've got mainly 18s, a few alpines when on multipitch. I use several 60cm slings doubled back on themselves as normal draws, and when the need to extend, I unlock one carabiner which allows me to quickly, one handed, extend the sling. So while climbing my stuff is well organized and easy to deal with What do you do when you take off all your slings, how do you store them/keep them organized and untangled? Grab 10-15 shoulder-length slings (60cm) and 20-30 non-locking biners. With trad climbing, I think other options should be used to mitigate a weight difference, dependant on the situation, such as ground anchors/tethers, belaying off an anchor with upward pull resistance, and my personal favorite-- not falling. There are no bolts for anchors, but there are two trees. I was looking for some advice on placing chicken heads. 6 Experience: climbing for 5y, trad leading for one year ~35 pitches led total since my first lead last June. This will be her first outdoor climbing experience. Primary Climbing Area: Northeast USA, The Gunks Current Lead Range: up to 5. Harness isn't bulky but holds a lot of gear and is padded enough to be comfortable on multi pitch. Thanks! Rack suggestions Hey guys, I have been sport climbing/bouldering for a little over a year and a half now, and I have decided that I want to start getting into trad. Wirenose (or equivalent) if you can. 3-4 equivalent)/ $10 nut tool Mtnoutlet. 11b/c for sport and TR 5. Some areas may have bolted anchors that are easily accessible, in which case you'll just need slings and some more biners. IMO fancy carabiners dont really matter much for trad climbing and especially sling draws. Anything I should watch out for? I asked my buddy who is an older trad climber (been climbing for 30 years and climbed 5. Cams and tri cams work well in pockets. If your climbing coastal granite then having a mix of draws and runners makes more sense. 8 cams (Bd . Really depends on the scenario. These are my personal recommendations, but your list is also more than enough for most things in Squamish! Have fun! Reply reply mad_bromine • Please sort comments by 'new' to find questions that would otherwise be buried. im using them for anchors, extending rappels, PAS, organizing gear, etc. Fold it over on itself and clip the other end of the sling into your belay loop with a locker. Available in three lengths and with color coded slings; these long draws are made up of two Bravo carabiners joined by an 11 mm Monster Sling. I also wouldn't discount starting with a #4 depending on the area. Most alpine climbing you'd be doing shouldn't take more than a set of cams and a set of nuts unless you're doing big alpine rock routes like those in the Sierras. If shoulder or double length slings aren't long enough, use your untied cordalette instead. Quick question on how you sling a tree, chock stone, or thread through. Very overwhelmed on where to start. Sep 28, 2018 · Find rock climbing routes, photos, and guides for every state, along with experiences and advice from fellow climbers. 4-3 so little grey to big blue (dmm 0-5 maybe). vnsapeevskobpfhvmswcmuteggyphidjzxdhhambomupddyrmabfmn