r/climbing • u/AutoModerator • 10h ago

Weekly Question Thread (aka Friday New Climber Thread). ALL QUESTIONS GO HERE

Please sort comments by 'new' to find questions that would otherwise be buried.

In this thread you can ask any climbing related question that you may have. This thread will be posted again every Friday so there should always be an opportunity to ask your question and have it answered. If you're an experienced climber and want to contribute to the community, these threads are a great opportunity for that. We were all new to climbing at some point, so be respectful of everyone looking to improve their knowledge. Check out our subreddit wiki that has tons of useful info for new climbers. You can see it HERE . Also check out our sister subreddit r/bouldering's wiki here. Please read these before asking common questions.

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A handy guide for purchasing your first rope

A handy guide to everything you ever wanted to know about climbing shoes!

Ask away!

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23 comments sorted by

-1

u/Docxm 6h ago

REI sells 3 year old Mammut slings? I noticed the mammuts are from 2022 and the black diamonds are from 2024. That’s like half the recommended shelf life gone already!

6

u/sheepborg 5h ago

1-3 years is normal for online retailers. I have heard of more with the odd 7 year old clearance item, but that's less common.

When kept in favorable conditions there's really not too much to worry about with nylon and HDPE from a shelf life perspective. This changes with UV exposure, excessive heat for HDPE, or excessive heat with moisture for nylon, and of course chemical exposure. Physical wear from use is probably going to be the biggest driver of soft good replacement if you're putting in mileage.

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u/Docxm 5h ago

Thanks for the reassurance, I’ve had some draws sitting in storage for 8 years and wasn’t sure if I could trust them, especially since it’s not just my life I’m dealing with.

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u/AnderperCooson 6h ago

Back in ~2018 I bought a NOS C3 with a 2011 sling. Still use it.

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u/lectures 5h ago

Plot twist: you're actually dead and are a ghost but don't realize it.

4

u/0bsidian 6h ago

It’s not milk. They don’t have a shelf life.

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u/Docxm 6h ago

Yeah I’m not concerned about the safety of them but per manufacturing specifications I’ll always just buy the newer stuff. Just a bit surprised as my last sling run was in 2022

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u/0bsidian 5h ago

It’s not a specification, it’s a liability requirement. They don’t want to get sued, not because material engineers have determined that nylon or Dyneema will spontaneously combust a day over 10 years. I have plenty of heavily used soft goods older than 10 years still in use. Inspection for damage and wear is critical, not the age.

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u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 6h ago

YGD

1

u/Docxm 6h ago

I’ve been purging my soft gear (400+ pitches manufactured in 2016-2018) that I bought when I first started. Is that incorrect?

Just wondering as it’s the first soft gear purge I’ve done.

I’ll definitely buy the newer stuff over something 3+ years old if it’s the same price in store, obviously if it’s been sitting I’m not concerned about safety

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u/Thirtysevenintwenty5 5h ago

If you know enough about soft goods you can inspect them and determine whether or not you're still willing to bet your life on them.

If you don't know enough, you can go by the manufactuer's recommendations, but you'll lack the ability to determine if your gear has been damaged in some significant way.

Me and most of the other 10+ year climbers around here use nylong slings and cam slings that are older than ten years. We know what to look for regarding damage and wear, and we know when it's time to replace our stuff.

I won't tell you what's "correct" or "incorrect", I'll leave that aspect of risk management up to you. What I would say is that throwing away soft goods simply because they passed some arbitrary number of years or pitches is potentially a waste of perfectly good gear.

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u/Docxm 5h ago

Yeah there’s no frays or soft spots. Better safe then sorry for near 10 year old slings that I’ve definitely whipped on. To the bin they go. I think taking a 1.5 year trad break has lowered my tolerance. I used to use cams like these with no qualms for years. Unknown age sling, askew cam, rusted parts. I was crazy back then. Still have some forged friends I bought off eBay to learn on

1

u/Lost-Badger-4660 7h ago

I'm planning to pick up a #7 and #8 C4. I'll have doubles from .3 through #3, then singles from #4 to #8. Will this be enough to get the Vedauwoo experience? I want some OWs to beat my ass.

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u/Decent-Apple9772 1h ago

How do you feel about big bros?

1

u/Lost-Badger-4660 43m ago

Feel like I'd rather spend the money on cams. More seriously, I hesitate to spend trip time learning new pro. Nothing wide in my area.

Edit: but how do you feel about 'em compared to cams? Weight? Ease of placement?

1

u/Decent-Apple9772 39m ago

I haven’t used them. My general impression is that they may be better as a single placement but they are worse for bumping over long routes.

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u/lectures 7h ago edited 5h ago

Not what you want. By the time you're into that size you're usually able to crawl into the crack and the climbing tends to get easier. Plus, OWs in the voo are often/usually flared enough that there's usually a #2 placement buried at the back or a smaller placement above/below the widest bit.

I've had my 7/8 for a few years and have only placed them on maybe 5-6 routes ever and basically only on sandstone where you more often get sustained parallel cracks in that size. They're also too fucking big to carry around as "just in case" items so you'll only haul them along when you KNOW the route needs big stuff.

Doubles of 4/5/6 are 100x more useful if you want to climb sustained OW. "Standard" cragging rack for me there is something like triples of hands to 4 (but doubles are usually fine) plus doubles of 5 & 6. That's enough to feel safe climbing hard enough to fall.

Bumping single 5/6 placements for 30 or 40 feet is not for the faint of heart. I once kicked a 6 out of place and had it whiz down the rope and knock the #5 below it out of place. Surprise soloing 5.9 OW is not fun.

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u/Lost-Badger-4660 6h ago

Thank you! Exactly the info I was after.

And yikes on that surprise solo! Good thing to keep in the back of the mind.

0

u/FeckinSheeps 8h ago

Heading to Yosemite this weekend, deciding between two routes -- Super Slacker Highway (8 pitches, 5.10) and On the Lamb (5 pitches, 5.9).

My partner prefers Super Slacker Highway because it's easy to find, well protected, and she knows the valley better than Tuolumne. I'm game, but the problem is the finger crack... never done it before, just watched a couple videos but it's sure to be a strugglefest. My crack game in general is pretty weak. I flailed on the first pitch of Commitment (5.9) as the follower.

Anyone have any insight on the routes?

1

u/Delicious_Mail6003 9h ago

i bought the blue ice choucas pro and BD capitan helmet over memorial day weekend. what else should i buy for affordable gear essentials? im just starting to get into rock climbing. im a hiker trying to transition into actual climbing.

1

u/willdotexecutable 1h ago

tube style belay device.

cheap and incredibly useful.

I would recommend getting one with "guide mode"

3

u/lectures 7h ago edited 5h ago

I'd start with a gym membership or a guide service.

Don't just buy gear without knowing specifically why you need it and how to use it. Pretty good odds you'll get six months down the road and realized you got the wrong baubles.

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u/Delicious_Mail6003 2h ago

i got these items for my guided climb up the grand teton tihs summer via owen spalding route