UKC

Slings and tapes will need replacing more than anything metal, your metal components can last you a lifetime depending on how often you use them, do you clean them, where are they stored ect... Just look for damage if there is any retire it. Now slings and tapes need monitoring a lot more, fluffyness is worse than a tear which people don't realise and still use super fluffy tapes on quick draws and cams, discolouration, more susceptible to UV damage

In reply to Jamie lewis walker:

Thanks for the advice.

In reply to Jamie lewis walker:

For me the fluffier my slings and extenders are the better, when I'm cacking myself halfway up a route with a huge run-out, I find having something soft to stroke immensely calming, the bastards at the RSPCA threatened to prosecute me if I didn't stop putting kittens in my chalk bag so fluffy slings are the next best thing.

Kittens are far superior though, much better at absorbing sweat.

In reply to Jamie lewis walker:

How will you see hairline fractures in a crab for example?

And where on earth do you get the information regarding slings & tapes?

In reply to Jamie lewis walker:

All this talk of gear makes me laugh. How many accidents have you heard about where the direct cause of injury or death was due to a sling or carabiner snapping? The only thing I really worry about is sharp edges. I may be wrong but I'd like to see some statistics.
I have a mixture of gear ranging for new to antique. no drama

In reply to Dave Perry:

Furry slings indicate that fibres have been cut across the full width of the sling, a small nick in the side of the sling is only indicative of a very small number of damaged fibres.
How exactly do you suggest you're going to develop a fracture in a crab which won't propagate all of the way through it? I can't think of any way in which this could happen (assuming that you are not using the gear in really weird ways).

In reply to Jamie lewis walker:

I replace them when they get to fluffy or 3-5 years, depending on the material.

Interesting read, but in German:
http://www.alpenverein.de/chameleon/public/680b860c-9024-12d6-b775-6f9219bc...

In reply to Jamie lewis walker:

Fluffy slings are less strong than shiny new ones. Big deal. When I retired my last lot they were ~10yo and I considered them pretty ropey. They tested to >50% of their rating which is plenty strong enough for me.

As for all the talk of fractured metalwork... What on earth are you guys doing with your gear? With the exception of my HMS my ~15yo krabs are probably all under 250 load cycles at a tiny fraction of their rated strength. They're not cracking and they've no reason to.

Some of my wires are showing age with the odd broken strand but I can see/feel that easily.

jk

In reply to jimjimjim:

Doesn't happen too often, but consequences are quite harsh...

http://www.climbing.com/climber/loss-of-a-legend/
Something less than a week old: https://www.reddit.com/r/climbing/comments/3l01t9/psa_retire_your_rope_befo...

In reply to PPP:
The rope snapping incident would be the first one I've ever heard of in normal climbing situations. The belay loop failure is more real and does go to show what can happen. From reading the article I'd did seem that it was badly worn though and in those circumstances it would seem obvious to replace it. Tragic loss of life for something so simple.
Of course it's worth keeping an eye on your gear but my point is that if you followed the advice of some it would mean replacement of perfectly good gear too often. That said it can be a dangerous game so it's up to the individual.

In reply to Jamie lewis walker: Replace gear as soon as you stop totally trusting it.
At a BMC meeting a couple of years ago they broke a really manky, very faded ex fixed tape sling. Can't remember what it broke at but it was high. Maybe Offwidth can remember the numbers. I plead a senior moment!

In reply to jkarran:

At the same time slings are pretty cheap, so big deal replacing them.

In reply to tjin:


I'm not suggesting people don't replace them, just providing some perspective. Clearly they do deteriorate with use, perhaps faster than some people might imagine, perhaps slower.

jk

In reply to spenser:

I don't know that's why I was asking the OP!

Hairline fractures in aircraft don't necessarily go all the way through the metal,but hopefully get noticed before bits fall off!

In reply to Dave Perry:

Obvious but relevant: carabiners aren't aircraft.

jk

In reply to Dave Perry:

Hey Dave, this topic was actually meant as a reply to someone else's topic but ended up being a topic itself!
My information comes from the manufacturers themselves. I work in a climbing wall and look after the equipment.
Obviously at a wall I must replace more frequently than my personal equipment. Someone asked for advice so I shared my experience and knowledge.

I don't know what you would have to do to put a hairline fracture in a crab but I'm pretty sure its a lot more than someone taking a fall on it, if it does get damaged in that way from a fall then i would say the product would not have passed safety regulations in the first place.

In reply to Jamie lewis walker:



Have you seen the demonstrations at the ( DMM ?) factory?

Everybody hammers the f*** out of a krab and then it gets tested in a pull machine, always still well strong.
For years it was taboo to use a dropped krab until it was proved to be bunkum.

I will probably get corrected but the main problems with karabiners are corrosion on sea cliffs and rope damaging scores from weighting bolt hangers, and the odd worn out gate spring.