UKC

I am thinking about gear that is no longer state-of-the-art but was a revelation compared to what it replaced when I got it. Number 1 is my over the head, short zip three quarter length cagoule, probably 50 years ago. No breathability but light, compact, waterproof, windproof and a very reassuring piece of kit to have in my rucksack. From about the same time my Kletts. I have odd-shaped feet so finding boots that were comfortable for long walks but sensitive enough to do easy climbs in was a huge step forward. About that time, I borrowed for a day a friend’s ventile jacket which had some down insulation. Whether it was a great as it seemed on the day, warm, comfortable and waterproof, is hard to know and I have never felt able to justify the expense of my own jacket

10 years on, my Force 10 tent. Did countless nights, had to be pitched well and in the right alignment, was heavy but comfortable and durable and never let me down. My good as new 40 year old Karrimat, light, quick and easy to use, comfortable and excellent insulation. My old Petzl headtorch. Great beam and made pitching a tent or getting off the mountain in the dark easy. The battery was heavy, expensive and didn’t last long and the bulbs were a bit iffy (changing a bulb in a howling gale never seemed likely to be successful) and the headband tended to go saggy.

Finally, my Sportiva Testarossas. Nearly 20 years old (not used for about 10 years but now shoe of choice), on their 5th sole and every chance they will justify more resolings (thanks to Llanberis Resoles). Much more technical than I usually use but finally comfortable and will never be the reason I don’t get up  route.

Steve

In reply to Steve T Brighton:

The Moac

In reply to Steve T Brighton:

"Banana" curve axes. Never did a lot of ice climbing, and my first few trips were on borrowed axes of the then traditional shape - felt very insecure. I then borrowed one of the new fangled reverse curve axes! A few years later I had saved up enough for a pair of Mountain Technology "Vertiges" which I still have (though they haven't been used in 17 years)

In reply to Steve T Brighton:

Jetboil. Significantly reduced the chance of me going up in an inferno of nylon and feathers.

In reply to Steve T Brighton:

Sticht plate, wired nuts, fibre pile, karrimat.

In reply to Steve T Brighton: Getting a pair of sticky rubber Fires in the mid 80s which replaced some EBs. My climbing instantly jumped up a grade 

In reply to Steve T Brighton:

I'm guessing your cagoule was a Peter Storm? I had the royal blue one and also a home made one.  Whilst we're on clothing Helly Hansen Polar wear was a big improvement on Damart next to the skin in Winter. I too had (still have) the Vango Force X mark III nylon tent but had to swap the nylon fly for a cotton one as the other was too noisy in a wind.

My choice for a piece of step up gear would be the advent of harnesses (thank you Troll), having spent the first years tying on direct to the rope or with a hemp waistline and big steel crab (anybody else remember the Tarbuck Knot?) then later a waistbelt.

Ready made nuts were good too - saved filing the thread out of machine nuts. Nice light and supple kernmantel ropes improved things, as did the Sticht plate in ending the waist belay days, wired nuts then sticky rubber and of course cams.

In reply to Martin Bennett:

 Nice light and supple kernmantel 

Yes  ✔️

In reply to Steve T Brighton:

My Ultimate Peapod tent that replaced an ex army one with no groundsheet and ties but no zips.

Think of the Camping episode from Bottom. 

In reply to Steve T Brighton:

Hmm... I think the cagoules that we had in those days promised quite a bit more than they delivered. 'Peter Storm - makes great looking climbers.' Maybe so, but they kept you dry for literally 5 minutes in a proper downpour, and then you got pi$$ wet through - and wouldn't dry out.

Moacs were extraordinary, when you think about it they are still the basis for nuts we use today.  There was a placement on Diagonal that was practically a mould for one! Designed by John Brailsford, I think, father  of Sir Dave...

Sticht plates are amazing, such a simple chunk of metal but they made belaying safe (previously we used to rely on gardening gloves) and replaced any number of wacky metal devices to do safe abseils. 

I love my Mountain Technology axe and hammer. I know they're the wrong shape, but when I whack 'em in on the stuff I do nowadays they work well enough, and they are beautifully made.

In reply to Steve T Brighton:

Ah Steve, milestones in progress, I was glad of my cagoule when it stated to piss down after doing the wall part on 2nd pitch of the Fang. I had to stand on the edge waiting for rock to dry before starting the run out to the top.   Hemp waistlines steel crabs & the Tarbuck knot. I clipped into the tarbuck  knot loop just as I was making the last moves on to The Gates belay.  Kletts always used them for years until i slid off the slab on Tensor, Borrowed some Pierre Allens? sticky rubber things and pissed it the week after.  Willens Harness that was a milestone. And you really took me back with the Force 10,  I put mine up in the garden last month just to sleep outside  Its got to be over 40 years old, just got a split in the corner of the ground sheet.  too good to take to the tip..     The stich plate has to be the best?

In reply to Steve T Brighton:

I've still got one of the first pieces of climbing gear that Gordon and I bought in 1967: a six-foot length of Viking No. 3 hawser-laid nylon rope that we tied into a sling with a double fisherman's knot. Brilliant for running belays - threaded round chockstones or draped over spikes (e.g., that flake beneath the Sloth roof). I was still using it up until a few years ago. 

p.s. I am tempted to get it strength tested one of these days: it would be interesting so see how much strength it has really lost after 53 years and a lot of use. (The original breaking stress was 3,600 lb IIRC.)

In reply to Steve T Brighton:

Chalk.

In reply to Rob Exile Ward:

Were carabiner belays not possible, in using the same arrangement one would abseil with, or were the ropes too stiff? 

In reply to Steve T Brighton:

Original Chouinard Stoppers and Hexentrics, RPs

In reply to Timmd:

Never thought of it - it would be difficult to test as well, whereas you could test your abseil with a top rope (not that I think I did!)

In reply to Trevor Langhorne:

I've just scanned an old slide of me leading the tope pitch of Concrete Chimney, which reminded me. It seemed to be a bit run out until I pulled round the overhang and found a slot that looked like it was moulded for my shiny new Stopper 6.

I can remember turning to my mate and shouting down 'I could kiss that Chouinard's a*rse!'

In reply to Timmd:

When I started climbing the usual method of abbing (without using the aforementioned wacky devices inc fig of 8s) was either classic (rope through crutch and over shoulder), or more often the rope was passed through a krab on a sitsling and then over the shoulder.  The latter method would not be much use for belaying (without the krab I suppose this would have been the equivalent of the shoulder belay which was still used sometimes but was increasingly regarded as unsafe, especially for belaying a leader).

The Munter hitch, which does use just a krab, gained popularity for belaying and abbing in the 70s at very roughly the same the same time as the Sticht plate started to be widely used (if my memory is correct). Its never been that popular in the UK and would be very difficult or impossible to use with double ropes I suppose. I've occasionally used just the rope through a sling on a spike as a quick direct belay for seconds. I think sometimes people may have twisted a bight of rope before clipping it in for a direct belay, though I've never seen that and it must have been a pain to take in. I also sometimes abbed with the rope wrapped two or three times round the spine of a krab, which could be exciting and kinked the rope badly.

Done correctly with gloves and a turn round the braking wrist the waist belay is very reliable. Personally I think sometimes, especially in abroad, belaying a leader was often made safe due to the rope passing through several runners and reducing the severity of a fall, especially with a variety of ways used to hold the rope by the second. 

Full weight hawser laid nylon ropes were pretty stiff but I've had little experience with them. By the early seventies kernmantel was becoming almost omnipresent in the UK. 

Edit. I suppose in the UK the Munter hitch was used mainly attached to the harness, with direct belays being rare. So both increased use of plates and hitches was dependent on the new sit harnesses being available.

In reply to Steve T Brighton: I always had room on my rack for one of the original Chouinard number 6 Stoppers (straight sided).

In reply to Steve T Brighton:

the Lowe Tuba. Far far less grabby than the sprung sticht plate I had then. Yeti gaiters were another thing I loved. I managed to get some rubber strips from a mate who worked at a tyre plant so that I could re-inforce the sole rand from crampon damage. 
Ultrafleece salopettes the wind resistance was a bit of a revelation and perfect for winter routes. I think I still have them somewhere. 

In reply to Steve T Brighton:

Whilst I am old enough to get involved in the 4 Yorkshiremen element of this thread, I will bring it forward a bit.

Leashless ice axes, sharp ice screws and clipper racks have taken at least a grade off everything. 

In reply to Presley Whippet:

Surely two grades on grit?