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My sister has been given a full climbing rack by a friend of a friend (it sounds dodgy to me). Is there a company that you can send gear to and they will check it and let you know if it's still usable?
Un-fortuneatly she can't get the history of the gear, so doesn't know how often its been used, looked after or if it's been fallen onto. Personally i recommended binning it, but she's reluctant to get rid if some of it is usable!.
Thanks.
Un-fortuneatly she can't get the history of the gear, so doesn't know how often its been used, looked after or if it's been fallen onto. Personally i recommended binning it, but she's reluctant to get rid if some of it is usable!.
Thanks.
In reply to trail_fairy: I'm not to sure, Suppose you could take it into your local climbing wall for some of the guys there to look at, Any chance of sending some detailed pictures and ill have a look for you
In reply to The Iceman: Cheers mate, will try and sort some photos tomorrow. I'm just thinking that some wear/damage may not be visable
In reply to trail_fairy: Hi
after reading your thread i'd offer this for what its worth;
spend 30 or forty quid on a new harness
ditch the rope and invest in a new one
as for krabs and wires, unless you can see huge great amounts of damage from sport clipping then i,d say they were fine
where wires are concerned unless the person it came from was taking real screamers of falls then i,d be happy to use em.
replace any cord/rope that has been used to tie hex's
apart from that if you suspect anything at all then replace it.
hope this helps
marc.
after reading your thread i'd offer this for what its worth;
spend 30 or forty quid on a new harness
ditch the rope and invest in a new one
as for krabs and wires, unless you can see huge great amounts of damage from sport clipping then i,d say they were fine
where wires are concerned unless the person it came from was taking real screamers of falls then i,d be happy to use em.
replace any cord/rope that has been used to tie hex's
apart from that if you suspect anything at all then replace it.
hope this helps
marc.
In reply to marcbristol: Cheers, i did tell her to bin/replace the rope/slings/cords etc straight away. Will check them out later and see what they look like. Not sure i'd trust them, but hey it's her call.
In reply to trail_fairy:
Most of it wont take any harm from being fallen onto, in fact you really have to try pretty hard to damage climbing gear in a way that's not immediately obvious. Chances are it's been bought by someone with plenty of enthusiasm, a bulging wallet and a habit of getting into new hobbies. If that's the case then chances are it'll be mint.
I'm not sure why a gift like that should seem dodgy unless you suspect the friend of a friend does his shopping in darkened car parks with a clawhammer?
jk
Most of it wont take any harm from being fallen onto, in fact you really have to try pretty hard to damage climbing gear in a way that's not immediately obvious. Chances are it's been bought by someone with plenty of enthusiasm, a bulging wallet and a habit of getting into new hobbies. If that's the case then chances are it'll be mint.
I'm not sure why a gift like that should seem dodgy unless you suspect the friend of a friend does his shopping in darkened car parks with a clawhammer?
jk
In reply to trail_fairy:
Perhaps more useful, a list of bad things to look for: (some of these are a little over the top - I seriously feel like I'm describing my rack
Wires: Rusty wire (light surface discolouration ok), frayed wire, deep (0.5mm+) and/or sharp tears/nicks in the alloy, damaged cable crimp (light surface damage ok)
Hexes: Significant deformation or tearing
Slings (including on cams, hexes etc): Furriness (a little light furriness is normal and ok), nicks, staining/discolouration, stiff or poor handling sections.
Rope: Soft spots, hard lumps, split sheath, bad furry sections, scorched sheath, stains or discolouration, oval or flattened sections, general grubbiness (indicative of careless use). Try to id the type of rope, it may help you get a feel for the age.
Krabs: Bubbly flakey corrosion (obvious and visible with naked eye), seized or sticking gates, deep (0.5mm+) nicks in the gear end krab, small nicks in the rope bearing surface, gates that don't close (indicative of deformed body)
Cams: As for wires, loose nuts (very old cams only), bent stems (small but stubborn bends in wire stems are ok, bent alloy stems aren't), visibly bent axles (the bit the cams pivot on)
Harness: Fraying, furriness, discolouration or staining, poor handling, broken or missing stitching, general shabbiness
And if you do talk her into getting rid of the soft bits, at least offer it up on here rather than bin it, I bet it's in better nick than my rack!
jk
Perhaps more useful, a list of bad things to look for: (some of these are a little over the top - I seriously feel like I'm describing my rack
Wires: Rusty wire (light surface discolouration ok), frayed wire, deep (0.5mm+) and/or sharp tears/nicks in the alloy, damaged cable crimp (light surface damage ok)
Hexes: Significant deformation or tearing
Slings (including on cams, hexes etc): Furriness (a little light furriness is normal and ok), nicks, staining/discolouration, stiff or poor handling sections.
Rope: Soft spots, hard lumps, split sheath, bad furry sections, scorched sheath, stains or discolouration, oval or flattened sections, general grubbiness (indicative of careless use). Try to id the type of rope, it may help you get a feel for the age.
Krabs: Bubbly flakey corrosion (obvious and visible with naked eye), seized or sticking gates, deep (0.5mm+) nicks in the gear end krab, small nicks in the rope bearing surface, gates that don't close (indicative of deformed body)
Cams: As for wires, loose nuts (very old cams only), bent stems (small but stubborn bends in wire stems are ok, bent alloy stems aren't), visibly bent axles (the bit the cams pivot on)
Harness: Fraying, furriness, discolouration or staining, poor handling, broken or missing stitching, general shabbiness
And if you do talk her into getting rid of the soft bits, at least offer it up on here rather than bin it, I bet it's in better nick than my rack!
jk
In reply to trail_fairy:
Don't just bin it offhand. Most likely at worst you may need to bin all the fabric and keep all the metalwork.
There's some guidance about how to check gear on the Petzl website http://www.petzl.com/en/specifique-pro/menu-flottant/ppe-inspection click on checking of PPE
Don't just bin it offhand. Most likely at worst you may need to bin all the fabric and keep all the metalwork.
There's some guidance about how to check gear on the Petzl website http://www.petzl.com/en/specifique-pro/menu-flottant/ppe-inspection click on checking of PPE
In reply to petellis:
Yes. And cams can be reslung - I've just emailed wild country about some of mine.
Yes. And cams can be reslung - I've just emailed wild country about some of mine.
In reply to trail_fairy:
You have some good advice in this thread already, imo. I'd second what Jkarran has said. But to answer your original question:
Not a chance. There a quite a few companies that inspect PPE, but they're much too concerned with arse-covering from a liability point of view to tell you that something is ok without knowing its full history.
You have some good advice in this thread already, imo. I'd second what Jkarran has said. But to answer your original question:
> Is there a company that you can send gear to and they will check it and let you know if it's still usable?
Not a chance. There a quite a few companies that inspect PPE, but they're much too concerned with arse-covering from a liability point of view to tell you that something is ok without knowing its full history.
In reply to Swig:
And speaking of corporate liability.. Wild Country will only re-sling WC cams, and only then if they're not too old.
Thats because by re-slinging them and giving them back to you, they're also tacitly saying the cam is ok to use - which they will only do if its a cam they manufactured themselves and it hasn't reached its (entirely arbitrary) 'use by' date yet.
Every individual at the company may tell you, off the record, that a certain piece of gear is perfectly fine, on the record they'll still be obliged to tell you to bin it and buy a new one.
As with so many things, blame the ambulance chasers.
> Yes. And cams can be reslung - I've just emailed wild country about some of mine.
And speaking of corporate liability.. Wild Country will only re-sling WC cams, and only then if they're not too old.
Thats because by re-slinging them and giving them back to you, they're also tacitly saying the cam is ok to use - which they will only do if its a cam they manufactured themselves and it hasn't reached its (entirely arbitrary) 'use by' date yet.
Every individual at the company may tell you, off the record, that a certain piece of gear is perfectly fine, on the record they'll still be obliged to tell you to bin it and buy a new one.
As with so many things, blame the ambulance chasers.
If you dropped a belay device down a crag but it looks fine is it possible that it may have invisible internal cracks/damage that might make it unsafe? Can it be scanned in any way to check? Anyone know a climbing radiographer? Do climbing equipment manufacturers have metal internal checking equipment?
In reply to imagist:
It's probably cheaper to get a new belay device that have someone with an expensive machine (maybe like in the link) to check it:
http://www.ndt.ltd.uk/ultrasonic-immersion-inspection.html
It's probably cheaper to get a new belay device that have someone with an expensive machine (maybe like in the link) to check it:
http://www.ndt.ltd.uk/ultrasonic-immersion-inspection.html
In reply to imagist:
Horse answered that many moons ago, the alloy will be fine if it shows no sign of damage.
Horse answered that many moons ago, the alloy will be fine if it shows no sign of damage.
In reply to sutty:
Yeah, I think he said steel gear could have hidden damage but aluminium wouldn't but I didn't want to mislead anyone.
Yeah, I think he said steel gear could have hidden damage but aluminium wouldn't but I didn't want to mislead anyone.
In reply to deepsoup:
Absolutely correct and I would add that the only way to really ascertain if an item is for _certain_ fit to be used is destructive testing which is rather self defeating
afaik this is the reason that EICA ratho could never get insurance for their bolted rock lines inside the centre. Each bolt placement was unique and the only way to be certain any given bolt was 100% safe was to break it.
Manufacturers get round this obviously by submitting that if a gazillion items are made in exactly the same way then breaking 10 of them as a test ascertains the strength of the rest.
> Not a chance. There a quite a few companies that inspect PPE, but they're much too concerned with arse-covering from a liability point of view to tell you that something is ok without knowing its full history.
Absolutely correct and I would add that the only way to really ascertain if an item is for _certain_ fit to be used is destructive testing which is rather self defeating
afaik this is the reason that EICA ratho could never get insurance for their bolted rock lines inside the centre. Each bolt placement was unique and the only way to be certain any given bolt was 100% safe was to break it.
Manufacturers get round this obviously by submitting that if a gazillion items are made in exactly the same way then breaking 10 of them as a test ascertains the strength of the rest.
In reply to trail_fairy: Any qualified climbing instructor is capable of assessing whether equipment is serviceable, as will be many experienced climbers.
However, if you want a reliable and definitive answer any full member of the Association of Mountaineering Instructors with AMI liability insurance is competent and more importantly fully insured to provide professional technical advice.
However, if you want a reliable and definitive answer any full member of the Association of Mountaineering Instructors with AMI liability insurance is competent and more importantly fully insured to provide professional technical advice.
In reply to henwardian: Utter rubbish. If this is the case then why am i paid to go and pull test bolts set into stone of a building in London?
The only stipulation in the law regarding the inspection of equipment is the use of the word "competent" this certainly doesn't involve insurance or qualifications just experience.
The only stipulation in the law regarding the inspection of equipment is the use of the word "competent" this certainly doesn't involve insurance or qualifications just experience.
In reply to The Iceman: Cheers for all the advise and suggestions. Sounds like i'm being overly cautous.
The gear does appear quite old. The cams need a service as the action is quite stiff/sticky. But the gates on the crabs are smooth.
Some pictures are here....
http://www.cig.canon-europe.com/a?i=9IjNKdFKw0
The gear does appear quite old. The cams need a service as the action is quite stiff/sticky. But the gates on the crabs are smooth.
Some pictures are here....
http://www.cig.canon-europe.com/a?i=9IjNKdFKw0
In reply to trail_fairy: The other thing i notice, on the crabs, the strength rating for gate closed and cross loading (has no gate open rating) are stated in kg. Does this help in giving them an age?
Cheers
Cheers
In reply to muppetfilter:
No, your writing rubbish.
Bolts for climbing have to conform to a completely different standard than industrial fastenings. There are no bolts available on the market under this standard that can or may be proof tested.
They could of course be made and certified (and the CE norm changed or a new one written) but the costs would be completely out of proportion to the possible market!
Climbing wall bolts come under yet another standard (and are not also proof tested) but require a structural certificate for the strength of the structure, there is no standard for climbing wall bolts set in natural rock.
Jim
No, your writing rubbish.
Bolts for climbing have to conform to a completely different standard than industrial fastenings. There are no bolts available on the market under this standard that can or may be proof tested.
They could of course be made and certified (and the CE norm changed or a new one written) but the costs would be completely out of proportion to the possible market!
Climbing wall bolts come under yet another standard (and are not also proof tested) but require a structural certificate for the strength of the structure, there is no standard for climbing wall bolts set in natural rock.
Jim
In reply to trail_fairy:
Most are old, but look ok to use after looking at the area the rope runs in with no nicks. I thought you had my rack for a moment.
If you have a couple of them on your rack at all times, they would be the ones to leave in emergency as modern ones are a lot lighter usually.
Most are old, but look ok to use after looking at the area the rope runs in with no nicks. I thought you had my rack for a moment.
If you have a couple of them on your rack at all times, they would be the ones to leave in emergency as modern ones are a lot lighter usually.
In reply to trail_fairy:
I have to say, this stuff looks really old. The crabs look similar to the ones my dad used for mountaineering when we were children (physically as well as mentally) and I'm pretty sure he had had them for some time even then. I have some that look similar in the bottom of my "random gear" box which includes everything I have liberated from random crags outside as well. Specific note on the cams: forged friends are not so good in horizontal placement because of their rigid stems.
Personally I would not really feel happy climbing on this stuff and would probably only take a few of the crabs to leave when retreat is required. However I know plenty of people who happily use 30 year old ropes and harnesses so I guess it really depends on whether you are happy to gamble you life on suspect kit for the sake of a few hundred pounds for new stuff
And thanks Jimtitt for standing up for me, I'm not sure enough of my facts to do it myself ^ ^
I have to say, this stuff looks really old. The crabs look similar to the ones my dad used for mountaineering when we were children (physically as well as mentally) and I'm pretty sure he had had them for some time even then. I have some that look similar in the bottom of my "random gear" box which includes everything I have liberated from random crags outside as well. Specific note on the cams: forged friends are not so good in horizontal placement because of their rigid stems.
Personally I would not really feel happy climbing on this stuff and would probably only take a few of the crabs to leave when retreat is required. However I know plenty of people who happily use 30 year old ropes and harnesses so I guess it really depends on whether you are happy to gamble you life on suspect kit for the sake of a few hundred pounds for new stuff
And thanks Jimtitt for standing up for me, I'm not sure enough of my facts to do it myself ^ ^
In reply to trail_fairy:
I don't know definitavely but i gather age doesn't really bother stuff like krabs. There is nothing in those photos that isn't in service regularly and reliably on many folks racks. I use a belay plate that looks like that one and i have the same hexes. When I started i was using older karabiners than them (my folks cast-offs from 25 years ago).
Personally I'd re-tape the cams and hexes and begin using (I bet the tapes are still strong enough butI'd want the peace of mind to be gained from doing so).
> (In reply to trail_fairy) The other thing i notice, on the crabs, the strength rating for gate closed and cross loading (has no gate open rating) are stated in kg. Does this help in giving them an age?
I don't know definitavely but i gather age doesn't really bother stuff like krabs. There is nothing in those photos that isn't in service regularly and reliably on many folks racks. I use a belay plate that looks like that one and i have the same hexes. When I started i was using older karabiners than them (my folks cast-offs from 25 years ago).
Personally I'd re-tape the cams and hexes and begin using (I bet the tapes are still strong enough butI'd want the peace of mind to be gained from doing so).
In reply to imagist:
X-ray inspection of karabiners etc would not be cost-effective. My guess is that the manufacturers do not use any imaging, but rather destructive batch testing and a well monitored quality control on the PRODUCTION process
X-ray inspection of karabiners etc would not be cost-effective. My guess is that the manufacturers do not use any imaging, but rather destructive batch testing and a well monitored quality control on the PRODUCTION process
In reply to trail_fairy:
WHY does it sound dodgy to you?
> My sister has been given a full climbing rack by a friend of a friend (it sounds dodgy to me).
WHY does it sound dodgy to you?
In reply to henwardian:
Muppetfilter is quite right though, in saying that it isn't *generally* the case that you need to destroy something in order to adequately test it; you can apply a 'proof load' which is more than the maximum load you anticipate by a certain factor, and if the -whatever it is- isn't damaged or deformed, you know it'll be ok at the lower load.
For industrial fall arrest anchors there's a European standard (BS-EN795) which suggests a load of 1.5kN (equivalent to a static load of about a ton and a half) applied for 3 mins.
Not that that is at all relevant to the OP, you're quite right to suggest there's no meaningful way he can test this old gear, probably at all, but certainly without trashing it.
There was a chap from DMM on the CragX stand at Cliffhanger, in Sheff, earlier this year who brought a testing rig along and was running a "you bring it, I'll destroy it" service. That was interesting, while I was hanging about chatting to folk and coveting all the shiny things he broke quite a few old carabiners very like the OP's - even the really ancient ones all seemed to meet or exceed the load stamped on them. The only one I saw that didn't was *massively* corroded, having been sat on a sea-cliff for a few years.
Personally, I'd prolly be happy enough to use the metal stuff, if it looked and felt 'right' to me - I'd replace all the textile bits, slings & wotnot. I'd prolly want to replace the carabiners asap though, not so much because they're suspect as because modern crabs are *so* much lighter and nicer to use.
Muppetfilter is quite right though, in saying that it isn't *generally* the case that you need to destroy something in order to adequately test it; you can apply a 'proof load' which is more than the maximum load you anticipate by a certain factor, and if the -whatever it is- isn't damaged or deformed, you know it'll be ok at the lower load.
For industrial fall arrest anchors there's a European standard (BS-EN795) which suggests a load of 1.5kN (equivalent to a static load of about a ton and a half) applied for 3 mins.
Not that that is at all relevant to the OP, you're quite right to suggest there's no meaningful way he can test this old gear, probably at all, but certainly without trashing it.
There was a chap from DMM on the CragX stand at Cliffhanger, in Sheff, earlier this year who brought a testing rig along and was running a "you bring it, I'll destroy it" service. That was interesting, while I was hanging about chatting to folk and coveting all the shiny things he broke quite a few old carabiners very like the OP's - even the really ancient ones all seemed to meet or exceed the load stamped on them. The only one I saw that didn't was *massively* corroded, having been sat on a sea-cliff for a few years.
Personally, I'd prolly be happy enough to use the metal stuff, if it looked and felt 'right' to me - I'd replace all the textile bits, slings & wotnot. I'd prolly want to replace the carabiners asap though, not so much because they're suspect as because modern crabs are *so* much lighter and nicer to use.
In reply to jimtitt:
Industrial fall-arrest anchors don't *have* to be proof tested either, they too can be signed off by a structural engineer ('proved by calculation') can't they?
I'm not at all surprised that there isn't a specific standard for climbing wall bolts set in natural rock, Ratho aside, who has any of *those*? But in the absence of a more specific standard could they not be tested to the industrial standard? (EN795 and/or BS7883)
It doesn't seem unreasonable that a bolt used by a leader in a climbing wall should be at least as strong as one used by a roped access window washer like Mr Filter*.
Sx
* - Oh yes you are! Protest all you like. You see yourself as some kind of superhero rushing to save us all from our own stupidity with your superior -whatever- but actually, this is you: http://frigginrandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/batmanwindowwasher.jpg
> Climbing wall bolts come under yet another standard (and are not also proof tested) but require a structural certificate for the strength of the structure, there is no standard for climbing wall bolts set in natural rock.
Industrial fall-arrest anchors don't *have* to be proof tested either, they too can be signed off by a structural engineer ('proved by calculation') can't they?
I'm not at all surprised that there isn't a specific standard for climbing wall bolts set in natural rock, Ratho aside, who has any of *those*? But in the absence of a more specific standard could they not be tested to the industrial standard? (EN795 and/or BS7883)
It doesn't seem unreasonable that a bolt used by a leader in a climbing wall should be at least as strong as one used by a roped access window washer like Mr Filter*.
Sx
* - Oh yes you are! Protest all you like. You see yourself as some kind of superhero rushing to save us all from our own stupidity with your superior -whatever- but actually, this is you: http://frigginrandom.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/batmanwindowwasher.jpg
In reply to trail_fairy: probably goes without saying, but a belay plate wants a screwgate not a snap. ( just from the pics and sorry if that is really patronising) i use that sort of gear, but mainly for leaver beaners etc. those big snap gates are really good for racking nuts too.
In reply to w.pettet-smith: Yeah cheers, i'd just grouped everything on snaplinks do i could take pictures of the screw gates properly.
Thanks for all the replys and help guys. Looks like i was just been too cautious.
I just thought it would be a bit 'dodgy' to still use them and trust them, but you learn something new everyday.
Just need to re-sling the cams (and oil) and hex's and they're good to go.
Thanks again.
Thanks for all the replys and help guys. Looks like i was just been too cautious.
I just thought it would be a bit 'dodgy' to still use them and trust them, but you learn something new everyday.
Just need to re-sling the cams (and oil) and hex's and they're good to go.
Thanks again.
In reply to trail_fairy:
That gear looks positively new compared to the belay plate and crab that Jim Titt (my brother) used to belay me with at the weekend (at the excellent Gower festival), I was using one of those 3,000kg Clog D screwgates to belay him....
I gave Jim another 3,000kg Clog D to take back to Bolt Products German testing facility; I stopped using it because it was worn out (the gate closing sleeve jammed open or shut because of wear-that takes some use to achieve) I bet the crab exceeds 3,000kg though.
That gear looks positively new compared to the belay plate and crab that Jim Titt (my brother) used to belay me with at the weekend (at the excellent Gower festival), I was using one of those 3,000kg Clog D screwgates to belay him....
I gave Jim another 3,000kg Clog D to take back to Bolt Products German testing facility; I stopped using it because it was worn out (the gate closing sleeve jammed open or shut because of wear-that takes some use to achieve) I bet the crab exceeds 3,000kg though.
In reply to deepsoup:
> For industrial fall arrest anchors there's a European standard (BS-EN795) which suggests a load of 1.5kN (equivalent to a static load of about a ton and a half) applied for 3 mins.
>
1.5kN is only equivalent to 1½t in your special world where equivalence has a 1:10 deepsoup factor. Out here in the real world we need 15kN to approximately equate to 1½t. >
In reply to scott titt:
Yeah, gower was good, thanks to you or your brother for bringing a few bolts and stuff along, its always interesting to know what bolts are actually made of and how strong they are.
Yeah, gower was good, thanks to you or your brother for bringing a few bolts and stuff along, its always interesting to know what bolts are actually made of and how strong they are.
In reply to jkarran:
Great post jk, It's a shame so many people really don't understand the nature of climbing equipment, the abuse it takes and is made to take, and the signs of wear. This post reaks of common sense when deciding what is and isn't safe for use.
> (In reply to trail_fairy)
>
> Perhaps more useful, a list of bad things to look for: (some of these are a little over the top - I seriously feel like I'm describing my rack
>
> Wires: Rusty wire (light surface discolouration ok), frayed wire, deep (0.5mm+) and/or sharp tears/nicks in the alloy, damaged cable crimp (light surface damage ok)
>
> Hexes: Significant deformation or tearing
>
> Slings (including on cams, hexes etc): Furriness (a little light furriness is normal and ok), nicks, staining/discolouration, stiff or poor handling sections.
>
> Rope: Soft spots, hard lumps, split sheath, bad furry sections, scorched sheath, stains or discolouration, oval or flattened sections, general grubbiness (indicative of careless use). Try to id the type of rope, it may help you get a feel for the age.
>
> Krabs: Bubbly flakey corrosion (obvious and visible with naked eye), seized or sticking gates, deep (0.5mm+) nicks in the gear end krab, small nicks in the rope bearing surface, gates that don't close (indicative of deformed body)
>
> Cams: As for wires, loose nuts (very old cams only), bent stems (small but stubborn bends in wire stems are ok, bent alloy stems aren't), visibly bent axles (the bit the cams pivot on)
>
> Harness: Fraying, furriness, discolouration or staining, poor handling, broken or missing stitching, general shabbiness
>
> And if you do talk her into getting rid of the soft bits, at least offer it up on here rather than bin it, I bet it's in better nick than my rack!
>
> jk
>
> Perhaps more useful, a list of bad things to look for: (some of these are a little over the top - I seriously feel like I'm describing my rack
>
> Wires: Rusty wire (light surface discolouration ok), frayed wire, deep (0.5mm+) and/or sharp tears/nicks in the alloy, damaged cable crimp (light surface damage ok)
>
> Hexes: Significant deformation or tearing
>
> Slings (including on cams, hexes etc): Furriness (a little light furriness is normal and ok), nicks, staining/discolouration, stiff or poor handling sections.
>
> Rope: Soft spots, hard lumps, split sheath, bad furry sections, scorched sheath, stains or discolouration, oval or flattened sections, general grubbiness (indicative of careless use). Try to id the type of rope, it may help you get a feel for the age.
>
> Krabs: Bubbly flakey corrosion (obvious and visible with naked eye), seized or sticking gates, deep (0.5mm+) nicks in the gear end krab, small nicks in the rope bearing surface, gates that don't close (indicative of deformed body)
>
> Cams: As for wires, loose nuts (very old cams only), bent stems (small but stubborn bends in wire stems are ok, bent alloy stems aren't), visibly bent axles (the bit the cams pivot on)
>
> Harness: Fraying, furriness, discolouration or staining, poor handling, broken or missing stitching, general shabbiness
>
> And if you do talk her into getting rid of the soft bits, at least offer it up on here rather than bin it, I bet it's in better nick than my rack!
>
> jk
Great post jk, It's a shame so many people really don't understand the nature of climbing equipment, the abuse it takes and is made to take, and the signs of wear. This post reaks of common sense when deciding what is and isn't safe for use.
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