UKC

Trad is an undeniably kit-intensive activity, and when you're starting out it can be confusing as to what you do and don't need. What makes it all the more complex is that what you'll need will depend on what grade you're climbing and what rock type you're climbing on. In this article we'll try to break down the options available and the choices you'll have as you make your way up through the grades, and onto different rock types.

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Nut key -- as essential as your wires. And if you want your wires to last, make your second use them on every nut, no yankin'!

Good point.

I take exception to the title, reminds me of " building a belay", hate the term. In the distant past, was told to put in a few points and tie some knots.

Otherwise, good article, Rob.

PS. Had a bad morning, spent most of it insuring a vehicle. Why should I need to spend 0.1% of my waking life sorting insurance for a car?

no mention of Totems? The most differentiated cam to the three brands mentioned… combination of narrow profile, cam shape and axles mean they fit in places the others don’t and tend to be confidence-inspiring 

Everybody can have their opinion.

Ukcers generally have an obsession with totems and octavias.

I played with totems in Needlesports, have climbed with several folk with an extensive selection. Dont like em. On long pitches just used them up asap to get them off my waist.

Off topic, but whilst looking for another vehicle, tried getting into both a superb and octavia estate. Cramped but OK once inside, could hardly get in and out of the door. No thanks. Bought an expert tepee instead, always wanted a 2.0hdi pre adblue, probs blow up next week.

Are you sure you're a climber if you don't like a Skoda Octavia?!?! 

😂

Maybe obvious to us but worth including a set of lockers in your list, including an HMS or two, for beginners' sake. 

And perhaps a few synonyms? I'd never use 'slingdraw' though it's obviously very clear what you mean! (Actually I remember spending the longest time trying to work out exactly what type of gear a 'runner' was...)

Good to still see hexes in here - I know they get a bad rep but at least on grit I find them invaluable for anchors (or the occasional placement at lower grades). That's particularly pertinent when you only have one small set of cams, as I suspect most beginners have as well, or in an anchor you're not right next to. I can think of a few classic Diffs and VDs that don't have much more than one obvious break for your anchor, and if you've used that cam on the route, you're screwed.

Borrow rack stuff of different types for a while to see what you like and what works in your area - where I live, micros are essential at all grades, and offsets and wallnuts are far more useful than Rocks. If you climb with someone else who's building a rack, pool your resources - one gets all the even size gear, the other the odd, that way you get a rack built faster and cheaper. Same goes for quickdraws, just get enough for the short routes you normally do and combine resources for long routes.

Worth mentioning the Blue Ice Alpine Runner is a lot easier to deal with one-handed while seconding than the open sling type. Sure, you can't use them as a sling, but them skinny orange ones in the photo (can't remember who makes them) are a pain to get the right strands clipped. They always want to twist the wrong way. The blue ice ones are way slicker and super quick to do back up as you clean them. I know it's a first world problem and you'll all say you just wrap them all over yourself somehow and faff them at the belay, but it's nice not having to.

Interesting: a lot of likes and just one dislike (not from me). I would yank every time. Getting the nut key out for every piece is maybe okay on e.g. Inverted V, but for something long where the clock is ticking it takes too long in my opinion. Even also on single pitch: if your friend has dragged you up something steep and slightly too hard for you (all of the examples which come to my mind are in Pembroke, but I guess that you can find steep and slightly too hard all over the country), then you are going to be more interested in getting that nut out as fast as possible than in fiddling around with the nut key.

I've had a to replace a few Wallnut 1 due to bent cables, but starting at 2 or at the most 3 then not really.

I like Totems as much as the next person but they're not really something to market to people starting out, unless those people starting out have £1000 to spaff on cams alone. 

I've retired and black and a blue totem now after 2 or 3 years of use due to cables fraying (which they won't repair). With that kind of return, a beginner will be chucking them out by the time they're experienced enough to get the most out of them.

A bog standard set of camalot/friend/dragon are much better for starting out. Your first rack should consist of workhorse kit. 

Only done TPS once as well.

Rightly or wrongly, I focussed this article/video on protection - which is what I've historically thought of as a 'rack'. The other stuff you need (i.e. belay device, screwgates nut key, prussik loops etc...) is something separate to that and definitely worthy of another article.

The other idea I'd had was to outline different racks for different areas. For instance, what you might want on a mountain multi-pitch in the Lakes, Eryri or Scotland compared to what you might want for a single pitch route in the Peak District.

Just the small detail of finding the time to write them, but they're definitely worthy of being written - especially if this one generates enough interest.

If some aspect of this article hadn't pissed someone off I'd have been disappointed. I'm just glad that it's this and not the quality of the contents 😂

What I've tended to do is just make my offsets and half nuts function as my "second set", though I can see the wisdom in having a second set of full size nuts from a different brand. Obviously being in possession of more options doesn't mean you have to carry all of them on every route!

It's the FAILURE TO MENTION EVERY SINGLE POSSIBLE MANUFACTURER OF GEAR that I can't forgive.

Many, many years ago I had the misfortune to have my entire rack and ropes stolen. A friend of my wife who had done some Alpine type stuff in his distant past lent me his gear. It consisted of four fluffy, blue Troll supertapes, a handful of karabiners, half a dozen nuts on wire and a rope so stiff that it was easier to fold than to coil.

Being much younger and much keener than I am now this was enough to allow me to continue climbing. It did reduce my already low grade climbing a bit as many pitches were now a lot more exciting than they would have been had I had my usual extensive rack of gear. But it did show me that I didn’t need all that expensive stuff that I always carried around. Plus I wasn’t having to carry anywhere near the same amount of weight up each route.

Needless to say, as soon as the insurance company paid out I immediately returned the borrowed gear and went out and replaced every item of equipment that I had lost.

Maybe it’s the lure of all that shiny metal and colourful equipment that’s the main attraction?

Maybe not the **main** attraction, but I it's definitely an aspect of Trad that appeals to the gear nerd. See also cycling (a complete mystery to me now despite being a keen triathlete about 15 years ago) and ski touring.

Yes, I definitely need some Punkys for Stanage.

Watched an American video on Youtube on a similar subject yesterday by coincidence (I know, I was desperate). It was fine but interesting difference in Straight Crack Land - he was pretty dismissive of hexes and did pretty much everything with unextended cams. (To be fair he did cover extending stuff to avoid drag).  Placing cams correctly is also a much under-discussed topic (not one I'd expect Rob to cover in this article btw). 

2x240 sling an absolute mega worthwhile investment for us newbies. On a lot of easy multipitches you often have one already being used at the belay anchor and then the leader gets to the top of the next pitch to find an absolute super gem of a block to belay off of, but no extra 240 to fit around it... Just my thoughts though...

You can always use the rope instead of a 240cm sling. I have a few but I'll rarely carry them unless I'm planning of taking a novice out and need to build independent belays for them.

It's a bit less flexible on a multipitch as if the rope forms part of the belay you are then committed to alternate leads - admittedly block leading is probably a bit less common in the UK as you're unlikely to be doing more than a handful of pitches.

A carefully worded diplomatic response, Rob, thanks.

Now I have retired , I dont have to be . Though TBH I never was on site when working.

Wrap a rope around it then! 😀 I've only started carrying a 240 cm sling recently after three decades of regular climbing. Helpful at times but you don't "need" one. 

Ha!  Splendid description.  Brings back many memories, mostly of days when I was young and keen, and frequently cold and wet.

T.

God I hate those peanuts. Someone probably loves them but getting one to seat nicely is hard work to me. The half nuts on the other hand seem to get some mega placements where nothing else will go. Think the small purple ones good for a mighty 4kn so not the most confidence inspiring on its own 

Yeah I really can't say I'm all that enamored with the peenut. Literally the only thing it has going for it is that it's cheap. It seats badly, it's not soft so it slips out of rock (my worst deck was caused by a peenut just ripping due to lack of friction), it's barely rated for much more than aid (but you'd never want to use it because of the above) and it's an annoying shape. 

I can't quite work out how it got past marketing. Why wouldn't you just say 'sorry, this is what it costs to make a safe and good product'. You don't need micro wires until climbing well into the E's, by which time you should be able to save and buy a few at a time if desperate (eg you just climb on slate).

Imagine if Black Diamond came along and said - hey - we're bringing our a new range of C4's that aren't really rated for lead falls and are shit to place but are only £75 a cam Vs £90. Can we persuade you to take your life into your own hands? Would you like half a brake pedal for your car?

Ok maybe I underestimated my own hatred for them.

I first bought Superlight Rocks many years ago (when Banana Fingers was a hut in a forest!) my mate immediately fell on the size 1 and permanently changed it's shape 😂 

Still have it, bomber!

But if you want to get more routes done get them to rip them out…