Racking: Gear slings vs. Gear lops

[max]

I'd be interested to hear what people think about racking their gear. Gearslings? Gearloops? Both?

I usually rack pieces of pro on a gearsling, and put draws and biners on my harnesses gearsling. I like how the two are seperated, and it seems to make swapping and reorganizing gear easy and quick. It also seems to keep a good bulk of junk off the gearsling, making it easier to find what I want. And, it's easier for me to swing the gearsling out of the way or into an accesible position than stuff hanging from my harness. That is, in an ackward spot, stuff on the harness can get in the way and be hard to get to. Also, I've been using a gearsling for long enough that it just gets my head set straight when I put the gearsling over my head and onto my shoulders. Kind of a Jedi thing Anybody have anything insightful to add?

dave

[mr._happy]

draws on the rear harness loops.

passive pro--nuts, tri-cams, and small hexes--on the front loops, along with some free biners.

cams on a shoulder sling.

long slings round the other shoulder.

the passive pro is small enough that it doesn't really get in the way; the cams can be swung around the back on the sling.

cheers

[Bug]

Belay device, parabiner, and cleaning tool on rear harness loop. Cams and wires on a gear sling, draws and a few slung pieces on the other gear sling, Long runners over one shouder.

In alpine wall climbing there is often need to move the gear out of the way. For swapping leads it helps speed things up. For most trad routes it probably isn't that important but it is the way I always do it out of habit.

[pope]

My ass is big enough without a bunch of gear hanging off of it. My harness has no gear loops. I like everything on the shoulder, especially when scruffin' my way up a chimney.

[MATT_B]

For shorter routes with a small rack I like my gear loops. I prefer not to have the sling flooping raound and getting in my way. For longer routes where you are swinging leads, taking a biger rack and/or climbing chimneys a gear sling is the way to go.

[MounTAIN_Woman]

Gear sling for the lead rack, racked with nuts up front, cams in the rear, smallest to largest. A few extra 'biners at the very back. Quick draws on the harness loops, long runners slung over the other shoulder. We use this for both sport and alpine routes. The difference comes in seconding. On alpine routes, gear sling, which permits easy and fast re-racking at belays, and especially since our alpine harnesses do not have loops. Sport routes - harness loops.

[Dru]

Draws on the gear rack, not as much weight swinging around, easy to switch sides for the dreaded lieback up the corner with gear sling stuck between your body and the wall.

Gear on the harness. Nuts and Tricams on the left side cause i usually place those at a stance anyways, racked by size small at front big at back. Cams on the right side with TCUs etc. on the front loop and cams bigger than #2 Camalot on the rear loop. Usually place cams 1-handed & rapidly hence rack em on my right side. might move a few over left for the aforementioned lieback situation.

This way (with gear split up on the harness loops) i know which piece to reach for with which hand and where it is.On gear sling pieces all get mixed together but i find usually reaching for a draw it doesnt matter which draw i grab.

[Crackhead]

I hate gear slings!

I like to rack everything on my harness.

I've found that clipping the nut tool (on a B.D. neutrino with a keeper cord), extra lockers, cordalette on a locker, and my belay device to my chalk bag belt runner. This not only gets them off the harness and out of the way, but provides you with a spare emergency runner.

I've learned that you can never count on being able to reach something that is jammed into a corner. This is why I put a selection of everything on each side. A set and a half of nuts, split in two on either side. Usually a double set of cams with a set on each side for easy selection. It is very important to look ahead at each pitch, and rack accordingly to what you need. If you don't need the #3 camelot on the next pitch, leave it with the belayer. Stick your partner with all the gear you don't need for the next pitch. Less weight is good!

I quit taking quick draws on long routes because it is better to have more long runners. You can always double or triple them to make them Q.D. length. I put these on the two rear gear loops. I also put a few full length slings around my shoulder with two wire gate biners attatched for eazy access baby.

The more you climb, the more you will develope your skills and preferences.

Wear a helmet.

Smoke a bowl when you are back at the car.

Word up.

[erik]

it all depends what we got going on, sure i got my gear racked on a nice gear sling with loops, but for craggin i go with racing my gear on my hanress.....

small to large depending on quanity of gear i am using i may stager pices to eac side according to size or just have a set per side....

i have my stoppers put on two seperate biners, littel guys and the big ones..then cams with the 2' and 3' or maybe bigger rear loop with 3 draws to that as well, 2 draws on frnot gear loops with nutz and other cams.....

a couple extra biners a spare locker and belay device.......one xtra shoulder length over the shoulder (duh!) and a web-o-lette for fun...

in the mtns, i be usin me gear sling......racked accordingly to what we got going on...

i think there is no one way to do it right......

but being able to adapt to other methods is the way to go....

many partners dont have the same gear racking styles......whom ever brings the rack, sets the rule for racking....kinda what we work off......

adaptabilty is the key to success...

[Matt_Anderson]

I rack everything on my harness and use Misty Mountain harnesses because they have 6 - counte 'em 6 gear loops - Four on the top, two towards the rear on the back (They used to have seven, one centered in back and I miss it, it was great for water bottle, belay device, etc. no I just use the haul loop). The slings, including all of my runners (tripled down) go on the two lower ones, because they're pretty interchangable. Nuts on the front right, then cams in ascending order by size.

The plusses of this system are that it enables fewer pieces on each loop and enables me to pick each cam pretty much without looking (which I can't do if the loops are to crowded) and without fucking around with a gear sling to find a piece or having the gear sling swinging around in an awkward place.

[Matt]

I have a Metolius gear rack which has 4 segmented loops, just like the gear loops on most harnesses. I really like it because it allows me to sort my gear into groups i.e. draws, nuts, small cams, big cams, just like on my harness. The segmented loops keep everything from mushing together as it would if clipped to a plain gear sling or piece of webbing.

I hear if you have two Metolius gear racks you can fix them together to make one big wall rack. Has anyone tried this? How does it compare to a real big wall rack/chest harness with multiple gear loops on each side?

[Bronco]

Max, What's a gear lop?

I put big mess of pro on the sling and my draws on the harness. My nuts are always in my underpants. I have a neat old Choinard "seatbelt sling" that leaves you with a pretty good welt if you wear it all day. I have just started leading and haven't found a great racking system yet. One obvious thing I have figured out is really look at a pitch and dont take the stuff you don't (like that huge hex) need to minimize the bulk. I think someone already said that. More coffee!!

[texplorer]

I used to rack it all on my harness but chmimneying with four #5 camalots got kinda tough. Now I just solo and leave the gear behind I don't need.

[none_dup1]

Climber yelling down to belayer on a mixed route:

"I need a screw, my nuts are too small and I don't have any Friends. Send up some gear!"