how do you rack slings.....

[A_Little_Off_Route]

...with a gear sling.

 

The hardmen that taught me to climb all used an over-the-shoulder gear sling on one side, and sewn or knotted slings on the other shoulder. I've just bought a Yates big wall harness and I have to say I like it. I've run into one problem though. Where to put the shoulder length runners?

 

Double length runners fit nicely, Rambo-style around the chest with a biner. They can go under or over the Yates sling itself but under the gear itself. Unclip the biner and they come off.

 

The shoulder length ones get stuck in all the hardware when you're trying to get them off and over your shoulder. Where do you put your 24" runners when you rack a Yates or similar gear rack?

 

Off_Route

[Tyson.g]

Rack them doubled up (shortened) with one biner and clip it to your harness.

Edited July 20, 2012 by Tyson.g

[A_Little_Off_Route]

Rack them doubled up (shortened) with one biner and clip it to your harness.

 

I'm familiar with the "trad draw" that uses 2 biners. How does one rack a sling with one biner? Just let it hang down 24"?

 

Off_Route

[Tyson.g]

No dude search for Alpine quickdraw.

Or take the 24 and do a half twist and double it. Now it is a 12. Do it one more time and it is a 6. One biner on it and rack it.

the Alpine draw method is a little cleaner when implemented but I have gotten used to my method.

Edited July 20, 2012 by Tyson.g

[Tyson.g]

alpine draw

 

For 48"s I will double or triple them over and tie a loose overhand knot and clip one of the sets of loops.

Edited July 20, 2012 by Tyson.g

[Crillz]

Just fold the 48" sling over twice (so you have basically 3 smaller loops), clip a biner through the whole thing on one end, hold the other end of loops and twist, then clip the biner through the other end/loops.

[KirkW]

Have your partner carry them and send them up on the tag line one at a time. Shouldn't take too long and they won't get tangled up with your cow bells that way.

[A_Little_Off_Route]

alpine draw

 

For 48"s I will double or triple them over and tie a loose overhand knot and clip one of the sets of loops.

 

Yeah, that's what I know of as a trad draw. Cool trick, but I'd like to carry some extra 24" slings without needing 2 biners for each.

 

Maybe I could tie an overhand knot in the middle and clip that....

 

Off_Route

 

[luvshaker]

I've tried many ways of carrying slings and tend to go with the alpine draw. but shoot, try it all, and come to your own conclusions. Here's what I have found.

 

-I have never needed a 48" draw. 20' cordelet's do it all at the belay. 24" do it on lead

-you don't need quick draws with alpine draws

-most nuts and/or cam extensions only need about 8" to get er done (that's what she said) and minimize rope drag

-on the occasion you do need 24" it takes a moment to re-configure, and then just let the floater biner dangle

-you ALWAYS need extra biners for stuff in the alpine

-wearing slings around your neck will get old in a hurry when removing your pack/shedding clothing

-not as clean to pass on to your partner when you switch leads

-did I mention anything rubbing on your neck sucks

Edited July 20, 2012 by luvshaker

[mattp]

For some scrappy climbs on blocky rock or with bushes involved I like to carry a 48" sling or maybe even two sometimes.

 

I carry them over the shoulder, in a configuration that I can best describe as that you would produce if you held one end of the sling at your waist, passed the other end of the sling (both strands), over a shoulder, and then brought it back around the other side and back to your waist and clip it end-to-end.

 

The result is that the sling is hung over one shoulder just as if you threw a 24" sling over your shoulder but it is two strands and you can deploy it by unclipping the 'biner and pulling it off your shoulder without having to take it over your head or otherwise sort it out from whatever else you have on yours shoulders like a rack or camera strap or whatever.

[Crack]

For some scrappy climbs on blocky rock or with bushes involved I like to carry a 48" sling or maybe even two sometimes.

 

I carry them over the shoulder, in a configuration that I can best describe as that you would produce if you held one end of the sling at your waist, passed the other end of the sling (both strands), over a shoulder, and then brought it back around the other side and back to your waist and clip it end-to-end.

 

The result is that the sling is hung over one shoulder just as if you threw a 24" sling over your shoulder but it is two strands and you can deploy it by unclipping the 'biner and pulling it off your shoulder without having to take it over your head or otherwise sort it out from whatever else you have on yours shoulders like a rack or camera strap or whatever.

 

About two minutes in -->

 

A review of (often) wasting biners -->

[markwebster]

I carry a few slings on my shoulder, but most of my shoulder length slings are "tripled" and clipped to my harness gear loops, sort of like bulky dogbones. Tripled means that when you unclip either binier, then clip it to one strand and pull, it opens up to a shoulder sling with two biniers.

 

I never use longer than shoulder length slings, not counting my cordalette. I carry enough slings to simply clip them together to make a long one. Also, I stopped using those shoestring slings. They are tangle queens. I use 9/16's inch sewn nylon. Cheaper, dynamic, and last longer.

 

On the rare occasion when I need a longer sling, like, emergency back off raps from a thick tree, I always have my chock bag sling. This is a double wrap around my waist of 1 inch webbing, to which I clip my chalk bag. I also tie into it, as a backup harness. Think swami belt, and Todd Skinner's demise.

 

 

[tvashtarkatena]

I don't use long slings much, but usually carry one (mostly for the "damn, I forgot the webolet" moment when building an anchor. I fold the sling twice, figure 8 it, and clip it with one biner to the back of my harness.

 

A rabbit/revolver combo is nice for those zig zaggy routes.

[montypiton]

I use shoulder-length slings exclusively for all my climbing - alpine, sport and trad rock, ice -- everything. I shorten them to quickdraw length using a method popular with AMGA old-timers: clip a carabiner at each end of a shoulder-length runner, pass one carabiner through the other, and clip both strands of the now-doubled runner. Stretch the carabiners apart, and you have a tripled runner which works as a quickdraw as-is, or can be quickly deployed full-length by simply unclipping two strands from either carabiner. Althgough I'm too lazy to confirm this, I think this is the "alpine quickdraw" mentioned by earlier posters. I carry them racked on my harness as quickdraws - far easier to deploy than having to disentangle a shoulder sling. Been using this system for 20+ years, and have become addicted to the simplicity: every sling I carry is instantly both a quickdraw and a shoulder length runner - just blindly grab one, and it's whichever I want. For the occasional 4'-diameter tree or volkswagen-sized boulder, a cordellette or two completes the sling supply.

Edited July 21, 2012 by montypiton