RYAN'S BIG WALL GEAR GUIDE
If you want to know what I use and like on a big wall, here are the main items I take. I’m not the best big waller in the world but I nerd out on the gear more than my fitness, so even if these aren’t some people’s favorite items, I haven’t willy-nilly decided what I take. I’ll give my reasons for choosing each one and hyperlink to the other options that didn’t make the list so you can decide what is right for you. The rack is a completely different gear guide, and is coming soon.
Harnesses
Don’t use your sport climbing harness. You will already have bruises on your hips using a well-padded one. You’ll remember your big wall trips for the rest of your life. Hopefully, it’s not the pain from sitting in your thin-ass harness that you remember. We stock a chest harness for those who like to separate the lead rack from the rest of the stuff they have on their harness. Once I learned how to rack it all my hips, it was so nice to get that off my shoulders for the freedom of movement.
Long Haul
Tier benefits:
Tier benefits:
This is such an improvement from their last big wall harness. It’s lighter and the padding is better. The molded (stiff-ish) gear loops make clipping easier and don’t leave any space between loops. You need all the real estate you can get and this gives it to you without double stacking gear loops which would just make accessing the gear on the lower loops harder. I cannot praise 2 belay loops enough. There is so much going on downtown, you need the space. And they are infinite loops - no stitching to get stuck on gear. Finally… self-locking buckles. Adjusting double-backed buckles on the old harness made you feel like you were going to die every time you did it. Not sure why a fully rated haul loop is all the rage in harnesses like this? It’s not like you are hauling from your harness. But if that gets you stoked, it has one!
Pros
- 2 belay loops!
Cons
- Single buckle - they have 4 sizes but if you are on the fringe of a size it won’t be centered to your body
Ladders
Without a spreader bar, they crush your feet, which apparently have the same nerves that makes your tear ducts moisten. Even the super lightweight one from HMG has a spreader bar, but that’s only intended for the demi-gods who free most of the routes and only occasionally step in their ladders. Normal aiders have their place but I rock 2 straight ladders. I’ve used Yates for years, perfectly super duper good enough, but Skot’s are cheaper and are 10% better so those win here even though the wide step variation is 4 oz's heavier EACH. CAMP’s are too basic, so unless you’re 7 feet tall you don’t want one.
Aid Ladder
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Tier benefits:
You get something for the weight… comfort. The steps have extra wide stiff webbing and are on every step so whether you’re chillin’ at a hanging belay or top stepping, your feet get a tiny bivy to stand on. The spreader bar is NOT round! The flat bar gives you the extra inches you need for top stepping the low angle part of the route without having to step awkwardly on the bolt itself. It has a loop for your leash at the top, not just your hand. Get different colors so you can untie the knot that you tie yourself into when everything is connected. You can also be spicy on C1 and let your ladders free solo, making less to manage.
Pros
- Flat spreader bar
- Wide steps
- Inexpensive
Cons
- Heavy
Ascenders
Can I start with how upsetting it is that BD’s Index’s bottom hole is big enough for only one carabiner??? Petzl finally made theirs with a giant hole that two things can fit in. The top of both of those is two holes you have to clip to secure your rope, requiring a DMM oval carabiner and even that doesn’t freely spin around. CAMP’s Turbo isn’t perfect but it wins for the reasons below:
Turbohand Ascender
What’s a backorder?
- Info about backorders
- Contact support to find out more about possible delivery dates before ordering
Tier benefits:
Tier benefits:
What I love: The guide at the bottom keeps the rope from grinding my small fingers. When jugging on a line, the tail of the rope will run over your hand. Gloved or not, this sucks after about 2,999 feet, so the addition of the rope guide is awesome. The other thing I love is the single keeper hole at the top to secure your rope. All the carabiners I clip to it can freely spin all the way around. Another benefit to these ascenders is the worlds tiniest pulley if you are ascending sideways or have this mounted upside down on your anchor. A little perk for no extra weight.
What I’m neutral on: the thumb tab to open it is much smaller than either BD’s or Petzl’s ascenders. But you can view that as being more secure too. I think it’s something you get used to after about 2 pitches and you wouldn’t think much of it after that.
What I hate: WHY have a 2nd hole at the bottom almost nothing fits in??? The CAMP Compact Oval Locker does, but thats about it. I intentionally stock 7mm aluminum quicklinks to solve this problem but come on.
Pros
- It doesn’t grind my fingers
- Single hole at the top
Cons
- Tiny bottom hole and thumb tab
Daisies
The main information to walk away with is don’t fall on static daisies, so you can walk away from your big wall. Your rope is intended to catch you. Daisies are body positioning devices at an anchor while you are still tied into the rope in one way or another, OR to keep your ladders from falling if the piece you are on blows. You could get Petzl Evolve Adjust as a bomber dynamic personal anchor but they are bulky and kind of a PITA to extend and pull tight 3000x. Metolius Easy Daisies are light and that is quite nice. It doesn’t have a heavy buckle but you can’t release it while sitting on it and that is a BIG deal for some situations while aiding.
Adjustable Daisy Strap
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Tier benefits: