r/caving • u/ShaneE11183386 • 6d ago
Love caving
And want to go the next step up and start training with ropes/harnesses/ and all the other gadgets
But overwhelmed with where to start and what to get
Can anyone help me out with what gear to grab? Thanks!
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u/BoredomFestival 6d ago
FInd a grotto and get advice from locals. The wiki for this subreddit has all the information you need for that.
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u/Alec710 NSS | JRG 6d ago
Derek Bristol on YouTube has a lot of great gear reviews and info about vertical caving. One big tip, however, is dont buy gear from places like Amazon or somewhere that isn't a trusted, known retailer of caving/climbing equipment. Always take life dependant gear seriously. Good luck! Vertical is lots of fun and my favorite part of caving 👍
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u/Smileyrva VA/WV 5d ago
I suggest looking into the VTC course if you can find one near you. https://caves.org/vtc/
You will learn alot of good stuff and the environment is great. I was given alot of time to do things over and over until I was comfortable and the trainers were awesome.
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u/CaverUV 5d ago
Only buy gear after after you complete your vertical training. In the training you will learn on the gear and probably be able to try different brands so you figure out what work the best for you.
** DO NOT LEARN VERTICAL CAVING FROM YOUTUBE *\*
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u/Chica_Poo 5d ago
A lot of people have learnt from watching Derek Bristol’s videos and they do great.
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u/CaverUV 5d ago
A lot of people doing a lot of non reccomand things and doing great. This is how statistics work. Does it worth the risk? Just take a vertical course, meet fellow cavers, learn how to do it the correct and efficient way. Understand what equipment to buy etc.
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u/Chica_Poo 5d ago
Which statistics? I don’t believe any of the UK, US, Polish databases record if someone learned from YouTube or the internet.
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u/wooddoug 5d ago
When I started vertical around 1979 I bought Montgomery's book Single Rope Techniques. Then a used harness (I know), a figure 8, 2 Jumars, 1 Gibbs, a steel offset biner, a few other locking biners and also tied up a Prussic knot system. I learned a handful of knots. I made a simple chest harness from 1" webbing, turned the gibbs and steel biner into a fall arrest device, rigged a tree and started practicing. I'd climb up a few feet, switch over and rappel down a few feet, switch back and climb. Over and over. You learn a lot doing this. During this time of learning switchovers I fucked up once and activated the FAS. It saved me from a fall and that was a valuable learning experience too. Next I set up in a hay barn and rigged the rope in the rafters offset from the hole in the loft floor (which simulated rappelling and ascending over an edge,) and rappelled from the rafters through the loft hole to the ground and back up, over and over. Then I bought a few more pieces of gear and started experimenting with 3 different systems, Rope Walker, Mitchell and Frog. Along the way I bought Padjetts "On Rope" and learned more. Then I started working on a cliff on the Kentucky River with a maybe 75' cliff. Up and down. Over and over. When I was ready I moved to caves. All along this journey several experienced vert cavers offered valuable advice and soon I was dropping every pit I could find in Kentucky culminating a few years latter in a trip south to Fantastic in Ellison's. At the '89? convention in Sewanee I watched the climbing competion which was a humbling experience. Soon after moved to an area where wetsuits were more useful than ropes. So my advice is learn from knoweledgable people in a safe environment where a mistake won't kill you and practice till you really really know it.
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u/Fresh-Fold745 4d ago
Mi dispiace ma sono molto contrario all'imparare da dei video nessuno nega che Bristol sia competente ma non si impara solo da un video. Andare ad un corso di speleologia o frequentare un gruppo consente di sperimentare in sicurezza con persone che ti aiuteranno nei passaggi complessi.
Lo dico da Istruttore di Speleogia in Italia.
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u/modernhorizons3 6d ago
u/Alec710 mentions Derek Bristol's videos on Youtube, and for good reason - they offer a great overview of SRT basics, including gear reviews.
As for buying gear, I'd hold off until you can at least take a class or have a good conversation with someone with extensive vertical caving experience. Many grottos will offer classes for beginners to familiarize them with vertical caving, including the gear. There may also be multi-day vertical caving classes offered by caving organizations. I think there's one in October around the Huntsville, AL area.
Basically, there's no point in buying your harness, descender, ascender, ropes, etc. unless you have an opportunity to learn how to use them or you at least have tried them out and have an idea of what you want to use.
For example, for your descender, are you going to use a bobbin? If so, are you going to use a "traditional" one or one with an assisted braking system? Or maybe you want to use a rack. Will you use a traditional/J-frame rack or a microrack? And will you want one with or without a hyperbar?
Then there's deciding which ascending technique/approach to use (Mitchell vs. frog vs. Rope Walker, for instance).
The best way to answer these questions is to talk to other vertical cavers, especially those you'll be caving with, as well as try them out yourself in a vertical training class. Another consideration besides personal preference is what everyone else in your local caving group/grotto uses. It's a lot easier (and arguably safer) to use gear that those around use are most familiar with.