Climbing sling uses and benefits reddit I find having something extra only for that purpose is unnecessary and just extra bulk. Very overwhelmed on where to start. This article explains how to use slings for protection, how to rack them and more. Considering this gear has never been used and has been stored properly, is it safe to use? Upon visual inspection, they appear brand new with absolutely no signs of fraying, fluffing or wear. These lanyards are certainly a luxury item, but quality of life has its place for me Reply reply andrew314159 • Nail polish. Hey all, I'm looking into a making a few alpine draws as I slowly get into trad climbing. I do hate ovals for racking nuts, I think ovals increase the chance of dropping them. 5 = breaking force oft the system //the 0. 12 votes, 48 comments. It also makes for an easy way to to extend my My favorite sling for multipitch trad anchors is the rope I am climbing on. I prefer rope for swapping leads, and just use slings other times so I don't have to carry a cordelette. As others have said. messenger style camera bag (Peak Designs) and a few fanny packs that I use for the beach or biking. haha true that, climbing with someone with DIY gear. I want to be able to use it for read in the future but also use it for tying off and cleaning lead routes. Lyon round slings. 1 is ok, 2 is super good, 3 is allso super good. I have used slings to extend the reach like this for a long time. You’re not gaining too much weight You can use dyneema slings in a redundant anchor but you would need multiples. In my opinion, it’s just more convenient to have the flexibility of the full alpine. Its typically better practice to girth hitch though the two loops on your harness the belay loop is looped though. Colored tape is some of the most commonly littered items that we see at crags and on multipitch climbs. Why are slings more vulnerable to I don;t own anything called a "sling" bag, but I do own a small messenger bag (Trakke), a small sling. I'd say it's a fine purchase, OP, particularly for sport climbing. and metal work can go through the belay loop. You can also use one longer sling with a master point and 2 locking biners, or you can just use a couple draws. This review includes 12 of the best and most popular choices available today, which can be used for extending protection to reduce rope drag, building and equalizing anchors, and even as threads or slung 305 votes, 96 comments. Just wondering what some have done to recycle or repurpose it. If you're on a budget, maybe the long knotted sling would have been more cost effective but both do the job, and there some real conveniences to the PAS. Learn their history, various types, safety considerations, tips for selection, benefits and maintenance, plus reviews of the top brands and models. Its stronger to connect 2 slings with a carabiner or use a long sling, but it doesn't strike me as that silly of a thing to do as long as you know the outcome. For slings mark the tag, not the sling material. I hope you found this article helpful. Best Use Cases: Tubular webbing is often used in situations where flexibility and knot-tying capabilities are important, such as in rock climbing where knots need to be easily adjustable and retrievable. It's time to retire some of my climbing gear. This is for a solo project, I wont get into the details but im doing some urban climbing and just need some protection while climbing a tower. Definitely not gunna buy a drill to set up bolts and stuff so I’m planning to top rope using rocks/trees. Primary Climbing Area: Northeast USA, The Gunks Current Lead Range: up to 5. You place the cam, take off a sling and clip it to the cam biner, clip the other biner to the rope. And I like having everything nicely organized, shoulder slings just feel like they cause me to faff around too much. please get solid at it on the ground before trying it where the consequence is falling to your death. It was either more uncomfortable or more awkward to access. 8mm x 60m Non-Dry Rope Webbing 4 x 18cm nylon sling - Runners 2 x 17cm dogbone-style quickdraw sling - Recommended by Climbit 2 x 25cm dogbone-style It’s apples and oranges. Any other tips on ways to upcycle Dyneema slings are also easier to break when there isn't anything that can stretch in the system (eg an anchor of just dyneema slings). We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. So you need to know exactly what length fits your requirements. 3M subscribers in the climbing community. Cordelette or accessory cord is a skinny rope from about 5mm to 9mm (bigger is generally stronger, smaller is not suitable for climbing). However, learning how to place traditional gear will give you a lot more I wanted to get the communities thoughts on this anchor system I use to clean sport routes. More advanced climbers will often use the climbing rope, quickdraws, or a basic dyneema sling or nylon sling to attach themselves to the anchor. Sport draws are too rigid for use on nut placements and don't help that much on cam placements unless the line you climb is very straight. Typically still over 10kn. There's a certain simplicity to that and I have come to like it. 3 to 0. They are also light for alpine stuff. I started climbing before the dedicated PAS gizmos (loops sewn together) became a thing, and people used their daisy chains all the time for single pitch, instead of fiddling with slings. I'm curious what biners are commonly used. Title. Wild Country seems to be marketing that sling as "the Cordelette" as in a name for that product. This is probably mostly a climbing myth perpetuated by the article that's quoted in the above link I've recently acquired some 10 to 15-year-old climbing slings and quickdraws. What kind of rope do I have to use? is a 5mm rope good enough? I wanted to use a 6 mm as recommended here but it wasn't available in my local climbing shop so I bought 4m of 5mm one. The tldr of it all is that cams are designed to be used with the sling types they come with and all of their break tests and load ratings are done to those specs. I'm collecting all the gear I need for it but I'm confused on what I need to buy for cleaning routes. Accessory cord is Quad anchor material Hi I would like to build a quad anchor for some sport multi pitch. That's all been replaced by dynema slings. A place where two holes in the rock join up so you can thread something - a sling or a piece of rope - through to use as protection. I was a bit concerned about this and started to discuss with another buddy VDiff climbing says: " Don’t use a sling for anything except a prusik after using it once as a prusik. Same thing can be done with prusik cords. sling or closed cordlette). P. Its intended use is as a replacement for a commonly used length of cordelette that is tied in a loop and used to build anchors with. They come in various shapes, sizes, and materials, and their uses range from lifting heavy objects to assisting with mobility and improving posture. Feedback much appreciated: Rope 9. Really depends on the scenario. Apr 24, 2025 · Best Climbing Slings & Runners Buyer’s Guide Hey there, fellow gravity-defying adventurers! So you’re itching to beef up your rack with some new climbing slings and runners, huh? Let’s embark on this buyer’s guide journey together. What are your experiences and opinions? Been a long time since I used 60 cm nylon slings for the last time. In the book he proposes the use of the equalette, which have some of the benefits from both anchor types. The use of a sling to pair anchors is very common in Trad, rigging routes for novice students or if you find yourself in a situation you can't use the given bolts such as if one in a pair is damaged. All climbing slings can hold up to 22kn so the type and width is up to you. for cams, draws, and anything else) after 7-10 years maximum, regardless of wear and tear (and of course earlier if damaged). For situations that will put a lot of abuse on gear, like top rope anchors or multi-pitch anchors, I like cordelette or tied nylon runners. Taking it slow, learning a lot. These uses tend to not be very rough on slings. Slings are versatile and practical tools that have been used for centuries to aid in a variety of tasks. Know all 3, and pick one you are most comfortable with. This is typically what I bring on most multi pitch climbs and how I’d rack it to maximize space for pro + draws, the extra carabiners shown (not attached) are situationally Climbing slings are simply strongly-sewn loops of nylon or dyneema tape. Someone said I need slings (to hold my weight on the anchors instead of the rope) but I'm not sure what I should purchase for that. From what I've read, soft climbing gear can deteriorate over time. This article will explore the world of slings, including the different types, their uses, and benefits. Standing around for 10min trying to untie a frozen, weighted dyneema sling is bad style. Reddit's rock climbing training community. In any event, OPs method isn't unsafe but not really best practice. I tend to use slings or cord when leading in blocks and use the rope when swinging leads. 20K subscribers in the tradclimbing community. It requires more rope than a girth hitch, but can be done with a climbing rope which We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. However, since I have never owned one, I do not have any experience with the pros and cons of multi loop and not multi loop. An OVERHAND. Yer (probably not) gonna die. Most common applications are alpine draws, slinging e. com That’s why every complete set of climbing equipment includes a wide variety of slings in various lengths and materials. rock horns for protection, or to connect you to an anchor. I still use the odd 120 cm nylon slings here and there, as it's a little bit dynamic and it's easier to untie knots. 24kn is life Support. You’re going to hate this next piece of advice, but it truly is a necessary step one must take to recover from TFCC injury. . What I carry when ice climbing, cragging, multpitch climbing, trad climbing, etc are all different. I use two different ones because #1, the setup I describe isn't sold that way (it's 3 brands) and because that way I can get the best type of sling (mammut contact!!!), a super small biner where I dont need a large one (bolt/gear end) and a good compromise of size/weight on the rope end. IMO, use alpine draws for trad climbing. Girth hitched sling or PAS through harness, locker to bolt/chain/rats nest, pull rope from above, set rap, release anchor and go. Was gonna use 2 slings to maintain contact as I climb, sort of leap frogging them, idk what thats called. I personally dont like using sport draws for trad climbing so I carry 10 regular shoulder length slings and 2 double length slings on longer stuff, all racked with 2 carabiners on my harness. Traditional climbing: use at your own risk. Has anyone tried using a sling-style bag? Any additional thoughts/suggestions? PSA: Use nail polish instead of colored tape to mark your climbing gear. Honestly, it's a gimmick and unnecessarily complicates an already simple solution. My slings all have one carabiner and I use cams racking biner for the other side. I am not sure that I understand your question but as a climber I use slings that are around 2. If you only want to extend cams quickly, keep a bunch of slings over your shoulder with one carabiner. Do I need a PAS? No, you don’t NEED a dedicated rock climbing PAS. I think the stuff is absolutely fantastic and use it many different applications, I also realize its weaknesses and won't use it in certain situations. So your calculations shoud go like this : 2* (rating oft the sling)*0. Your personal sling/anchor should be solid if you know how old it is etcetera. Any reason I shouldn't use this system? In my mind it makes for an easy and redundant system that has advantages over just using the sling without the bunny ears. Typically my PAS will be in use to attach me to the anchor as I set up, and then I'll want it free again at the next anchor, so I don't really want it used as part of the rappel. I promise to keep it light, friendly, and sprinkle in some of my personal escapades that might—or might not—have ended with me dangling like a spider on Discover everything you need to know about climbing gear slings and their uses. I generally carry 8 alpines, will bring up to 12 for particularly long pitches/wandering climbs. Am I doing it right? Should I use rope instead of slings? Would it be okay with just one sling after two carabiners? How would you built it in this scenario? Sorry for not having better pics of placements. The different manufacturers will have published specifications for their equipment. Ropes are designed so that the energy from an average dynamic fall is reduced to less than 10kN. Quick question, how frequently do you all clean your climbing harness and how exactly do you all clean your rock climbing harness (used only for indoor climbing)? I was trying to find a YouTube video or post but didn’t come across anything on my initial search. Studies on climbing have shown benefits for executive function and overall cognition. Any suggestions on what a good “starter pack” would look like as far different cam/nut sizes? and then I can experiment and add to it based on need from there. If I’m climbing a route that doesn’t really wander, I’ll clip directly into the racking carabiner on the cam’s sling. 5m long. (the sliding x is not redundant in the sling). Mixed articles from climbing forums lead me to believe that I use shoulder length slings (red in mammut, yellow in petzl/everyone else) and store a couple on my harness in alpine draw style and store a couple over my shoulder already extended. Some studies show climbing benefits people with ADHD more than medication. Buying my first sling I've never bought a sling before and I wanted some expert input on the matter. Share Add a Comment Sort by: Best Open comment sort options Top New Controversial Old Q&A HunchoBandoOG • 2 slings is perfectly fine for anchoring. There have been zero situations in my climbing career where I found myself wishing for the extendable sling feature. 24kn sling. Like Van Wilder said, the redundancy you are looking for is in the protection on the wall. ASD, ADHD and generalised anxiety are all conditions with published studies on the benefits of climbing. don't use the belay loop with a rope. Rope is dynamic but a factor two on a short length is still going to be uncomfortable. The purpose of the sling is to be kind of all around. Also I will recommend using them with a clip, not to have rope on sling traction. A thing about trad-climbing is being able to improvise with what you got, in the most efficient and safe manner. For threading through an anchor I usually use 2 quickdraws, or one girth-hitched long sling and a quickdraw. Would be great to know if there are any people who swear by slings instead of small backpacks Climbing slings like that have pound-force ratings (giggity) rather than pound mass ratings. That said, my ATC, prussik, double length sling and a couple of lockers pretty much never leave my harness. You’ve been climbing for 6 months, and TFCC injuries under your context are usually degenerative, so it’s likely just inflamed. A double length sling with and an overhand does the exact same thing as this 'belay-sling,' and a bunch other cool things too, for less money to boot. I currently have all dyneema slings and am planning on buying a few nylon slings for clipping the first piece, building anchors, etc. Even then, I prefer a draw that's flexible. A tip for untying figure 8s: rather than pulling at the loops, twist a free end (to make it more rigid) and push it through the loops to loosen. In Korea where sport climbing is plentiful so stocking up on my first serious gear buy. Edit: For the rope I use nail polish again on the smooth and hardened melted ends of the rope. What size slings and how many each do you like having set aside for trad anchors? Or do you prefer cordelette? And why. Keep slack out of your static anchors. The resultant anchor point is non-redundant. Buy some 60cm slings and make your own alpine draws. Depending on the thickness of the piece of rock that your sling/rope is wrapped around, it can be totally bomber, as good as or better than a bolt, or thoroughly marginal & sketchy. As far as brands go, I absolutely recommend the mammut dyneema slings. The label on that is the actual breaking strength of the sling, rather than the 10x safety factor you see on industrial stuff. But you are opening yourself up to some unnecessary risk. Maybe that's to save weight? Tell me what you think! And if you want to mention the sling you use, feel free! Been trad climbing with some buddies for a while now and ready to commit and buy my own rack. I looked at the BD Neutrinos but they seem a bit on the small side. 6 is a good start if you supplement with sport draws for long pitches. It develops both aerobic and anaerobic fitness. You can use a quick draw attached to your personal anchor to do this. " Is this a good rule? I have been using a dyneema sling as a third hand backup to go hands free while rapping/cleaning routes. My friend always clips a quickdraw to the sling regardless of the route. The best advice i can give is to go to the lead class and ask around for what the standard sport rack in the area looks like and you will get some solid advice from some local people. My fiance is not super into that yet so she uses slings girth hitched to her harness (girth Here's what I'd recommend: 30m static rope (9-11 mm) 1 or 2 25ft cordolettes 2 double-length nylon slings 4 single-length nylon slings several non lockers 6 lockers a rope! Climbing Anchors by John Long, or any other anchor-building book This gear will allow you to utilize natural features to build top-rope anchors. Also old harnesses are great for weighted deadhangs/pullups. I use some normal climbing slings that are 30cm for dangley normal draws and they are great Jul 10, 2023 · However, in my recreational sport climbing, I typically build improvised tethers with quickdraws, and for long alpine routes, I use a sewn sling. Bowline can be done with either an open loop (bowline on a bight) or a standing end. it's dangerous. What would be a first good sling and why? I'm looking at a 10mm thick 60/100cm long See full list on rei. What is the ideal sling length? The length of the sling determines what you can use it for when climbing. My question is this: some of the trees are father back from the ledge, is it safe to girth hitch 5 or 6 slings together to increase the length of the anchor to avoid rope drag? I generally do it with a single length sling. Share Sort by: Best Open comment sort options Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a It depends on the situation. e. What type of climbing will you be doing? For me, I go with a pre-built 120cm sling quad anchor for anything bolted, 120cm sling for building trad anchors, and a 20’ cordalette for anywhere I need to extend an anchor. Am I doing invisible damage to this sling? It seems like the logic is that it could be heated and damaged in this application. I carry about 8-10 at the Gunks. It's a double length sling that I have bunny ears tied into the end to make redundant and I girth hitch into my harness. The most efficient way to anchor at the top of a route is by using the rope that is attached to you and clove hitching it to the masterpoint. Just curious. Dyneema hardly absorbs water, so it's great for winter climbing extendable runners, draws, everything. That gives a couple more options for length based on where you put the biner. Now you’re completely on top of each other. A beginners guide to the main type of climbing slings use when rock climbing. Tape eventually falls off and creates trash at crags. Wear and actual use has the greatest detrimental effect on sling lifespan. 6 depending in the knot //the 2 comes from the fact that you have 2 strings when knoting cord together Tldr: slings are fucking cheap, and when in doubt buy new I've recently wanted to get a gear sling, both for racking and for climbing certain offwidths and chimneys. Climbing slings and carabiners rated for 15-20kN. If the bolts are connected with a chain (thus, redundant), I clip to the chain. As far as I know gymnastic rings are more similar to holding a static weight vs climbing where you need straps/ropes that can resist/support dynamic tension or stretching (like falling). Although nylon climbing slings are UV stabilized, prolonged exposure to UV has a detrimental effect on both Nylon and Dyneema. Is longer better, more versatile? What lengths and how many slings do you carry on your saddle? comments sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment You can girth hitch your belay loop, its safe. You’ll also probably hear different opinions (including some along the lines of “the companies just want What are common sling lengths folks find useful for tree work? I have a bunch of webbing and I’d like to make some beer-knotted slings. And yes we are scared of falling. If I need to extend or the route wanders, I clip an alpine draw into the cam’s sling (so the racking biner is just chilling next to it). It is tied in a loop I've just started climbing and I'm buying new equipment, what is the difference between the brands on offer? DMM, Mammut etc. Typically sling lengths can measure between 60 to 180 cm. New to climbing with a harness : r/climbing Go to climbing r/climbing r/climbing Who uses a sling with any kind of regularity and what do you use it for? I bought an Alpaka Bravo V2 and broke it out for a long weekend in Berlin (as a daypack). 5 can vary from 0. Hey climbing community. In terms of rope efficiency, it can be done with fairly short slings. You rocking the sling PAS sort of thing? Can see the benefits, plus I like that it can easily be used as an anchor. A friend also recommended an autoblock for added safety which seems Dyneema, like many of the tools we use in climbing has benefits and limitations. Tl;dr there was no situation it’s really better than a small city backpack. But the point is that the range doesn't matter much because climbing isn't about static loads, it's about dynamic loads during falls. I've been climbing with backpacks over the years and not had much problem while leading but recently my bag was a big issue. A benefit of slings is that they're cheaper than the PAS and they aren't single-purpose, like a PAS is. I climb mostly in Utah in rock canyon and Ibex with the occasional moab trip. Slings are static so a factor two is going to be disastrous. It's also commonly used in sling configurations for climbing protection. Here in Italy in Mountain courses they teach to only use kevlar cords for this purpose due to its higher melting point. Will deploy these while aerial pruning around my properties, and recreational tree climbing. I almost only use dyneema sewn runners. Find the right sling for your climbing adventure! Sep 1, 2023 · Need to purchase the best climbing slings and runners for your trad climbing adventures? Our expert advice will help, as we've purchased and tested over 30 different slings in the past decade. Girth hitch only allows you to use a closed loop (e. They are better for alpine draws because of their reduced bulk and flexibility. For the areas where a tree is close, I’m going to keep it simple and use girth hitched slings around the trees, then two locking carabiners, and run the rope through there. The home of Climbing on reddit. Mar 13, 2019 · Although this is the most common use, a personal anchor system is a versatile tool which can be applied in many different ways throughout your climbing career. I always clove in with the rope while climbing, but I’ll use a sling or a PAS as a personal anchor while rappelling. This is my shopping cart with my reasoning beside it. Having tripled slings already on the cams makes a bit of a mess and you find that the cams and slings get all tangled together. You can either cut up your cordelette, cut up one of your nice expensive Dyneema slings or take my sage advice about carrying at least one tied runner. Hey all, have this old length of climbing rope that wouldn't trust to be any sort of critical load bearing rope. I use 120cm slings with a couple knots in them. The single-length sling is, technically, non-redundant, but so is the belay loop, rappel device and biner, and rope, and the 22kn sling is wild overkill for the forces Now me and a couple friends are getting into multipitch climbs and I want to know the best ways to build an anchor, belay, switch off, etc. Equalization is a myth - especially dynamic New harness advice: Image is the user guide for my new harness, and I've been told the opposite in the past i. 6 Experience: climbing for 5y, trad leading for one year ~35 pitches led total since my first lead last June. A thinner loop does put more stress on the thumb loop wire which can blow, especially after multiple falls or rounds of linking and un-kinking I really reccomend Climbing Anchors by John Long, where all of this is discussed at length. S. But you can't always trust a bolt, so clip two if you can when going in direct. Since you're asking about trad climbing, at some point in your career you're going to have to untie and thread your sling or use it for rap tat. g. edit: here is another discussion about it with a bunch of different opinions. Only use it in this configuration for ascent. I never use shoulder slings, I think they’re annoying. But they all have advantages and disadvantages. Dedicated to increasing all our knowledge about how to better improve at our sport. I have been doing this with a total of 4 slings (2 and 2 with a biner on each extended sling). If you have other suggestions I am open Please be also advised, that the knot in the sling will reduce the holding power of the sling. It is nice to have a fatter sling for 2-screw anchors (usually a nylon-dyneema blend so it's not too fat) because it's easier to untie when you are moving on from a multipitch belay. 1. Based on the reading I've done, it's recommended that if you use a PAS for belaying a follower, you want to tie in with something else (a sling, a quickdraw, whatever) to the 2nd bolt for redundancy. I tie in with the rope on a multipitch but when sport climbing I will use a sling for each bolt. Thanks I’m advance. These methods are safe Personally I would put the main beams up, and use slings on branches then just sling, or even bolt the beam, not the tree, ideally you want a releasable system on a ground anchor with A tied off Munter hitch for a releasable srt system, but I would say someone you know will know someone who knows how to set up rigging. Edit: ok got it 5 mm is not enough for normal nylon cord :-) thank you! I think the benefits of the Yosemite bowline (easier to untie, tie one-handed) fail to outweigh the disadvantages for most climbers or climbing situations. So you're safely within that range. I've been bouldering at a gym for two years and recently started sport climbing, too. If that is not an option for whatever reason then I use whatever slings I have available on my harness. Sometimes it's actually cheaper to buy sport draws and cannibalize the carabiners. They tend to be more versatile and durable than Hi! During the past weekend we've done some multiplepitch and while rappelling I've noticed that a member of another party was using a standard 16mm nylon sling for the friction hitch for the back up. I personally use nylon webbing for my personal anchor. Use two to three different drops of color to differentiate from someone else's gear. I know the responsible thing is to destroy the gear to make sure nobody ever uses it, but it feels super wasteful! I already made a nice rope doormat a few years back, and slings/or anything loop shaped can be used to organise quickdraws, biners etc. I found a video of some guys testing another brand of sling rated for 24 kn, and it breaks at ~31 kn. But it's like $15 (extra vs sling) you'll live to tell the tale. Generally recommended to replace soft goods (nylon/dyneema cord, slings, etc. If not, I'll do a sling in each bolt. Been reading FOTH and John Long to figure out what I need to get. 1 metre sling doubled on itself through the ring on my harness going to the lower zig zag carabiner. wgp mdhhi larqno kuqlz uplg qbisps czwmn xuzi adu yiu cvo zretp bpbdyd hegxrf wrvwlft