"Locker draw" - What is it, why carry it?

A “locker draw” is simply a short quick draw style runner, a.k.a. “dogbone”, with locking carabiners on either end. Some people may dismiss a locker draw as something that overly cautious sport climbers may use on a top rope anchor, but they have many more uses.

You don’t buy these premade like a normal quick draw, you need to buy the dogbone and locking carabiners separately. A good combination is to have two sizes of locking carabiners: one D shaped, and a compact pear-shaped HMS style, as shown below. (The CAMP “Nimbus” carabiner on the left, is perfect for this.)

Tip: Put the HMS carabiner in the small constricted end of the dogbone, and put the D shaped carabiner (here, orange) in the top loose end of the dogbone. Use the orange carabiner to clip the gear, the HMS carabiner to clip the rope.

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Here are some ways to use a locker draw.

1) Bolted top rope anchor. A normal multi pitch anchor doesn’t require locking carabiners on the bolts. But a top rope anchor, which may be unattended throughout the day and have many people climbing on it, may benefit from having at least one locker draw. We cover toprope locker draws at this post.

Below is a typical set up, with one locker draw and one standard quick draw. Bottom gates are opposite and opposed.

Here are two extra long (25 cm) Petzl Express draws, which can be helpful if the bolts are far apart. Here we have lockers on everything. Some people may consider this overkill, but if you're in an instructional type setting, with many climbers all day using a single top rope, having lockers on all four points may give extra peace of mind. This can be especially true with kids or beginners.

It's debatable if two locker draws offer much more security than one. But if you have them and it makes you feel good to use them, why not? There's really not much downside.

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2) Rappel extension. Extending your rappel device so it’s not directly on your belay loop is a good idea for many reasons, which we cover in this tip. There are lots of different ways to rig it, and one quick and easy one is with your locker draw.

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3) Extending your tie in / belay point; declustering your anchor. When you a master point at one level, connecting both yourself and belaying your partner from that one point can be awkward. A locker draw can extend the tie in or the belay carabiners. This can make the belay more convenient and less awkward, depending on your stance.

Example: Standard anchor on a mini quad (180 cm runner). Nothing wrong with this set up. But depending on the stance, the leader’s clove hitch tie in point on the left and the belay carabiner on the right might be annoyingly close together.

Here, a locker draw is added for the leader’s tie in. This moves their connection point lower, making the anchor less cluttered at a single point.

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4) Using it as a regular quickdraw before a hard move, before a big run out, or right off the belay as the first clip, to pump up the psyche.

If you find yourself doing this on a regular basis, you may want to invest in a pair of Edelrid HMS Strike Slider carabiners. These have a clever locking mechanism that is very easy to open with one hand, and can work better for making fast clips.

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6) Rig a toprope with the rope through the chains to make it easy for a beginner to clean, but so the wear‘n’tear happens on your own gear, not the fixed hardware. (A regular carabiner can work fine here as well.)

And here's another way to set up a similar type of anchor, this time with vertically oriented chains and a locker draw. Note, the rope is going through the brown colored ring master point on the bottom, but all of the load from the climber is resting on your own quick draw. This is a great system, because you have complete redundancy from both bolts and also super easy cleaning; the last person just removes the quick draw and lowers off.

Photo: IFMGA Certified Guide Dale Remsburg @daleremsberg

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7) Ice thread backup. If you make an ice thread anchor for a rappel, you can place a screw(s) above it and clip a locker draw to the rope as a backup for the first person(s) down. The last person cleans the draw and the screw after the thread has proven it holds. Be sure that all of the weight is on the ice thread, with no force on the locker draw.

photo: Dale Remsberg - https://www.instagram.com/p/Bsx7X6ZhcpA/

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8) Winter climbing device attachment. No photo for this one but you can get the idea: Use it to extend your belay device farther away from your harness if you're wearing lots of thick winter clothing. This makes it easier to connect the belay device properly because you can see it more easily.

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9) Always gives you two extra locking carabiners for any kind of rescue situation. If you've ever practiced any sort of rock rescue, about 30 seconds into any scenario, you're going to wish you had a few extra lockers. If you carry a locker draw, that gives you two lockers when you need them.

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10) As a directional placement for ice or rock toproping. In many toprope setups, especially for ice, having a directional placement as shown below is a good idea. Using a locker draw here gives more security than a standard quick draw.

image credit: Sean isaac

Seek - iPhone app for instant plant ID

Learning the names of backcountry plants and animals is both personally rewarding, occasionally practical, and can lead to a greater empathy and connection with nature.

But, how many of us REALLY want to lug the plant ID book into the woods, and take the time to stumble through it to put a name to that flower or tree?

Well, as they say, there’s an app for that. iPhone users, check out Seek. 

This machine learning based app does a remarkable job of identifying plants, wild or domestic. (And apparently animals to, but I haven't tried that yet.)

Here’s basically how it works.

1. You see a plant you want to know the name of.

2. You open the app and point your camera at the plant.

3. In a few seconds identifies the plant (or critter), usually the species.

4. For any of us who have struggled through the tedious process of keying out a plant in a botany book, this is pretty much the Holy Grail of plant identification. 

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Notes:

• Is it perfect? No. But still pretty darn impressive.

• It’s free. In these days of high dollar premium phone apps, this is a refreshing change.

• It works in airplane mode. You can save your battery in the backcountry and still identify plants without a cell connection, very cool.

• It seems to work best for plants in North America. It tripped up on a Norway spruce and a Korean pine, although it did get it down to the correct genus.

• Supposedly it works for animals also, but that little brown bird I saw didn’t hold still long enough for me to take a picture of it.

• The app ID’d flowering plants correctly from the leaf structure only, without seeing the bloom. Going to have to try it next spring when wildflowers are out for sure. 

• Supposedly it works on mushrooms also. (But, as a long time mushroom hunter, I wouldn’t use this to identify edibles; might want to wait for version 2.0.)

One nice feature: it stores all the plants and critters you have successfully identified, so you can look back at them and refresh your memory. When you tap a plant you’ve saved, it gives you a paragraph or two about it, and the taxonomy of kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species, which can give you a little more background botany, if that's your thing.

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It’s really fun to use. I first gave it a run at what I thought was the perfect spot, the Portland Arboretum. It has a lot of unusual trees, most of them are labeled, and it seemed a perfect place for a test drive. The app did have a stumble or two, (between a fir and a spruce tree) but overall it was about 90% correct.

I’ve been walking by Arctic Butterbur and Hooker’s Fairybells my whole life and never knew the amazing names of these unassuming little flowers!

This app is similar to the amazing improvements in real time translation. You could take years to become proficient in another language, or you can use a translation device that lets you speak with a non-English speaker, in real time, no study required. Call me lazy, but I think I'll usually take the modern technology. =^)

A phone app for first and last light

Knowing the time of first light and last light can be important for outdoor adventures.

• Surfers want dawn patrol.

• Photographers want the “golden hour” just after sunrise and before sunset for good lighting.

• Climbers often want to plan a trip around first available light - like hike the approach trail in the dark, but then reach the first part of tricky route finding, crevasses or technical climbing when you can see what you're doing.

There are a few ways to figure this out. For example, at my latitude of about 45° north in Oregon, the sunrise time minus about 30 minutes (and the sunset time plus about 30 minutes) gives a pretty good approximation for first and last light. (Sunrise and sunset are available on just about every basic weather app on your phone.)

But, if you want to get a little fancier, such as figuring out first light at some point in the future for an upcoming trip, or in a different location/latitude, or both, then things get a little trickier.

There are some in-depth websites that show times for civil twilight, nautical twilight, and astronomical twilight, that relate to the number of degrees that the sun is below the horizon, but not many people really know what those technical terms mean. (For our purposes, we're interested in civil twilight, which is pretty much when you can stumble around outside without a headlamp and not fall on your face.)

If you want to geek out and get more into this, you can go here and here.

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So, how about a phone app that simply tells you first light, last light, sunrise and sunset, with a nice clean interface and no fluff? 

Well, here’s an iPhone app that does this one thing and does it perfectly - Sunrise Times. (Android peeps, you're on your own.)

It tells you sunset, sunrise, first light and last light of anywhere on earth. Long touch on the map to show a location different than where you are.

This is the free version. Pay an extra $7.50 annually for the paid version, and you get to choose a date in the past or future, helpful for trip planning. (When this came out a few years ago it was $3 for a lifetime subscription, which I personally found it more palatable . . .)

Meet prusik 2.0 - the "VT" prusik

SAR teams, arborists and riggers have been using what's called “eye to eye” hitch cord for a long time. Traditionally, the eye to eye hitch was tied with a length of medium sized cord, such as 7 mm, with a couple of loops tied in each end. A modern version has a sewn eye on each end; there are various flavors made by different manufacturers.

This handy piece of gear is becoming more popular for canyoneering and recreational climbing. It can be used to tie a directional friction hitch, but it has some big advantages over the traditional perlon cord prusik loop.

Canyoneering expert Rich Carlson designed a version he calls the “VT Prusik”, and it’s pretty slick.

• Made by Blue Water Ropes

• Costs about $25

• About 33 inches/84 cm long

• End-to-end strength is about 20 Kn, and basketed it’s about 30 kN.

• Comes in both 8 mm and 7 mm flavor. The 8 mm is intended for ropes between 8 and 13 mm, and the 7 mm works on ropes between 8 and 9.5 mm. (Yes, you can use an 8 mm VT on an 8 mm rope, which is kind of amazing.)

• Technora (similar to Kevlar) sheath and a nylon core. (Won't melt on your rope, even if you rappel like a special forces cowboy.)

• Bluewater removed some of the sheath fibers, which makes it a bit thinner, so it flattens more on the rope. This helps it grip better in some configurations.

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“VT” stand for “Valdotain Tresse”. I learned from @notlufton (in an Instagram comment) the origin of this interesting term. “Valdôtain” is a dialect of Arpitan spoken in the Aosta Valley in Italy, and “Tresse” means braid in German. (There you go, I becha you learned something new today. =^)

The Valdotain Tresse / VT is one of many different types of hitches you can tie with this tool.

(The word “prusik” can be confusing because it's a verb, adjective, noun, and surname. Same with the term “VT prusik”. The VT is specific type of knot, which is a different knot than a prusik, but Bluewater chose this name for one thing they sell and . . . Yes it's kind of confusing, so let’s not get too hung up on the terminology.)

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So, what’s cool about the VT prusik?

The main benefit is that you can tie various friction hitches that both grab tight and release easily. This eliminates the two main problems with the traditional prusik knot - cinching down hard on the rope when under load, and then wrestling to release it when you need to.

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Let’s look at some ways to rig the VT prusik.

There are lots of fancy knots, with exotic names, you could tie with the VT prusik. Here are two of the more common ones:

1. The asymmetric prusik for moving upwards, or hauling anything in an UPWARD direction, like a progress capture.

2. The Valdotain Tresse aka “VT hitch” for moving DOWNWARD on the rope, like for a rappel backup. (With certain cautions, more below.)

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1) You can make a “asymmetric” prusik, which allows you to move the prusik UP the rope much more easily after it’s been weighted. This knot works best in any situation when you need to move UP the rope. (This is also known as a “Schwabisch” hitch.)

Note: unlike a symmetric prusik, which holds equally well in either direction, an asymmetric prusik like this holds best on the rope when pulled in one direction. This is handy if you want a hands-free, one direction rope grab to protect you on a fixed line in fairly easy terrain.

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2) You can tie a Valdotain Tresse hitch, which has a few unique qualities. Even when it's fully loaded with your bodyweight, you can still release the hitch. This can be useful in some situations using it as a rappel backup ABOVE your device, such as if you know that you need to pass a knot on a single strand rappel; admittedly a pretty rare situation. (If you have a double rope rappel, you should never have to pass the knot at all, as I cover in this article.)

However, most of the time, it's best practice to have your rappel backup BELOW your extended rappel. If you have it above, it's possible that you can unintentionally squeeze the hitch when you need it to serve as a backup, which usually means it's not going to fully catch on the rope. Many accidents have happened this way; more info in this article.

You can use the Valdotain Tresse hitch for ascending. But you lose a few inches of slack every time you weight the hitch, and it’s harder to slide up the rope due to the increased friction from the extra wraps. That’s why the asymmetric prusik mentioned above is usually is a better choice for ascending a rope.

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Check this link to see an “animated knot” sequence of how to tie it.

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Here's one other way you can tie a friction hitch. It's sort of a French prusik / autoblock.

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You can also tie more traditional friction hitches like the standard three wrap prusik, or an autoblock / French prusik / Machard.

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Nice! How else can I use the VT prusik?

• The VT hitch can be used as a rappel backup attached ABOVE your rappel device. Normally you wouldn’t do this, but because you can release the VT hitch under tension, it works fine. As mentioned above, use caution with this method; if you grab it in an emergency it may not work correctly.

• In the unlikely event you might ever need to “rappel” a rope that’s under tension, a VT hitch lets you do this, because it's releasable even when loaded.

• You can use it to more easily pass a knot, again, because you can slide the prusik even when it's holding your full body weight. (Side note: you should pretty much never have to pass a knot if you set up your rigging correctly.)

• You can use it as a third hand / French prusik / autoblock backup beneath your rappel device anytime you’re doing a lower or rappel (similar to a Sterling Hollow Block). The VT prusik lets you more easily fine tune the amount of friction than a loop style autoblock. Note, it’s best to do this with a rappel extension.

• You can use it as a quick draw, either halved or at full extension.

• You can use it as a personal lanyard; clip one end to a locking carabiner or quick link on your harness and the other end to a locking carabiner.

• In a hauling system, like for 3:1 “Z drag”, you can use it as a progress capture device on a non-prusik minding pulley. Because of its width, the VT prusik is less likely to get sucked into the pulley like a standard prusik loop. See image below.

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Sweet! Where do I get one?

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As with most aspects of rope work, it's a better show than to tell. Watch this YouTube video below made by Rich Carlson, the inventor, for a complete review of his clever tool.

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Finally, here's a nice video from our friends at HowNot2.com doing some break testing and general shenanigans with the VT prusik.

Video - the making of a Metolius cam

Check out this great video showing how Metolius cams are crafted. Made by hand in Bend, Oregon! Support your local NW economy and buy Metolius.

Quick - which carabiner is stronger?

Short version: modern, properly CE rated carabiners from a recognized manufacturer are going to be plenty strong enough for any climbing application. However, it's quite interesting that's some of the tiniest and lightest carabiners actually can have a higher strength rating than some of the biggest burliest ones.

It’s natural to think that a carabiner designed for belaying, with a large diameter and generally burly appearance, would be stronger than what are sometimes called a “paperclip” carabiner, used by many climbers merely for racking gear.

Let's have a look at the Petzl Attache, a long time at workhorse belay carabiner that's been around forever, and the Camp Nano, which is one of the lightest carabiner on the market.

No contest, right? The yellow carabiner has to be stronger. Just look at that thing, it’s stout!

But . . . let’s check the numbers.

Stamped on the side of every climbing rated carabiner are three important load ratings: end to end, cross load, and open gate. Readings are given in kilonewtons (kN), which is a metric unit of force, equal to about 100 kg, or 220 pounds.

Petzl Attache

• End to end: 23 kN

• Cross load: 7 kN

• Open Gate: 6 kN

Camp Nano

• End to end: 21 kN

• Cross load: 8 kN

• Open Gate: 9 kN

Surprised? Yeah, me too!

The Petzl Attache is stronger in the normal configuration, but the tiny Camp Nano is stronger in the cross loaded and open gate rating.

And check out the weight difference. The Petzl Attache at 78 grams weighs more than 3 TIMES the Camp Nano at 23 grams!

So, at 1/3 the weight, the Nano is stronger in two of the three carabiner strength ratings.

(This is more a tribute to modern engineering practices then any practical application, because any quality modern carabiner is strong enough for just about any use you can put to it, more below.)

Sometimes, you may hear people say, “I want to use that big, heavy, sturdy-looking carabiner because it’s stronger!” You might remind them of this post, or to have a look at the actual rating on the carabiner. The smallest carabiner on your rack may turn out to be “stronger” than the biggest one.

So, the Good News: pretty much all legit climbing carabiners you can buy have a CE rating. (“CE” is a certification mark that indicates conformity with health, safety, and environmental protection standards for products sold within the European Union.) CE ratings can vary a tiny bit depending on whether they are belay, oval, wiregate, but the general specs are: a MINIMUM strength of 20 kN end to end, 7 kN cross load, and 7kN open gate.

So, every CE rated carabiner is strong enough for any application you could ever think of. So relax, buy quality carabiners, and don’t worry about how strong they are.

(Just avoid open gate and cross loading on ANY carabiner.)

And if you want a deep dive into all things carabiner, this Black Diamond webpage is terrific.

Climbing Gear Strength Ratings

Ever wonder how strong that pro or gear really is?  Here’s a list to get you started, and maybe help you win an argument or two.  I wanted to see a list like this for a long time, and after scouring the web and not finding any, decided to make my own. 

Metric notes:  A kilonewton (kN) is a metric unit of force. 1 kN is equal to about 100 kg / 225 lbs.  Ratings are rounded to the nearest kN.

Sources:  http://www.fishproducts.com, tech pages, “The Mountaineering Handbook”, by Craig Connally, the always awesome Petzl website, various web retailers, checking the gear ratings on some of my own stuff and in the local gear shop.

I made two lists. One is gear ranked in descending order, and the other is gear ranked by category (like seeing small, medium and large stoppers all ranked side by side.)

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Takeaways (for me)

• Even with a severe factor 1 fall, the force on the belayer is only a tiny 2 kN.

• There's a BIG increase in strength from 6mm cord to 7 mm cord. Use 7 mm for cordelettes.

• A tiny wiregate carabiner may be stronger than a honker "belay" style carabiner.

• A well placed bolt is never going to fail you.

• You can almost rappel on your shoelaces; 2 kN is about the most force you can apply to the anchor.

• Climbing ropes are not tested for tensile breaking strength like most other gear. Because they are so stretchy, they absorb a huge amount of force before they have a break. But, if you stretch a rope until it breaks, that will probably happen between 14 and 18 kN. Click each link to see the relevant test results. 14 kN was for an old crusty rope, 18 kN was for a new one. Either one is super good enough.

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Here's a video for our friends at Hownot2.com, breaking an older rope. Start at 9:45.

Test boots for a good fit - gym treadmill

When you buy a pair of hiking or climbing boots, you want make sure the fit is exactly right. Strolling around on the carpet at the outdoor store is not going to help much.

But, you also can’t go tromping around outside and expect to bring the boots back if they don’t fit. 

So . . . you need a way to give them a decent test drive, while keeping them in pristine condition.

A great way to check for a good fit (and break them in a bit if you decide to keep them) is to wear them on a treadmill at a gym.  Use the thicker socks you’d normally wear with them, and for about 15 minutes keep the treadmill flat.  Then gradually increase the angle of the treadmill, which will quickly tell about the fit in the blister-prone heel!  Wearing a pack with 20-30 lbs is a further refinement.  Go for at least 30 minutes.

Sure, you’re going to get a few strange looks from other people in the gym, but that’s part of the fun.  

If they fit, keep them.  If you think you can do better, no worries, take ‘em back.

No gym membership?  Most gyms offer a free one day guest pass.

Bank line - the best cord you've never heard of

Bank line is a black nylon cord/twine that is similar to tennis court netting. It’s exceptionally strong, UV resistant, and inexpensive.  

It does pretty much everything paracord can do, but in a smaller diameter, so it's a lot lighter and takes up less room.

The name comes from trotline fishing (from the “bank” of a waterway, hence the name) for catfish or similar critters, where you toss out a strong main line baited with multiple hooks, and return hours later to check your line. 

Bank line comes in a variety of diameters and strengths. (Paracord is rated to about 550 pounds.)

• #36 bank line has a breaking strength of about 320 pounds.

• #12 bank line has a breaking strength of around 100 pounds, and is accordingly thinner and even lighter.

Popular in the survivalist / bushcraft world, bank line can be immensely handy around the house, garage, shop, or campsite.

Think lashing most anything, tent or tarp guy lines, clothesline, trellis for the garden, hanging a food bag, primitive shelter construction . . .

On a big wall, everything needs a way to be clipped in. Bank cord is perfect for making small clip in loops for most anything, and is less expensive than the bulk 2 or 3 mm cord normally used.

Bank cord is “tarred”, which is about what it sounds like. The cord has a thin layer of sticky tar-stuff. This helps knots to be more secure It has a mild petroleum-like smell, which goes away shortly after you open the bag.

The stickiness is not annoying at all. It doesn’t come off on your fingers, just has a mild tacky feel to it.

At the Amazon link below, both rolls of cord cost about $9-10. (With the heavier weight number 36, you get about 140 feet, with the lighter weight number 12, you get about 400 feet. )

Cut webbing at a 45 degree angle

Webbing is typically cut with a 90 degree, “square” cut. But there’s no real reason to do this.

Instead, cut your webbing at a 45° angle. This gives you a bit of a pointy end, making easier to tie any sort of a rewoven knot, like a water knot or a double fisherman’s.

Making this angled cut is a lot easier at a climbing store that has one of those nifty hot knife tools. Just ask them to do it for you, even if they give you a funny look.

If you don't have a climbing store with a hot knife, you can do it at home. Put the webbing on a piece of scrap wood. Get a cheap utility blade (or hold a razor blade in pliers) and heat it up over a gas stove for about 15 seconds. Make your cut. The hot blade should cauterize the wedding just like the climbing store knife.

(Don’t use a good quality knife for this, because you're probably gonna get some melted webbing gunk on it that will be quite hard to remove. Ask me how I know this . . .)

Lacking this, you can always use a good pair of scissors. After you make the cut, burn the ends in a flame of some kind for a few seconds, and then give the ends a quick squeeze with needle nose pliers to press the melted ends together.

Below - 90 degree “normal” cut on left, 45 degree cut on right.

Never drop your phone again

Sure, we all like to take photos when out on a good adventure. But we also need to keep our phone secure.

One friend, on a recent canyoneering trip, managed to drop his (fortunately waterproof) new iPhone in a muddy pool about 8 feet deep. He took more than 20 minutes of diving down in zero visibility water and feeling around for his phone to retrieve it.

A week or so later, another guy I know managed to drop his phone on a rock climb while taking a photo of his buddy. That phone was gone forever.

Solution: use a phone lanyard.

You can girth hitch it to your belt loop, backpack strap, or wear it around your neck.

There’s a lot of different models out there, but here's one that I have that works great. It’s about $10. I got it online.

(I've seen some marketed recently as more sturdy, or outdoorsy, or whatever. They're all pretty much the same simple design, I say ignore the marketing.)

This has stretchy, rubber-band-like, one size fits all silicone straps go around any existing case you have on your phone. The straps then clip to a thin nylon loop that you can wear around your neck or clip to your pack.

These silicone straps might look a little flimsy, but I have a similar system used with a phone handlebar mount on my mountain bike, and my phone has never fallen off on any trail ride.

It’s probably going to get a few chuckles from your outdoor pals. (But hey, they may drop their phones, and you never will, so who gets the last laugh, right?)

What's the best tent color?

image: from the always awesome book, “glacier mountaineering: an illustrated guide to glacier travel and crevasse rescue”, by Andy Tyson and Mike Clelland

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Next time you’re tent shopping, pay attention to the color. Crawl inside (if possible) and think, “Would I want to be in this thing for several days in a storm? Color can have a big effect on your moods and spirits.

After a few soggy days in a green tent, one climber commented he felt “as though he had been swallowed by a frog.” Darker colors may be less visually intrusive in the backcountry, but balance this with how you feel inside it.

Mental attitude can be important on a tough route, and every little bit helps. Most folks prefer the more uplifting colors - ever notice how most expedition tents seem to be yellow?

image: mountainguides.com

Sunscreen: solid stick, not lotion

The modern approach to sun protection in an alpine environment is wearing a sun hoody to protect your arms and head, a visor hat to shield your eyes and forehead, and maybe a buff for your mouth and lower face.

But, you're still gonna have a few exposed spots on your face and that's when sunscreen is needed.

Sunscreen lotion sucks. It can freeze, leak in your pack, make your hands greasy when you’re rock climbing or cold when you’re snow climbing. (If you're going to use lotion, here's a tip: Squeeze it on the BACK of your hands and apply it that way when you’re rock climbing, so the greasy stuff stays off your palms.)

Sunscreen in a stick is much more convenient and less messy.

When you find one you like, buy a few so you can keep them stashed in different packs and jackets and don't have to hunt for it before a trip. Get the smallest one you can, many containers only weigh about 15 g. Careful about putting it above your eyes and then having sweat drip down, that's no fun.

Carry some Tyvek paper

Tyvek, made from high-density polyethylene fibers, it’s ultralight, tear proof, very puncture resistant, windproof and waterproof. With these qualities, it’s should be no surprise that the stuff also has applications in the outdoor world.

I once met a guy backpacking in the wilds of central Idaho who had made himself some gaiters with Tyvek paper and a few safety pins! If you get a larger sheet, you could use it as a ground cloth underneath your tent. See if you can procure a scrap for free (with permission, of course) from a construction site, it’s also used as “house wrap”, installed underneath siding. (The ultralight hiking nerds have found slightly lighter ground cloth options, but Tyvek still works.)

Grab a piece of Tyvek from a repurposed envelope or from the post office, and cut it up into a few pieces, about 3” by 4”.  Add it to your 10E’s kit along with a pencil stub. This is tear-proof and waterproof note paper, which can be handy in certain backcountry situations.

You can:

• Jot down your philosophical insights that can be inspired by time in the wilderness, and maybe compose backcountry haiku.

• leave a note for rescuers if you’re lost

• take quick notes about key routefinding decision points

• In a First Aid situation, write patient vital signs and send the note out with a runner (if you forgot your accident report form)

Choosing a mountaineering backpack

There’s a dizzying number of choices when it comes to backpacks these days. Fortunately, with some guidance, you can narrow down the choices significantly.

Here’s a great article from outdoor gear lab that should be your first stop if you're contemplating a new backpack.

The Osprey Mutant 38 liter pack, an excellent choice.

photo: osprey.com

The perfect backcountry storage bottle

Looking for a small plastic bottle for food storage, and want a light weight, super-tough food grade plastic, a bomber non-leaking cap, and don’t want to pay $2-3 for a mini Nalgene?

Check out Gerber baby juice bottles (about $1.99 for a 4 pack as of 2018) in the baby food aisle at the supermarket.

Drink the juice if you like, but the great plastic bottles are the real score. I use them for olives, olive oil, sports drink mix, and espresso brought from home.

The empty 4 oz. bottle weighs just 21 grams.

Gearspeak: What’s an “HMS” carabiner, and why do you want one?

Note: thanks to Richard Goldstone for some German proofreading in this post.

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A techie climbing term you may come across is an “HMS” carabiner.  What ‘da heck does this mean? (Hint, it’s not “Her Majesty’s Ship.”

If you don’t speak German, it’s a reasonable question.

It’s actually an acronym for “Halbmastwurf sicherung”, which loosely translates as “Munter hitch belay carabiner.” Let’s break it down.

• “Halb” = half

• “mastwurf” = mast hitch, aka clove hitch

• “sicherung” = to protect or secure; in climbing it refers to the belay

So an “HMS” carabiner is, roughly, the “half clove hitch belay” carabiner, a large, locking pear-shaped carabiner, suitable for belaying with a Munter hitch.

(Side note - belaying the second with a Munter hitch directly off the anchor might seem a little old-school, but it’s a very useful technique that every climber should know. Read more about how to do it here.)

In American climber slang, this sometimes gets shortened to a “pearabiner”, which is certainly more descriptive.

Look, they’re almost cousins!

One of the advantages of using a pear-shaped carabiner like this is that the bottom edge is wide and relatively flat. This offers a few benefits.

One, as the name implies, you can easily belay off of this with a Munter hitch, because the wide gap in the bottom allows the knot to flip back and forth as you take in or let out rope.

Two, the wide and flat bottom allows you to clip other carabiners onto it, and add them and remove them fairly easily, even if one carabiner is loaded. If you were to use an asymmetric or “D” shaped carabiner on your master point, the loaded carabiner will often pinch down on the other ones, making removal much more difficult.

This can be especially helpful on big wall climbing, when the first step to build an anchor is usually clipping a large pearabiner into each of the bolts, and locking the gates. Everything else you add to the anchor typically gets clipped into those primary carabiners.

And, there are some old school safety police out there reading this, who are probably having a FREAKOUT right now that I’m advocating clipping one carabiner onto another. Don't worry, they’re lockers, and it's fine to do it at an anchor. But if you don't like it, you don't have to.

Close up of master point with an HMS / pearabiner, showing 2 carabiners clipped to it under load.

Expedition hygiene - 6 items for your kit

If you add these small and lightweight items to your personal kit bag for your next extended trek or expedition climb, you’ll be a most happy camper.

1) Q-tips.  You’ll be amazed what you can (carefully) extract from your ears after a week or so at a dusty base camp. (Of course follow the manufacturer’s and your grandmother's recommendation not to put them in your ear canal, yeah right.)

2) Ear plugs.  Be sure and bring the ones connected with a string, so you can find them when you lose them in the sleeping bag, which you will.  An extra pair is a fine idea too. Available at any hardware store. Vital for a good nights sleep with a snoring tent made or flapping tent.

3) Ayr Nasal saline gel. This is simply saline solution in a slightly watery gel form.  The air at altitude holds less moisture, and it can really dry out your nasal passages.  If you dab a tiny bit of this gel into each nostril (not as gross as it sounds) you’ll have instant relief from irritating dry nose. Get at any well-stocked pharmacy. (Side note - I had a friend who got up to 26,000 feet on Mount Everest, got an incredible gushing nosebleed from the cold dry air, and actually had to come down because of it. He was convinced that if he had some nasal saline gel, he would've made the summit.)

4) Foot powder.  It can help keep your feet drier, smelling much nicer, gives you a nice psychological boost of “Ahhhhh” when you put it on along with a pair of dry socks, and can help avoid blisters. I like Gold Bond brand.

5) Small travel sized bottle alcohol gel sanitizer. Put a dab of this on your feet every night to keep them fresh and kill any bacteria. This can be especially helpful if you are not being so diligent about changing and rotating your socks.

6) Small package unscented baby wipes. A quick wipedown of your more fragrant body parts with a few baby wipes can (almost) make you feel as though you had a real bath. Be sure to get unscented; (you don’t want to smell like a clean baby, do you?) Note, Packets like this may not work if it's seriously cold, like Denali, because they may freeze into a solid block. Instead, looked for individually packaged baby wipes that you can thaw inside your clothing if needed.

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Not shown, but can (literally) save your ass: Calmoseptine ointment. This is a zinc oxide and menthol-based thick cream that does an amazing job healing rashes and irritated skin.

Okay, we're getting into the messy details here: if you have some chafing in the sensitive crotch area, it can be debilitating and there aren’t many ways to fix it. This ointment works overnight and you’ll be good to go the next day. Typically it comes in a large tube, but you can buy individual very lightweight packets like this one online. (If you can't find this exact product, I think most any ointment that has zinc oxide based should work in a similar way.)

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And here's one intriguing option to the baby wipes, as mentioned by an Alpinesavvy reader: Wysi-Wipes. This clever product is a sort of dehydrated and ultra compressed heavy duty paper towel. It sort of looks like a big antacid pill, and weighs basically nothing. When you add about a tablespoon of water, it magically swells up to be a 9” x 12” useful towel. You can even compost them. On trips where weight is more important and you don't want to carry the wet baby wipes, this could be a great option. (When dry, it looks like a big gauze pad; I’m curious about how these might work in a first aid kit?)

A bag of 100 cost about $12. Here’s a purchase link. (As always at Alpinesavvy, there’s no affiliate marketing, I add just the link so it's more convenient for you to check out this product.)

"Triple locking" carabiners

A triple locking carabiner (also known as a “3 way”, “twist lock”, or “triple action” or a “tri-act”) can be a good choice for certain climbing uses. (And, not such a good choice for others . . .)

The idea: there are three separate actions that are required for the gate to be opened. Typically, that’s 1) sliding a metal sleeve, 2) twisting the metal sleeve, and then 3) opening the gate.

These carabiners are common in rock gyms, climbing schools, industrial rigging, high rise window washers, mountain rescue, arborist work, and with Professionals Who Do Dangerous Things Far Off the Ground, so that ought to tell you something about how safe they are.

But, safety does not always mean ease of use. Let's read on.

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The Petzl William is a triple locking belay style pear-shaped carabiner.

image - moosejaw.com

The Petzl Am’D is a more all round “D” shaped carabiner.

image - moosejaw.com

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Twist lock carabiners have some nice features . . .

1 - When the gate is closed, you know that the carabiner is locked, and that’s it’s very likely going to stay that way. With a normal screw gate locker, there is always that little nagging background voice that asks “Well, the gate is closed, but is actually locked? And, if the gate rubs against the rock or some other weirdness, is there a chance it could unlock itself accidentally?” If you use a twist lock carabiner, those two concerns are much gone. This makes them a good choice for beginner climbers, because you can be pretty much sure it's going to work as intended, without reminding the beginner all day long to be sure and lock the carabiner. That's one of the reasons guides like to use them for clients.

2 - It’s easy to open the gate even after the carabiner has been severely loaded. If you put a big load on a standard screw lock carabiner, tighten the gate, and then unload the carabiner, sometimes the screw sleeve locks in place and it can be tricky to open. No such issue with a twist lock.

They also have some not-so-nice features . . .

1 - They are not well-suited for snow/ice climbing, because A) they can be difficult to open if you're wearing gloves, and B) bits of snow and ice can get stuck in them, causing them to fail in various ways. (Yes, people have been known to pee on their carabiners to get them open, but I don't have a video tutorial on that one yet. =^) The same concern applies to dirt and mud, so probably not so great for caving and canyoneering, but I don't have any direct experience with this.

2 - They can be tricky to open with one hand. Often it's helpful, especially at a more complicated belay, to be able to operate a carabiner easily with one hand. There is a bit of a trick to doing so: Hook your ring finger in the bottom of the carabiner to apply a little downward pressure, and then use your thumb and index finger to slide twist and open the gate. Like most things in life, pretty easy once you know how.

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Here's a quick video I made showing the technique.

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3 - They are a bit heavier and more expensive than a standard screw gate. Below: Petzl Am’D 79 grams, Black Diamond screw gate, 55 grams, difference of 24 grams. Probably not a dealbreaker for most people, but if you're a lightweight nerd, it might be a consideration.

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So, what's the best use for twist lock carabiners?

Should you use them for every part of climbing that requires a locker? No.

Like almost all aspects of climbing, it comes down to personal preference, so here's mine: When you absolutely positively want it 150% bomber.

1. Setting up top ropes or fixed lines in an instructional setting where you’re not around to keep an eye on them.

2. Various things on big walls, where large loads hanging at strange angles and super-secure connections become more common and important (such as fixing the rope for the second to ascend, connecting a tag line onto the haul rope, or connecting haul bags to each other and the haul rope.)

3. Making a carabiner block, so you can rappel on a single strand. (This is an advanced technique for canyoneering and crafty climbers that I'm not going to cover right now, but you can Google it.)

Here's the easy solution: buy one and see how it works for you.

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One other option - try the more modern flavors of auto locking carabiners. I'm not going to try to summarize them here, but many of these have some innovative designs to try to address some of the problems with twist locks mentioned above, such as not working well in the snow, or being able to open them with one hand easily. I have both of the carabiners below and they work great.

If you want to read more about this, here’s a good summary of the different flavors of auto locking carabiners.

Black Diamond Magnetron. Clever design uses magnets to keep the gate closed. Easy one hand opening, works with snow and ice.

Edelrid Slider HMS carabiner. A nice belay carabiner, easy one handed opening, works well in snow and ice.

How to sew with your Swiss Army knife

I’ve carried Swiss Army knives around for decades, and always vaguely wondered if the awl was good for anything more than punching a hole through the occasional stout object. Turns out, it definitely is.

With a little practice and some stout thread (or even dental floss) you can turn your Swiss Army knife into a miniature sewing machine for backcountry repairs.

Awls have been used for thousands of years. You may find, as I did, that learning how to do it is surprisingly rewarding, and may leave you astonished once again at the cleverness of human beings. 

As with many hands on skills, it’s a much better show than a tell. 

Here’s a nice YouTube video that shows you how.