since this thread is getting long/cluttered, i'm editing the first post with pertinent information as well as the roster.
intent:
day to practice rappels- tactical and/or E&E (escape and evasion)
necessary gear:
as i've said, it depends on what YOU want to work on. if you just want to have fun and learn straight up rappelling, then i'd suggest either renting a sport climbing pack from a local climb shop- probably $25 for the day- or buying a harness, 'biners, belay device, etc. if you rent a sport climbing package, you'll have everything you need. CORRECTION- you still need to bring your own leather gloves.
so loadout for tactical rappel, to buy:
- harness $45-$90, for a good sport climbing harness, or $150-$300+ for an authentic "tactical" harness (not recommended). any climbing shop, and REI, unless you want the fancy shit- then you need to check out Yates gear online
- HMS locking carabiner $10-$20, any shop, REI
- belay device... some suggestions-
.....ATC - $12-$16 at REI,
.....DMM V-Twin - $25-$30 (no longer in production, but US Outdoors in portland still has some- these are very good devices for rappelling, as they don't get hot)
.....figate - $3-$15 (also doesn't get hot, and is the traditional standard, but can be difficult to control, they twist the rope, and are generally considered obsolete outside of the tactical community) available for $3 at Climb Max in portland, or you can get the supposedly better (i've never tried it) Super 8 at REI for like $15.. they probably have regular figates too.
.....Grigri - $75ish at REI - these, and similar devices, are sort of cool for rappelling where you know you'll need to make a lot of lock-off stops or have to **** with gear, etc.. anything that will require quick stopping or both hands
whatever you do- please don't bring a "tube" or "pyramid" type device... they get way too hot, and i'm anal about heat on nylon. i don't even like the ATC, for rappelling, but it's what everyone seems to have..
- basic thicker leather gloves. in my opinion, from a cost perspective, you cannot beat Walmart's $8 "Wells Lamont" gloves. get a pair that fits close, but not tight.
- helmet if you want (if we get the building, probably not gonna wear it) $40-$140+
grand total: $80 - $285ish+, and you'd be perfectly outfitted at $80. when in doubt, go as basic as you can.
anyone feel free to point out anything i'm missing
for a purely E&E day on the rope-
- 18' of 1" or wider, preferably tubular, rated nylon webbing, available at MOST climbing shops (many don't carry webbing that wide, so call ahead), and REI has plenty. i personally don't trust surplus shop webbing- those places have no problem selling JUNK $5? nothin' -or- you can bring 12-13' of 11mm'ish (don't go much thinner) ROPE rather than webbing, to make a "swiss seat"... price will be about the same
- HMS locking carabiner $10-$20
- leather gloves $8
- helmet if you want $40-$140+
- basic rappel device (I'm going to demonstrate the munter hitch, and probably everyone who wants to will get to try it, but it unnecessarily tears up the rope) - if you're willing to put out the bucks, and you live less than 200' from the ground, then a Grigri is actually a really good investment for an E&E kit. might save your life, if you have to rappel in a panic.
grand total - $25 - $100
feel free to pm me for clarification/whatever
who's invited:
8 people physically fit enough for intense fear and a possibly near-vertical climb back up (depending on location, which is still a question-mark)
roster, thus far:
1. bkb0000
2. tradja
3. misty
4. misty's boy
5. alvin
6. t-bone
7.
8.
where/when:
Saturday, April 23, 2011. currently have Rocky Butte in Portland as our fallback plan, but i'm trying to find a BUILDING or appropriate bridge, for authentic urban rappel
note on gear compatibility-
if you're bringing guns (and you should be), i pretty much suggest you plan to open carry. if i carry during the event, i will likely go to a drop-leg holster and OC, because hip carry and harness wearing don't really mesh well. IWB is especially un-cool- a large portion of your weight will be compressing the gun into your hip, and it's not only very uncomfortable, but probably not a great thing to subject your weapon to. gun in a backpack also works, if you don't want to OC.
feel free to bring your carbine and range loadout. all i ask is that you keep the weapon empty and have an orange chamber flag inserted while we're on the wall. it MAY end up not being a great idea to bust out the hardcore stuff, depending on where we end up and how many anti-gun hippy climber types we may or may not have around us.
disclaimer:
rappelling is dangerous. if your equipment fails, or if you make a simple mistake, you could easily die or suffer serious injury. there will be no instructors on-site- just a bunch of crazy yahoos slappin' each other with the hotmops and shit.
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see the rest of the thread for further details, feel free to PM me or post
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