|
G E A R
Gear is one of my favorite subjects, and I could go on for HOURS. Gear requirements vary from canyon to canyon, from area to area, and from season to season. This write-up will focus on general recommendations, with some notes specific to area and season.
We sell gear through the Canyoneering USA Store and would/will/should appreciate your patronage. This writeup is written outside the store environment, and will focus on what works with only a modest bias toward what we manufacture under the Imlay Canyon Gear label and sell in the store. Forgive me if I am overly enthusiastic about the gear I designed specifically for doing this stuff, but I think it works pretty well.
Those items that we have for sale are highlighted with a Buy at CUSA icon - click it to open the store in a new window.
Since folks reading this will be at several different levels of enthusiasm, I have divided solutions to problems into three categories:
BASIC solutions will focus on the cheapest way to get things done, usually by improvising with common household items. Read this section for your first or second trip. When you're ready to get with the program, upgrade to:
INTERMEDIATE where good solutions will be presented, and you'll have to spend some money to gear up. If you get more involved in the sport, you'll want to upgrade to:
ENTHUSIAST where the stuff that really works will be presented for your entertainment.
Since this guide focuses on TECHNICAL canyoneering, the gear section focuses on that almost exclusively. The sections on keeping stuff dry, footwear and clothing also be apply to non-technical trips.
Lets look at the basic setup for a beginner on their first technical weekend, and then what things are added to the kit to get to Intermediate (as a follower, then as a leader) and Enthusiast Levels.
Basic Technical Canyoneering Kit
For following easy technical routes |
Helmet
Harness
Rappel Device
Four Screw-Lock Carabiners -
Two Small HMS, Two Utility
Four Over-the-shoulder Slings
Headlamp
Neoprene Socks
Dry Bag or Dry Keg
Leather or Synthetic Leather rappelling gloves
Some kind of pack |
Intermediate Canyoneering Kit
For following intermediate technical routes |
To the above, add:
Gloves
Summer-weight Wet Suit
A few more carabiners
A canyon-specific pack
or modified regular pack
Dry Bags and Dry Kegs
Canyon-specific shoes
Basic First Aid Kit
|
Intermediate Canyoneering Kit
For leading intermediate technical routes |
To the above, add:
Map, GPS etc to find the Canyon
Canyoneering Rope
Rope Bag
Pull Cord and Pull Cord Bag
40 feet of Webbing
Web-cutting Knife
Rapid Links
Lightweight Ascenders
More Over-the-Shoulder Slings
Skills and Judgment,
enhanced by taking a course
|
Enthusiast Canyoneering Kit
For advanced technical routes |
To the above, add:
Dry Suit
Happy Hooker
Pothole Escape Kit
Pot Shots
Spelegyca
Skills and Judgment, enhanced by canyoneering
with a variety of people.
|
Gear by Category
Each of the following pages has a brief discussion of each category of gear:
|
