gear gear and equipment

[nate45]

I need to get a rope and some quick draws. I'm gearing up to do more lead climbing. I plan on borrowing gear for a while, however I would like to get some advice on what brands and types of equipment would be best for a new climber. I want to be able to keep my eye out for good deals.

I was told Mammut 60 meter rope 10mm and dry treated.
Suggestions on quick draws? how many? types? brands?

Where is the best place to pick this stuff up? (seoul or otherwise)

[gt29905]

Check out rockclimbing.com for lots of reviews and helpful info that will enable you to be a more well informed consumer.;)

[panicked_bear]

It depends on how serious you are going to get with climbing. If you are planning on ice climbing and alpinism (is that even a word!?) then you will want to get a rope that is pretty well treated for water etc...(aka more expensive)

Try not to fall into the trap of the gear junkie however. Get a good all-around rope that is at least semi-dry and 60m and 10mm thickness. For the big name brands you will be looking to shell out alot of cash, but look around. I just recently got my second rope from a great gear store in Daejeon for 200,000W. It's a 10mm 60m, water treated Tendon (Czec) Rope, that is great! The beals that i was looking at there were more than DOUBLE that price.

Try not to fall for the sales gimmicks. If you are merely doing sport climbing, you can get a cheaper rope. In my case, even if I have to buy a new rope within the next 2 years, I will still be paying less than a new beal rope here (cost of both ropes combined!).

Unless you are planning on putting a new route up the Eiger, I would say that experience comes first, gear comes second. Don't kill yourself with the cost until you need to.

[shanja]

Yeah, I guess honestly Matt is right...and I AM a gear freak. If you are starting out, you won't notice or be able to get much benefit from a lot of the more expensive models and brands. Gear is expensive and brand names just make it ridiculous (at times).
I also got a Tendon 60m x 9.8mm Dry rope, it's made in Czech and fully certified by UIAA and CE (the only two safety standards for climbing equipment). Anything that has these approvals is more than good enough for the abuse you'll give it....and I think all gear sold in Korea (bar clothes etc) must meet these standards for it to be sold.
In Seoul the area around the Cheonggyecheon stream at subway stop "Jong-ro 5 ga" (Dark blue line 1) is often a good place to hunt for bargains. Be prepared to shop around and bargain! You can get great discounts if you ask.

As for quickdraws....eventually you'll want about a dozen or so, and you may as well just get as many of the cheapest you can find for now and add to your collection gradually. Kong are often cheap here as are Trango and Mad Rock, and all are good solid manufacturers.

Belay devices are either mechanical (expensive) or manual (cheaper but need more attention when using). As a beginner or as a person wanting maximum flexibility out of your gear...go with the manual belay device. Cheaper, lighter, handles any kind of rope and teaches you good habits. Personally I love the Petzl Reverso 3, but the Black Diamond ATC, ATC Guide, Trango Pyramid, Kong Ghost etc are all fine. Figure 8 type units are OK but not as good as the above tube (or pig-nose) style devices.
Have a look at the following links on KOTR for more pompous advice::p
http://www.koreaontherocks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1680&highlight=KOTR
http://www.koreaontherocks.com/forums/t1162-rope.html
http://www.koreaontherocks.com/forums/t1125-quickdraws.html
http://www.koreaontherocks.com/forums/t1122-shoes.html

[rastus]

I have big hands and fingers :becky: so when I got my first set of draws, that fact, as well as price had some influence on my choice. I went with the Trango, which seemed to have the low price (but CE cert.) and sufficient clearance when clipping. I think Trango have come up with an improved version of their basic CB's.....a "smooth" version that seem's lighter and has a higher strength rating along the spine. (I got a couple locking CB's like this, a few weeks after the main purchase).

Within a month of buying my set, I had to sacrifice a CB on a dodgy cable anchor for a rappel. something also to consider....lot easier throw away something that's 8-10K won, than 20-30K (I didn't have any disposable slings or quicklinks at the time).

I've used the Trango ATC-type/pyramid for the last 6 months....absolutely no complaints, and worth the 10K won I paid. I've only just got a Reverso 3 now for the autolocking feature on multipitches. (the Kong ghost is half the price and a lot lighter, but not at nice to use (I'm told!)....and hard to pull up rope in a top belay situation).

[nate45]

I have a friend in the States and he will be here in a couple weeks. He is going to et some stuff for me. Any suggestions? I think this:

http://www.rei.com/product/751495

and two of these: http://www.rei.com/product/751535

And some cheaper CBs

[shanja]

Nate, the gear seems solid and at a decent price. TBH though, if it's a hassle for your friend to bring over that much gear, you can pick up a 60m x 9.8mm DRY rope here in Korea for 200,000won (Lanex Brand Tendon Rope)...even bi-clour for 240,000won! BD draws are good and solid, though I prefer the ones they make with the keylock biners....don't snag on the harness loops and hangers when clipping them on and off. Still good price and great gear. Make sure you get a few locking biners too....Black Diamond make a great cheap locker called the mini-pearbiner (but it's quite big actually):
http://www.backcountry.com/outdoorgear/Black-Diamond-Mini-Pearabiner-Screwgate/BLD0729M.html
And I have a few of these...they are great because unlike many lockers they are small enough to hold a Gri-Gri and yet big enough to munter hitch. The round cross-section also works really well with reverso type belay tools for the top-belay (auto lock) method where T-bar cross sectioned biners jam up and need herculean strength to take-in rope.