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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
Lake Oswego, Oregon
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Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 27, 2008 - 01:40am PT
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This is just me thinking out loud...
Other than a great wall hammer (covered in another thread) what equipment do you miss, need or want that is NOT being made? I don't mean a weird style of backpack or a left-handed chalk bag, but what are the devoted among us seeking? A larger hook? A different supply of knifeblades?
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dirtineye
Trad climber
the south
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Feb 27, 2008 - 02:04am PT
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You mean besides an ignore button?
I want a rope (and I've been after that wily Jim Ewing about this for a few years now, he's probably got one he uses for HIMSELF already, LOL) is a rope that is light, with a low impact force, that will not cut when swinging across a sharp edge, and has more than ten lead falls. Preferably in double ropes, with each double meeting the standard weight spec for single ropes.
He always laughs when I ask for this rope.
I'd also like to see a real and significant improvement for the tri-cam.
I'd like to see rubber that is stiff enough to edge well and still smear well in cold weather, but not roll or tear in hot weather.
I want climbing pants that are durable and comfortable, with freedom of movement, with a special zipper for peeing and sh!tting while wearing a harness, and yet quick drying.
I'd also like to find a way to ban gym climbers from climbing outside, and a way to keep sport climbers from retrobolting trad climbs or bolting stupid sport climbs.
I'd like to see those crazy Russians get back in business with their titanium pitons and rap rings and nut tools, and NOT have some US distributor screw it up.
I'd like to see the US pass a law that hands out the death penalty for putting graffiti on natural rock walls, mountains, cliffs, and boulders, or any other rock feature that you can't pick up and carry in your hands.
An effective helmet that the morons who won't wear a helmet cause helmets are not cool WOULD wear would be a good thing. I actually read an account of a girl who got a pretty good head injury at Twall and her comment was that she still would not wear a helmet.
I'd love to see a product called "Chalk-Be-Gone, that easily removes chalk from routes.
And for the really really impossible one, not for me but for those unfortunate people who either should have never taken up climbing in the first place, or who just had that one moment of incredible stupidity/bad luck, I'd like to see a belay/rappel device that you COULD NOT POSSIBLY thread incorrectly, thus causing you to plummet to your doom. I personally would not own such a thing, because I believe in the rappel backup, but such a device would have saved a lot of lives over the last few years alone.
Last, and truly impossible for now at least, a device that would give climbers better judgment and better sense. I believe this one will have to be wetwear, and will probably be classed as cheating by purists.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Feb 27, 2008 - 05:00am PT
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A lot of stuff that is not being made can still be found on ebay, if it was made once in quantity and you know what you are looking for.
Stuff that was never made is a different story. I think it would be helpful to have some kind of "third hand" to hold/turn my drill holder, so I could hang on to the rock with my left hand and hammer with my right. At times I consider having some kind of snake attached to my left wrist to do this. Probably I should just try harder to make this myself. There is definitely hardly any demand for such a gadget.
A stainless 1/4" buttonhead type bolt might be nice, for replacing rivets on aid routes (if it's strong enough, which I'm not sure of), or for placing on aid ladders on new routes. Maybe too strong a replacement, though. I think this has been discussed at length on a thread here, but I wasn't paying attention at the time.... A strong but easily removable 1/4" bolt might be nice for people drilling from stance but going back after the lead to upgrade the bolts to 3/8".
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Feb 27, 2008 - 06:57am PT
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A couple of the 1/4" buttonhead split-shanks I tried to replace recently were so burly forty years later that it wasn't worth the trouble. They completely resisted both tuning forks and two new Lennox metal blades which normally would cut 1/2" 5-piece bolts like swiss cheese all day long if necesssary. Neither little sucker budged and both melted the blades with nary a scratch on them. Essentially the hangers were corroded beyond worthlessness, but those little bolts themselves were stout beyond words - I'd love to know what they are made of and where I could get more of them.
As for wishlists - I'm still waiting for my biotech spider silk rope which would weigh nothing and be virtually indestructable.
And tricams, they're easily improved with mods on your own or Camp could do it if they were ever so inclined.
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Feb 27, 2008 - 11:12am PT
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HB aluminum offsets. I happed to have bought a nice set before the disappeared, but it'd be nice to know I could lose one and not have to cry.
Rock Bottoms, my favorite climbing pant.
Stand Up shorts, ditto.
Other than that, there's a LOT of great gear out there these days.
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TrundleBum
Trad climber
Las Vegas
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Feb 27, 2008 - 11:37am PT
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As Clint says:
ebay is the best repository for old gear.
I bought one of these just to have second in case I drop the one I have been using since my late teens.
What happened to 'real' hammers?
The image is of an old 'Alpine' hammer that I cut the ice pick off of.
I killed it's collectibility but it was a 1/2 useless ice tool, but makes for a great rock hammer.
A reissue:
-Old Chouinard wall hammer, pre lighter head?
-Stand up pants and shorts.
-Brass Paulig Nuts !
Never made:
Hand crank percussion drill, like a 'hammer drill' version of the old Miller falls 'egg beaters'
always wanted to have:
-rocket boots
-micro wave freezer/ice maker that runs on 12 volt ;)
OT but man one day I got to get me one of these -
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Feb 27, 2008 - 11:38am PT
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i second the rock bottoms. mine are bright purple. I can live with that. They have also gotten smaller somehow. That is harder to live with.
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Feb 27, 2008 - 12:02pm PT
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Did you say nanotube rope?
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dirtineye
Trad climber
the south
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Feb 27, 2008 - 02:29pm PT
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Damn you Trundlebum, cutting the tooth off that hammer ruined it as one of the all time great route cleaning tools! Remove choss, dig out cracks, nothing else comes close!
You're probably the kind of guy who would saw the hex off a bam-nut and use it as a piton!!!
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TrundleBum
Trad climber
Las Vegas
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Feb 27, 2008 - 02:37pm PT
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-Yeah it did have a use as a choss remover.
-Nope never cut the nut off a bam.
-But I do have some old anodized Forrest symmetrical hexes I use as wind chimes ;)
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Feb 27, 2008 - 03:25pm PT
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DMM may someday ship the larger Aluminum Alloy sizes #7-11 as they keep claiming, but are not making the brass ones sold in the Valley. Those are being made by a woman who is an ex-HB employee (and now, oddly, a DMM employee).
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Moof
Big Wall climber
A cube at my soul sucking job in Oregon
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Feb 27, 2008 - 06:13pm PT
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A5 Beaks.
Crack-n-ups.
Fish and Captain Hooks.
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bachar
Trad climber
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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Feb 27, 2008 - 06:26pm PT
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Knickers, plus fours, bombachos, whatever you want to call them, I can't find 'em anywhere... damnit!
Emilio Comici...
Gaston Rebuffat...
Royal Robbins...
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Feb 27, 2008 - 06:29pm PT
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A decent board lasted high top.
(like the Kalculators)
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Raydog
Trad climber
Boulder Colorado
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Feb 27, 2008 - 06:30pm PT
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JB, doesn't Verve make something like that?
(just kidding)
If I were U I'd get the pant I wanted and have 'em made into the Bombacha/knicker style custom like.
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mojede
Trad climber
Butte, America
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Feb 27, 2008 - 06:43pm PT
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I have never had one, but it seems like the "friend of a friend" would be pretty handy on the stone. Weren't these made by Ed Leeper ?
Seems like a lighter version could easily be made today, and the marketability...........
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tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
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Feb 27, 2008 - 06:53pm PT
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I wish somebody made a "goretex" type shell layer that was actually waterproof and breathable. I've tried them from just about everybody, I've never got them to breathe as well as advertized, and sooner than later the shells get saturated and don't wick.
If folks are interested in claw hooks, I've been debating getting some old ring angle pins and hand forging them. I didn't think there was that much of a market, but it looks like I might be wrong.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Feb 27, 2008 - 06:54pm PT
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Yeah, FoF's were pretty slick the once or twice I played with one, but I never really felt a real compelling need to carry one. They were also pretty specific to rigid stem Friends and probably would be less useful with any of today's other cams.
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SuperTopo on the Web
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A5 Beaks - Check, about 16 of the rascals.
Let us know!