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None that I want
Trad climber
Tucson, AZ
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 13, 2018 - 12:59am PT
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I haven't posted much (ever?) in the past, though I've been a long-time lurker here (huge fan of all the Grossman threads, being a SoAZ climber that likes to repeat his old, scary routes). Anyways, I'm curious as to what you all (especially the "old-timers") think about modern climbing gear: what used to be made better, and what could be made better. I'm talking everything from hangers to chalk bags to big cams to pants.
A lot of modern climbing gear, especially the "paraphernalia", seems to me to be built without much regard for durability/multi-functionality, and I'm sure that the old stuff was, in general, built with those two things in mind.
As a disclaimer, I might use any ideas to fuel new projects for my company (which is charitable, if that makes any difference to you), BrewHanger, which currently makes bottle openers that are built to the exact dimensions of the original (scary) SMC hangers.
Looking forward to gaining some insight from the people who've crafted the kind of routes that I most enjoy!
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ontheedgeandscaredtodeath
Social climber
Wilds of New Mexico
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Jul 13, 2018 - 07:53am PT
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I can't really think of any gear that I have now that I would replace with something from back in the day. I sort of get the nostalgia aspect but new stuff is for the most part lighter and just as strong or stronger. Having clipped plenty of old crusty Southern AZ hangers I certainly wouldn't to see any sort of return to that junk!
Maybe rugby shirts, those things were awesome for climbing.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jul 13, 2018 - 07:53am PT
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I think that the climbing gear available today is, for the most part, light years better then the gear it replaced. I started wilth pitons only (nuts were not even availabe) and goldline ropes. Like in nearly every other human endeavor...new materials, more innovative designs and improvements based on exoerience have given today’s climbers equipment far superior to what was available in the past.
Hardware, ropes, footwear, helmets, ice tools, clothing, tents, packs, sleeping bags, stoves...you name it, it’s better.
People who think otherwise are steeped in nostalgia or longing for past days when their bodies functioned better then they do today. Your body is one thing the equipment you use quite another.
My experience is based on many years of serious alpine climbing as well as pure rock climbing.
Put the old stuff over the mantle but feast on the new, innovative gear when you climb.
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John M
climber
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Jul 13, 2018 - 09:02am PT
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I don't believe that he is longing for the old days. His question makes me think more in terms of gear that is still used today, but isn't made as well anymore. I was trying to think of something similar in other fields, but my brain is out of service this morning. The only thing that I could come up with is Optima batteries for Off roading. They used to be built bomber, and were one of the go to batteries, but the manufacturing changed and now they seem to have more failures, which if you are out in the back country sucks. It doesn't seem to me like extreme outdoor gear has had that problem yet. Perhaps because the technology has changed so much, so there are fewer designs that have withstood the test of time.
The one thing that I miss are grammici shorts. Once Mike lost control of his company and is no longer associated with them, I felt like the quality of those shorts went down. I went from getting two or more seasons out of a pair, to getting one season. But that was a few years ago and I don't know how well they are made now. I stopped wearing them, plus I am now a couch climber so my information is completely out of date.
Interesting question.
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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Jul 13, 2018 - 09:11am PT
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No one would ever want to go back to wool knickers, 60/40 jackets, EBs, pitons as the pro of choice, Joe Brown helmets, shitty ice gear, etc.
The new gear is great and even the crappy stuff out there is generally better than the good stuff of decades ago.
My one complaint is the clothing is getting so expensive as they are marketing to the general public not just cheap climbers.
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hooblie
climber
from out where the anecdotes roam
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Jul 13, 2018 - 09:13am PT
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can't recover my rightful quotient of kool without those long gone kronies
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blahblah
Gym climber
Boulder
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Jul 13, 2018 - 09:23am PT
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Basically all modern climbing is better than the old stuff of course, but as one thing to think about: a lot of us have favorite shoes that went out of production that we may have preferred to modern versions. Probably this isn't true for sport climbing oriented shoes, but it may be for trad.
I had some La Sportiva shoes in I think the late 90s, I think they were called Syncros but I don't see any evidence of that on the Internet, that seemed better to me than anything I could find after they wore out, and I wasn't really happy with trad shoes until TC Pros.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Jul 13, 2018 - 09:49am PT
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Yeah, probably granite face climbing shoes are the one place where the current offerings are not as good as what we used to have. In all other cases the newer the better and cams and biners in particular are amazing these days. And I like those 10mm pieces of webbing. Tripled up on biners they carry so well and don't take up much more space than a regular draw.
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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Jul 13, 2018 - 10:44am PT
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I can't offhand think of anything that was better BITD. Some clothing items and things like helmets were more durable perhaps, but that was because they weighed three times as much as the current offerings.
I think one of the reasons I've been able to keep climbing for 61 years is that the gear got better as I got worse.
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Jul 13, 2018 - 12:45pm PT
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To answer the OP's question...: me.
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McHale's Navy
Trad climber
From Panorama City, CA
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Jul 13, 2018 - 03:12pm PT
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Those Blue Boots where pretty nice.
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David Knopp
Trad climber
CA
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Jul 13, 2018 - 04:42pm PT
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Only thing i can think of are a few specific la sportive shoes that fit like a dream, that they don't make anymore-Kaukulators, dragonfly approach shoes, raceblades. But yeah, the newer stuff is equally built to last and as functional as you make it.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Jul 14, 2018 - 10:40am PT
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McBrutha I started climbing in 1973 :)
Ha! I gotcha by a year.
But seriously, the evolution of climbing gear since then has been huge. Modern gear rocks. Although you might not want to lead Good To The Last Drop in Josh without a #7 hex (maybe it's a 6.)
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johntp
Trad climber
Little Rock and Loving It
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Jul 14, 2018 - 10:54am PT
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Maybe rugby shirts, those things were awesome for climbing.
Yeah, I wish Patagonia would bring back the old school rugby shirts, with the same patterns/colors. I only bought one BITD as I was a teenager and didn't have much money. That thing lasted for years of hard use.
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Bethesda
Trad climber
Bethesda
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Jul 14, 2018 - 12:50pm PT
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I agree that the La Sportiva Synchros were amazing for face climbing. After they went out of production I had a pair that I reserved for special climbs only. I finally had to abandon them, and am still in mourning. Never found anything that had that magical kind of stiffness. I think it was because they were board-lasted, a shoe manufacturing technique that appears to have gone out of use. Perhaps because it is too expensive.
Compared to the Synchos, everything else is a floppy mess.
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johntp
Trad climber
Little Rock and Loving It
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Jul 14, 2018 - 01:03pm PT
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mine was brown and orange stripes with rubber buttons.
Tadd, mine was purple with yellow stripes if memory serves me right. Damn, I loved that thing.
The small cams for thin/finger tip cracks are so much better than fiddling with a stopper.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jul 14, 2018 - 01:15pm PT
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MGuzzy...no doubt there are places where hexes work great but when, push comes to shove, they don’t warrant a place on my rack anymore. Come to think of it, I don’t even have any in my garage or basement.
I put up a number of routes in Yosemite pre cams that were cutting edge for the time. I had the very best gear at the time which didn’t include cams which had not been developed yet. As gear progressed I adjusted my rack so that I always had the best gear available.
In 1971 I did the first American ascent of Point 5 Gully on Ben Nevis with army buddy Ross Johnson. I can assure that I no longer use the straight shafted hickory ice axes and wart hog ice protection that served us well on that ascent.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jul 15, 2018 - 12:21pm PT
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The climbing gear we used was always the best available and served us well. As the gear improved it replaced the, now venerable, gear we had...think about the car you drive in high school and the one you drive today. Below are two pics of gear being used on Latok 1 in 1978.
It was the best available but wouldn’t be in a porter’s load today.
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ionlyski
Trad climber
Polebridge, Montana
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Jul 15, 2018 - 02:00pm PT
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60/40 jackets
Hey those were great! I was always stealing my older brother's cuz I didn't get to have one.
Arne
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SuperTopo on the Web
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solid shaft Friends (except #1); still lighter than Camalots
Let us know!