What is the fascination of climbing with a pack on???????

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Russ Walling

Social climber

Out on the sand.... man.....

Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 14, 2007 - 02:19am PT

This last week while on vacation in Yosemite:

I see a girl hanging upside down below a 5.8 roof with a pack on. Boyfriend hero, unsympathetic, 30 feet above. 3 Pitch route.

I see ultra n00bs with giant packs doing 5.7 routes in less than record time.

I see guys that can sorta actually climb running water bladders and packs for 3 pitch routes.

I tried to carry (well I made Susan carry it) a small pack with 16oz of Gatorade, a trail line, and 6 cams and it almost killed us off in a chimney and it choked the breath out of poor Sooze on a near vertical pitch.

So what exactly is the deal and what do you guys actually carry in those packs? We are talking about 2 - 4 pitch routes here.... 3 hours max..... whaddya got, tender feet and need a sippy cup every 3 minutes? Is it some sort of weird sub-alpinist thing where you are not really climbing unless you have a stack of shiit on your back? Do you bonk without Estrogen laced goo every 40 minutes? Please please tell me.... I really want to know!

Russ Walling

Social climber

Out on the sand.... man.....

Topic Author's Reply - Sep 14, 2007 - 02:36am PT

That Tarbuster kid used to tape the beers into the middle of the slings... use the sling, drink the beer..... Tardy??? how about a pic?

WTF is in all those packs????

N0_ONE

Social climber

Utah

Sep 14, 2007 - 02:40am PT

For me it the sippy cup thing! But not on shorter routes.

neebee

Social climber

calif/texas

Sep 14, 2007 - 02:51am PT

hey there guys... say, i aint a climber, but i know what the pack issue is all about... think many of you all know this, too:

ol' company advertising, trying to make more BIG bucks...

they do it to school kids come each new school year... i see my poor ol' step grandkids are hooked on them....

twenty mule team, sure couldnt handle them, but these little school kids try to---course, they aint climbing ROCKS....

advertisers DONT CARE--they will sell packs to anyone they can pitch a plan-of-attack picture-fun-time ad to:

sadly, too, not only to innocent little kids that see the "glitter and sparkle" of whatever "hooked" them to get folks to BUY them and then strain to lug them around, but, to rock climbers that are too new to know better, and could--as you said---end up, UPSIDE DOWN...

neebee

Social climber

calif/texas

Sep 14, 2007 - 03:01am PT

hey there... oh MYYYYYY.... LOCKER SURE KNOWS how the ol' "see ad work" goes...

say...aside from rock climber packs:

i do wonder how many packs they sell each school year, though... did you all know that these things PILE up, and for some reason, parent-folks re-buy these... there can be up to ten in a basement, in near "mint" condition.. and yet each kid in the homes buys more, each year....

i've truly seen them at all the homes around here, where the folks have kids... its really amazing...

WoodySt

Trad climber

Riverside

Sep 14, 2007 - 03:21am PT

Get to my shoes Locker. I want them tomorrow. You can drive them by.

Ricardo Carlos

Trad climber

Off center, CO.

Sep 14, 2007 - 03:34am PT

Russ
I heard XXXX was coming out with a new model , OFF The Wall.
If you put enough needless crap in it you will fall off the wall?

nature

climber

Flagstaff, AZ

Sep 14, 2007 - 04:29am PT

It's all about training. It's good training for something to wear one. Not sure what yet, but it is.

Todd Gordon

Trad climber

Joshua Tree, Cal

Sep 14, 2007 - 10:01am PT

Climb with a pack?...What?

Todd Gordon

Trad climber

Joshua Tree, Cal

Sep 14, 2007 - 10:03am PT

What you talking about?

Todd Gordon

Trad climber

Joshua Tree, Cal

Sep 14, 2007 - 10:05am PT

Let's go sport climbing! Beers, bolts, and babes!

tomtom

Social climber

Seattle, Wa

Sep 14, 2007 - 10:10am PT

hey there guys... say, i aint a climber, but i know what the pack issue is all about... think many of you all know this, too:

ol' company advertising, trying to make more BIG bucks...

Ya, like this one [note the instructions don't say anything about leaving the bag at the bottom of the route ...]

http://www.fishproducts.com/catalog/bouldering.html

Toker Villain

Big Wall climber

Toquerville, Utah

Sep 14, 2007 - 10:20am PT

2 words: spare ammo

Tarbuster

climber

right here, right now

Sep 14, 2007 - 10:29am PT

I'm with you Russ,
Here's my team's hydration strategy for a six-pitch Eldorado rock route:
(plus there's a carbohydrate bonus too)

... nobody goes thirsty on my watch!
We are talkin' 2 beers apiece.

Some guys, like Prod, hedge their bet and hydrate extra good at der staging zone,
BEFORE heading up on the fearsome 5.9:

Euroford

Trad climber

chicago

Sep 14, 2007 - 10:52am PT

when i go to the local crag, no. pack gets left at the bottom. when tim gets to escape chicagoland, it depends. he ususaly ends up out in colorado. not sunny california. he usualy shows up at lumpy ridge. the weather sucks, the approaches are long, the descents can be bushwacks.

leaving the pack and your shoes at the base seams like kinda a dumb thing to do round those parts. especially when the daily thunderstorm shows up and your so glad you have a rain jacket. sitting at the base. and you're always looking forward to get back into your sneakers, especially after an hour of bushwaking to get them out of your pack, thats probobly an hour out of your way now that you descended down the backside.

i gots me one of those medium size camelbacks. holds the rainshell, the approach shoes, some snacks, smokes and obviously the water.

its small enough and lite enough that i don't notice it while climbing.

did that just last week. was nice having the jacket for the storm at the top of three, was nice wearing the tennies on the descent, was nice not having to go back to retrieve anything at the base.

so der ya go.

WBraun

climber

Sep 14, 2007 - 11:13am PT

Yeah yeah yeah

WTF is in those packs?

Even on Yosar the n00ber rescuers bring their own personal monster 30 lb packs full of sh'it to hike up the trail 300 yards to pick up a sprained ankle when all you really need is a pair of cut-off at the fingers leather gloves.

People will climb after 6 with 20 lb packs on their backs full of sh'it and god knows WTF is in there. It only takes 10 to 15 minutes to do the whole route to begin with.

WTF is in those packs???????????

Tarbuster

climber

right here, right now

Sep 14, 2007 - 11:22am PT

For me, a pack is more a wardrobe consideration.
You know, a guy needs to know how to accessorise,
Like, when in rubble, I go to the trouble.

I pretty much refuse to do clean rock gymnastics, say anything 5.7 or harder & 3-15 pitches in length, with a pack: always have been inclined in that way. I don't even like carrying approach shoes on my harness. Very seldom do I do that, as I most often go down the backside barefoot and I might wrap a very light rain jacket or windbreaker around my waist, maybe put some gloves in a pocket.

Many of the younger modern climbers are all about helmets, packs, belay gadgets, extraneous gear, and an overall stern and serious demeanor.

ricardo

Gym climber

San Francisco, CA

Sep 14, 2007 - 11:25am PT

russ ..

.. when we climb we bring a pack .. full of toilet paper ... i'm the kind of guy who needs a whole roll in order to feel comfortable out there .. -- for each sitting ..

.. and you never know when your'e going to get hit with a 2-flusher or worse..