GearFlogger

Outdoor Research Accessory Straps

Tying crap down is both art and science, although some folks manage to avoid both approaches. We call them yard sale people, 'cause that's what it looks like when their bombproof rigging job blows apart and scatters gear hither, thither and yon.

Do not be a yard sale person. Use reliable straps like these 3/4" nylon ones from OR. They have tension buckles, which I prefer as more reliable than quick-release styles for critical applications like tying down a load on a sled for glacier travel.

Various lengths.

$6.50 at REI

Metolius Personal Anchor System

Most of the time when someone comes up with a device that is just a specialized version of something you can rig yourself from stuff you already own, it's just not worth paying for. This is not that.

The Metolius PAS allows a fast anchor tie-in merely by clipping in to the daisy-chain. The multiple loops also make it useful for equalizing anchors in a safe static mode to eliminate risk of shock-loading.

Another use I've found for the PAS is for crevasse rescue. The person not in the slot can drop it over the lip to aid the poor slob who has to work up and over. It works like an etrier and the climber can simply grab the loops hand-over-hand.

$30 at REI (or w/locking 'biner $40 at Backcountry.com)

BlueWater Ice Floss rope

Don't forget to floss. This beauty is an 8.1mm twin rope, meaning it is designed to be used with another twin rope running through the same pieces of protection. It can be used singly for situations where there is no danger of a severe fall, for example glacier travel, which is what I use it for.

The 60m length (just under 200 feet) is ideal for areas where the crevasses are truly monstrous, such as Alaska and the Karakoram. I typically travel with just one climbing partner and this leaves plenty of room even rigged up with a Kiwi coil, my preferred method for glaciers.

The small diameter means light weight and easy handling. The minus is that some belay devices, prussik-minding pullies and autoblocks can be a little skittish, so make sure your devices work with ropes this size.

$143 at REI