Review: Gearlex Ear Clip

I wanted to upgrade my accessory carrying capacity without adding my weight, or adding to my magnetic signature. (I rarely go through metal detectors, but whenever I do, it's a bigger and bigger pain each time). I use ITW Grimloc's on a bunch of my bags and harnesses, which are good, but have a "pop-open" thresh-hold that I have had come open at inopportune times.  

I saw that Hornest SG was stocking a bioplastic carabiner that looked to be suiting my needs. These are the Gearlex Ear Carabiners.  These weather and chemical resistant clips are made from 62% renewable materials and ends up being 15% lighter than nylon materials and are reported to retain that toughness down to  -60oC, in case you are intending to go yomping in Vladivostok or Mawson Station.

At the broad top of the "ear" shapes, the clips feature a 1" webbing loop, with a split notch for feeding it into the location of your choice. 

Unlike the webing notch of the of the Grimloc, the Gearlex webbing loop is on the outside of the carabiner, not the inside. This frees up the internal area of the carabiner to give more space for attached objects, and adds freedom of movement. 

However, it makes me worry about how much of a load the clip can take. The large Ear clips are rated to a max of 78kg and the small to 60kg, which is vastly more than the Grimloc's 36kg break-point. I rather empirically tested it manually by pulling it looped through my webbing , and it held in place to the point of hurting my hand and with the stitching straining.

The gate of the carabiner is fitted with a dovetail locking mechanism which adds to the strength of the gate and is one of several locks now standard throughout the climbing world.  The inside, weight bearing rim of the carabiner is thicker, to distribute the load, but the back edges have a broad rib for stability and strength, without adding too much mass. 

The carabiners are clearly not climbing rated, and come with warnings not to be "load-bearing" but that said, for the strapping of accessories, like water bottles, dummy cords or even strapping on smaller packs to bigger packs, such as the Hill People Gear Runner's Bag, or the Zulu Nylon Gear CAOS admin pack or even perhaps a daypack, for those of us who pack like we're about to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.  

Gearlex produce these in Black, Coyote and Ranger Green, and I got one of the clips in black, one in ranger green and a small one in Ranger Green as well, to give me some options when I am setting them up and using them, to match or contrast the gear they are attached to.


Not as hardy and load-bearing as an aluminium or steel climbing carabiner, bigger and more stable than a Grimloc, the Gearlex Ear Clips fill the niche between a light accessory clip and a heavy-duty carabiner.

Both have their places and uses, but for something in-between, you might find that the Gearlex clips, in big and small suits your needs.

Review: Platatac - Tactical Crate

This just in from Platatac in a recent press release via their FaceBook page ...:
 

"After the recent unveiling by 2nd Commando Regiment during a training activity, we can proudly announce the release of our NSN'd Assaulters Milk Crate (patent pending).



Build from carbon fibre bonded with inconel this bad boy can withstand over 16kn of force, 2000 Degrees Celsius, 10 sticks of TNT and pretty much anything a triple figure digger can throw at it.

The recently declassified Assaulters Milk Crate is a team essential item. With multiple lashing points for the Tuff Tactical Quick Release


Tactical Tie Off Point (TTQRTTOP) and light weight modularity the Assaulters Milk Crate is a must for all DA's.



Supplied with Two pieces of core flute and 4 black zip ties.



Available in 3 colours. (Blackout 1000x, Tactical Tan, Killer Wolf Grey)

Weighs just 6 grams.

RRP $499.00

Available for preorder 1st April 2016"









I've noted on the forums there may well also be a Blue Force Gear force-on-force trainer in the works as well, but reports also suggest that Multicam just wont stick to the frame. It's too high-speed.

Presumably you can add other modular features, but that may well come with package inserts

 

 

 

 

I was fortunate enough to have a couple come my way as well, and can tell you though mine were pre-release (note the unreleased Blaze Orange range-officer option peeking out underneath) and a possible SF/ SASR aquatic version in Blackout there.

These are some serious pieces of kit, with numerous uses around the bunker, in the field, and for all kinds of bug-out or bug-in use. They're so tough you could even transport perishable items like milk in them!

I'm hanging out for a possible titanium version, but I'm always a sucker for over-engineering.

Review: Exoskel shin guards

I love armour. I love scrambling and climbing. I love not bashing my body to pieces or exhausting myself.

So when I saw these awesome pieces on SoldierSystems I knew I had to see if I could get some too. Stephen Guiney of ExoSkel was kind enough to get back in touch with me and as it happened was traveling on my side of the planet, and hooked me up with a pair. I've worn a variety of shin-guards in the past, through both my LRP days, roller-blading and when I've been doing a variety of adventurous things I'd rather not crack a shin whilst doing. I've worn several different kinds of knee-pads in the past, but these are something entirely different.

These are the Exoskel X1's (X2 being the production model on sale now).

Constructed from an advanced polymer, with closed cell foam backing and heavy duty stirrup strap, buckles and webbing and Fastex-type calf straps, these are some very rugged and rigid shin pads, which come in at only 500g (1.1lbs) apiece. They come with Self Extinguishing Fire Resistance, which is UL94 VO rating.

The most striking aspect of the guards is of course the five rows of teeth that make up the face of the guards. These are sculpted directly into the face of the guard, each with a downwards facing slope and butted tip, these are designed to grab and hold any surface that you happen to be scrambling over.

Where in regular climbing situations the usual rule is "3 points of contact; feet and hands only" in practice, and in stressful situations this goes right out the window. When going through a window, up a ravine, over a wreck or refuse, knees, shins and elbows all come into play. That is when something like the Exoskel's come into their own.

The guards (teeth, buckle, stirrups) hold in excess of 450 kg (1000lbs) when vertically loaded, which is equivalent to a drop of 150kg (330lbs) from 50cm (19"). The good folks at Exoskel went as far as to explain these figures as the following: "The measured strength of the dynamically loaded Exoskel products tested was higher than the maximum dynamic load estimated for an assumed in-field loading scenario with a 330 lb (150 kg) user and a 19 in (50 cm) drop onto a hard object."

A 50cm drop is a long way to expect any wearable piece of retention gear to take when that laden. My 215Gear Retention Lanyard is 17" long and stretches to 26" meaning you are limited to a maximum of a 26" drop, and that is a dedicated safety line. These are not designed for that kind of thing.This is a climbing aid, not a safety tool.


In fact, Exoskel stress their product is to be used for stabilization assistance and lower limb protection only. It is not a climbing safety device or harness.

That said, I was quite happy with dangling myself off a packing crate with a shin on each rung, no problems. I have tried them on a variety of surfaces and materials now, and have been really pleased with both the bite and stability of those teeth. Where normally I've felt the need to kneel up onto a surface, committing that much of a lunge to my ascent, being able to go "half-way" with a shin gave me a lot more scope to choose how I ascend, and potentially limit my exposure in doing so.

I took this shot to show the tooth-marks the Exoskel's put into the hardwood packing crate I posed these pictures on. You can clearly see the three splintered spots where I moved up and down, and also the two divots in the corner where I dangled.

Very impressive, I must say.

Some of the excellent additional features they come with, such as the emergency stirrup replacement and calf-strap holes, which enable the user to use up to 12mm (½") rope / cord to tie the guards back on in the case of breakage. There are also guide-holes divoted into the perimeter of the guard to enable drilling and sewing of the guard directly to pants.


The channeled foam lining not only helped with the breathability issues often found with form-fitting guards, but the design, and thickness as well as the exterior shell itself added considerable impact protection. I'm no kick-boxer, nor did I take a sledge-hammer to my legs, but I kicked a few trees, and clubbed myself a few times to gauge the kinds of impacts I might expect to take and resist, and didn't come close to bothering myself. I'm pretty sure I'd have lost footing before the guard broke. You can even wear them over existing knee-guards, depending on the fits.

As a Close Quarter Battle tool, or restrain device, I can only imagine how unpleasant it would be to be on the receiving end of a kick with one of these, or to be knelt on, but I have little doubt as to their effectiveness as a compliance tool, if needed.

They were quick to fit and remove, whilst being comfortable and stable for day-to-day wear, and low profile enough that I didn't find myself snagging on anything. This is a really great innovation and I'll be adding them to my adventuring kit, for sure!

Sneak Peek: ExoSkel shin guards

Just a sneak peek .... holy crappola Batman, check out these shin-guards!

Review: 5.11 Tactical - Stryke pants

When I visited the SSAA SHOT Expo, I paid a visit to the 5-11 Tactical stand, and met with their Australian and American reps, including the very knowledgeable founding father, Bil, who took me through the pants they were kind enough to gift to me, the 5.11 Stryke Pants.

Here in the OD green, with one of the 5-11 TDU belts I am fond of as well, I strike a pose with the ultimate urban test ... does the cargo pocket fit my iPad? Yes, yes it does.



From the get go, let me tell you that the material used in the Styke pants is really, really comfortable.

The secret to this, as well as the purpose developed propriety blend of poly/cotton ripstop, is that it  incorporates mechanically stretchy yarns, meaning the stretch and recovery of the fabric is achieved without the use of spandex, but rather by the way the threads are woven. 

It is a lighweight, breathable, and even with the ripstop checkering, extremely comfortable to wear. Soft and yet no hint of flimsiness. Treated with a silicone based water and stain guard, they help up pretty well from my work, parenting and prepping splatter for their first week of wear.

The cut of the pants was very generous, especially important if like me, you "go Commando" and find that tighter cuts pinch at the most inopportune times. These were a lot more comfortable than the 511Tactical Taclite Pro pants I have reviewed in past, great improvements! Even the waist band is well designed, but I'll get to that in more detail soon. 
 
On to the all important pockets!

You can see the main hands pocket, with their reinforced hockey-stick design (Bill tells me that was a specific request from Firefighters, to have somewhere to clip their radios. AN accessory pocket on the top of the thigh, the ubiquitous side-of-thigh cargo pocket, and just peaking from the side, the rear seat pockets.

What can you fit in them all? here, let me show you ...



I like my gear, and i like having it on-hand. However, being able to FIND it can be a real pain, unless some thought goes into pocket design, which in this case, it really has.

Similar to the Platatac Urban Dax, the cargo pockets sport internal compartment which are wide and deep enough to fit my bulky Snow Lizard SLXtreme iphone case as well as a Lazerbrite with little trouble. I can only suggest that the compartments would fit a 5.56 NATO magazine.

The hook-and-loop patches give a nice closure to the pocket, without being too invasive, and the styling of the pocket itself, with two baffles for expansion, we still quite discrete, an important aspect when wanting to blend in whilst still loading up.

Lets have a closer look at the front pockets.


As well as the twin, deep accessory pockets on the fronts of the thighs (seen here with the large HexBright FLEX filling it) but beside this, the main pockets have some interesting aspects that it worth covering in more depth.  As well as being nicely deep, and lined, but the best features are the hockey-stick shaped low profile pockets. 

This near-horizontal edge is perfect for clipping pens, folding knives (like the CRKT K.I.S.S. seen here) or as Bill told me, the pocket radio's that the firefighters who commissioned the pant design in the first place asked for. 

The belt clip of the knife (or pen, or radio) sits on a reinforced patch of material, still in the pocket, out of the way but easily accessible. For items with longer clips, the people at 5.11 had the forethought to put an opening in the top of the cargo pocket, but you could also feed cables up through it I suspect.

Two other interesting (and very thoughtful) features can be seen here as well. On the left-side belt loop, an opening can be seen, which is the space the self-adjusting tunnel waistband feed into. Similar to that seen in the Taclite-Pro pants, this allows the pants to stretch when you bend at the hips, without biting, or sagging, once you are upright again.

The second, innovative addition, is on the right belt loop, which features a vertical loop in addition to the regular horizontal one. Perfect for clipping ID or a badge, and in my case, a spot to clip my multi-tool retention lanyard.

 Then there are the knees. 

As well as pretty standard double-cover knees, to help with wear and tear, and we all know what that is like, 5.11 have kept this in mind when putting in the seams for these. Low-profile and discreet as well as discrete, the addition of a second layer adds little bulk, but the real trick to these in on the inside!

On the inside edge of the knee seam a small pocket opens up to allow the insertion of a kneepad. I put my Blackhawk! kneepad up here to show you what it looks like. The pocket is certainly big enough, but takes some delicate handling to fit the bigger pads in.

All together these are some really excellent pants, I was thrilled to receive them, and their comfort was a really impressive collection of features. 
 

My only disappointment was the back pockets, being a standard hook-and-loop straight topped pocket, unlike the signature 5.11 slash and retention strapped back pockets of the TacLite Pro's.

 That said, there was even an extra unlisted feature that Bill pointed out to me (always great to have the people behind the product there to show them off) In the bottom hem, eyelets have been sewn in place in case the wearer wanted to blouse them! Little things that show they go the extra distance with design.

I also love the way 5.11 got their name ...

“5.11” is a rock climbing difficulty level as listed in the Yosemite Decimal System. With skill levels ranging from 5.0 (easy) to 5.10 (difficult), 5.11 is even more grueling. 5.11 is officially defined as, “After thorough inspection, you conclude this move is obviously impossible; however, occasionally someone actually accomplishes it.” 

Review: OpsCore style bump helmet

Here's another item that falls into my laser-tag/MILSIM collection that spills over into my equippedness kit.

I'll get it out there right away, that this is an OPSCORE style knockoff. If the good folks at Ops-Core want to send me the real deal, I'm all for that, but right now, this will do me.

I really wanted to get a helmet that I could mount my Contour GPS cam to directly, as both the sticker and hat-rigged rail methods I've tried haven't been overly comfortable when doing a 20km mud-run or two
but I had a good expereicne with the helmet-cam's at IRL-Shooter: Patient Zero so I wanted to go that route.

What you can see here is the side rails, mimicking the ACH-ARC Kit to which I have fitted a proper Ops-Core Picatinny rail adapter, on top ow which I have mounted my Strikemark Contour Cam adapter. The ACH-ARC Kit and the FAST Helmet rails facilitate all manner of accessory attachment, from lights, to a face-plate armour, goggle straps and headsets.

I have a Manta strobe mounted by a sticky loop-field, because when I am out adventuring, I want to be able to be found if i get washed out to sea, fall in a heap, or whatever.



The front of the helmet has a VAS_Shroud mount where I could fix NVG or the like, if I had that kind of rig. Currently I am sporting a  KayRank Tactical helmet rank plate by Jerald Kubicek.  I wear that rank plate for roleplaying purposes only, I don't hold this rank in any official capacity (and more power to all the real E-7's).

Inside the helmet are a set of adjustable pads, with hook-fields stuck around the inside to allow custom fitting.  The chin and head straps follow the H-nape style  and gave me a pretty secure fit, once I adjusted it to sit on my head, and policed my hair with a HeadSox tube.

Once I had, it was pretty comfortable, I have taken it out kayaking, running on my Sky-Walker kangaroo legs, and lazer-tagging. I will be not only be wearing it for all my adventuring in the future to stave off bumps and knocks, (but as it it only a rigid polypropylene plastic, and not something I'd trust my life and health to.

It is not a substitute for a bike-helmet, or in any way or shape ballistic protection, but will save my noggin from crawling around under pipes and beams. The ends of the bolts that affix the rails and straps poke in the helmet about 1/4" and i think that could do with some grinding down, too, for safety.

Otherwise, a fun addition to my kit a great place to mount my cam, lights and gear, oh, and somebody wake up Hicks.

Review: Hill People Gear - Runner Bag

So, once in a while, I manage to make one of my "wish-lusts" come true. Such was the case with the Hill People Gear Runner pack.


I got in touch with Evan Hill, of Hill People Gear, because after my Wish-Lust review, I saw that they had a single photo of a bag in khaki, my preferred colour, where as the rest of their range seemed to be "coyote", "foliage", "Ranger Green" and MultiCam. Evan let me know that the khaki one was a prototype, and that apparently khaki gets a bum-rap at the moment, but that he would cut me a deal. A deal I jumped at, and a couple of weeks later.... my very own Runner Pack arrived in the mail!


I've been wanting to give it a thorough try-out, but have been struck with a nasty respiratory infection of late, and combined with my previously damaged ankle, has not given me much incentive to go running. What to do? I took it to Comic Con Oz, of course!

Without wanting to re-hash the content of my previous post about what its made of (500d Cordura) or how its all put together (well) I thought I'd just run you through my load-out, and how it handled.


Firstly, it was really comfortable to wear! I swapped out of my EDC holster harness some bare essentials: my wallet, my iPhone, my keys, and threw in a couple of extras, like my birthday Tactical Pen and my favourite personal grooming tool Because one never knows, Stan Lee might have wanted to look good for our signing and photo-op!


This left a little room for Tactical Baby snacks, and maps, tickets for the event, whilst not bulking up too much on my chest. I was curious to see if there was that feeling of compression that chest-rigs can give when laden, but I found no such dramas. 


With some quick on the spot adjustments I was able to go from riding high and tight, to dropping it to mid-thorax which gave really different access and feel to wearing the rig. OK for walking, but running I'd still wear it up high. One thing to note, I felt quite conspicuous wearing it. It really does look like a chest-rig of some kind. If I were adventuring, hiking, or running, I'd not have given it a second thought, but I couldn't help but feel slightly "half-dressed" in the cos-play crowd. Later that afternoon, I wore it slung sideways (pouch under my left arm), which looked a lot less "chest-rig" and a lot more "man-bag". Again, no real issue, and it felt great, but something to be aware of in polite company perhaps.

As I've said though, it wears like a dream. The mesh-back is soft, and breathes wonderfully. The padded back of the pouch was both soft and breathable as well. The zipper-pulls worked perfectly, although I think I need to practice the "quick-draw" of the back compartment, if I want to be able to get my comb out in a hurry... The front pockets held my wallet and phone snug and easily accessible, yet securely. The back compartment -almost- fits my iPad. I think i could probably jam it in there and man-handle the zippers closed, but not without risking popping stitches. A pity, but I doubt that Evan was thinking of how to carry his iPad around when he designed the pouch, he strikes me as more a M1911 kind of guy ... The shock-cord retention strap is brilliant, really held the bottom of the pack stable, without constricting my chest at all. A real bonus.

The only gripe I had at all was the edges of the very clever double sided Quick Clip the stabiliser shock-cord was mounted to the pack with (pictured here) were quite sharp, and jabbed me all day. A quick lick of a lighter to heat the thermo-plastic and a thumb pressed to the edges rounded off these offending edges to protect my delicate flower-like body. The Fastex clips, large and small were perfectly placed for ease of use and wear.

This is a really versatile pack, and I can see myself getting a lot of use out of it when I get ready for next years Tough Mudder, or when I go adventuring, either on its current harness, or taking advantage of the forward-thinking modularity that Hill People Gear built in, and mounting it via those GrimLock clips, as there are loops top and bottom of the pack to accomodate those.

I'm really pleased with this addition to my collection, and look forwards to going running or rollerblading with my man-bag, now in khaki!

Review: Black Hawk kneepads

Here's some PPE that I wanted to share with you, but had all but forgotten, as it was sitting buried in my gear-bag.  I have had a variety of knee-pads over the years, for rollerblading, Fantasy LRP events and costuming. One thing I've always had issues with is the fit, and having my pads slipping around to the side. I'm going to blame my boney knees and skinny calves for that. Whilst the pads I've used in past have never  spectacularly failed me (especially in some bigish rollerblading crashes) they've rarely been comfortable, and and have either pinched and rubbed or slipped and slid. One thing that occurred to me that perhaps I was using the wrong equipment for the task I was performing. Running about the bush and up and down hills isn't the same as roller-hockey or speed skating. So I looked to tactical gear. Blackhawk! had these Advanced Tactical Knee Pads v2.0 to offer, and I wanted to tell you what I have found with them.

The body is made from sturdy 600D Cordura, which encloses the closed cell foam interior padding. Closed cell foam doesn't absorb sweat or incidental water, for both comfort and keeping the weight of the pads down. The kop of the knee pad is injection molded plastic, which is articulated below the kneecap, with a soft rubber join. This design allows the knee to be bent, without producing much in the way of either pinching of the padding, or gaps opening up in the pad. I was really impressed with this feature, and have found no troubles with the coverage it's offered me. The strapping also deserves some discussion too. As well as the sturdy plastic furniture on the "outside" edge, and the wide elastic strapping which is fitted with long and well placed strips of hook-and-loop, the straps are affixed to the body of the pad, featuring seamed and padded flaps that wrap the padding and strapping around the wearers knee. 

Both the top and bottom straps are well placed and give a good solid attachment, without interfering with mobility overly. A very useful and well thought out additional element of this pad is that inside the kneepad there is a contoured interior ledge of the same closed cell-foam. This sits above the wearers knee-cap, and keeps the pad seated in the right position no matter what I've thrown at it, thus far.  Blackhawk!  offer this in Black, Coyote Tan, Foliage Green, and Olive Drab. I opted for Coyote in this case, and its worked out nicely for me thus far.  I've been happy with the protection these have offered me both whilst out adventuring and my Stargate Lasertag LRP, but also out rollerblading. Rugged, functional and adjustable. A good choice.

Review: Omega Pacific Rappel Rings

Here is a quick one today, of another piece of climbing kit that I recently added to my collection. After reading a thorough review by ITS's Jeff More I was inspired to seek some out for myself. There are the Omega Pacific Rappel Rings. These solid forged aluminium rings are really elegant, and fit in the hand very nicely. Apart from having great aesthetics (and a Particular name emblazoned on their sides), the functionality of these is belied by their subtle design. The rings are rated as having a 20kN minimum breaking strength (around 2000kg or 4400lbs).

The manufacturer goes to lengths to state they are not intended for repeated lowering, not to be used as a rappel or belay device (e.g. ATC, SBGII, Figure-8 or any other friction device). They state that it is intended solely as a hardware alternative to bail-out slings, webbing and cord, and that advice should be headed. That said, I see the utility of the device as a means to reducing rope-on-rope friction, as an ad-hoc pulley or cinching point. I have yet to use mine as Jeff from ITS has, but I'll be keeping a set in my bug-out-bag as well as a set with my regular climbing kit. Having a set of rings to feed rope through for hoisting and binding, through to use as a rappelling station appeals greatly to me. Now to acquire some tubular webbing and fashion a set of slings!

I also have a set I have been keeping in my pocket, if for no other reason that they chime nicely, and have served as a chew-toy for Tactical-Baby up untill this week, when she cut her first tooth. Still, I hope to find a number more uses for these simple, expendable tools.

Review: Petzl Shunt

Following on from my post yesterday on the Ascension rope ascending device which I use to go up ropes whilst strapped into my climbing harness or for hauling things as part of a pulley system along with the gear in my in-car bug-out-bag I thought I would tell you a little bit about another piece of cool climbing tech that I acquired to give me some safety and utility whist getting into tall places, out of deep holes and spanning chasms. So, here we go: this is the Petzl Shunt rope clamp. Another piece of excellent engineering from these people, it's frame is made from machined aluminium, and the internal smooth, sprung cam is likewise aluminium.This means the whole piece only comes in at 188g, for those conscious of how much gear they are hauling. The Shunt is designed to be either a one or two rope device, but Petzl make no bones about the safety precautions around this. it will take a 10-11mm single rope, or 8-11mm double rope.The ropes must be the same diameter, and either be a loop of the same rope, or a single strand. Hooking onto two different ropes is highly discouraged in their safety guide. They also recommend that a figure-8 ring is applied above the Shunt by  double carabiner-ended quickdraw webbing, giving you a two-stage system.

 So, here's how it works. Rope is fed into the device by pulling the sprung "tongue" out of the body, and into its almininium shell such that the tongue will be facing "in" towards the wearer. The "tongue" can then be released and will snap closed. A carabiner is then fitted through the large hole, and attached directly to your harness in most instances. When a load is applied to the carabiner, the rounded cams bite down onto the rope, pinching it and providing a hands-free stoppage on the rope. I use 11mm static rope, as I generally use it as a fixed line and not as a free-climbing top-roping safety line type deal. Petzl tell us that the Shunt will hold a static load of 3Kn (which apparently equates to 305kg(force)) on a single rope and 7.5kn (760kg(force)) on a double strand of 11mm rope before slipping.

In dynamic situations, it fares worse, with a 60-70cm slippage at 3-3.5kN on a single 11mm rope and a potentially unstopped slip at 1-8kN under testing conditions of a 2m, Fall Factor 1 drop for a me-sized 80kg accroding to Petzl. Sobering, but remember, this is a locking ascension device, rather than a dedicated fall-arrester, it is designed to slide up a rope, then hold you before the next slide up. That said, in the event of a slip and drop, it will take the weight , pulling the cam tight against the rope and doing its job to the best of its ability, as long as you just LET GO and let it, Likewise, it will NOT work if the "tongue" is impeded by your body, a wall, or anything else, it must be free to pull down to work. This has a cool feature in reverse, though, in that it will allow you to descend in a controlled fashion by squeezing the body of the Shunt towards you, releasing some of the tension of your load on the "tongue" and the rope will slip through. Letting go again will halt your descent. Again, combined with a figure-8 this allows secure, controlled movement on a rope. I also use mine in combination with my Ascension rope ascending device. (Shh, don't tell Petzl)

There is a small hole in the back of the "tongue" that I have attached a dummy-cord through, because, let me tell you, the springs in this are snappy, and I have had the misfortune of it "sproinging" out of my hands as I was getting ready to fit it to a rope. Fortunately for me this happened whilst I was testing the unit and familiarising myself with its use, rather than dangling from the sky somewhere. Better for me, better for whoever might be below me. Again, this is a really useful piece of kit, not without limitations, as the manufacturer very diligently points out in their manuals (PSA: read them, pay attention and familiarise yourself with all climbing kit before putting yourself or those around you at risk). I've had a lot of fun with this, without yet dropping out of a high-hide like Ian Malcolm.

Review: Petzl Ascension

I thought I would return to some of my adventurous kit, rather than the more military style gear for a little while. I've always been a scrambler, and a climber. Getting into high places and up tall things has been lifelong past-time. When I started to get into wall-climbing, and saw the cool kit available, I started expanding my collection of tools to get me up and down safely. I've already covered my climbing harness One such tool I've added to my armory is the Petzl Ascension which is a spectacular piece of engineering.The frame is made of a hard-anodised aluminium, which are colour coded for left and right handed use (the off-hand version looks exactly the same, but flipped.

It features a chrome-plated steel cam with bitey teeth with a nylon catch and a rubber over-molded plastic grip. It will take anywhere from an single 8mm rope all the way up to a 13mm, and the design of the cam includes a vent to self-clean muddy or icy ropes. For those who have never seen or used one of these, the idea is simple. with the rope fed into the bitey-cam's jaw, the sping-loaded cam is pressed against the rope, but due to the angles used, doesn't bite down when the rope is pull (or pushed) from top to bottom. It bites down when weight is applied bottom to top.



What this means is that when you are going "up" the rope, it moves freely, but doesn't move backwards. A safe method for ascension! Better still, the clever folks at Petzl have included a variety of attachment methods, to make this a very versatile tool. A small hole in the base facilitates a lanyard or foot-sling, (which -massively- improves the efficiency of my ascents, I've found). The main hole at the bottom connects to your harness in regular ascents, but between this, and the double set at the top, this piece can act as part of a self-belaying system or a hauling system, in conjunction with other similar tools.

This is not the kind of tool everyone will need or want, and does take some adjustment to not only use efficiently and safely but I've found that for hauling gear, or scooting myself up a fixed line, I couldn't ask for a cooler piece of kit. Its mountain-rugged, and hardy enough to take a 4-6kN fall, depending on the thickness of the rope you are using, and be sure to follow the Safety guide instructions as it has some limitations, especially with regards proper attachment and positioning. A very good piece of kit to have for multipurpose climbing utility!

Review: Arc'teryx climbing harness

I've been a rock-climber, off and on, for almost 20 years, in the indoor-wall sense, but have been a boulderer and a scrambler for my whole life. If there is a tree I want to be up it. If there is a cliff-face, I want to go down it. If there is a second story patio, well, you can fill in the rest ... Whilst I was at uni, with my first real job giving me a taste of financial independence, I saw a piece of kit that has been with me since then, and has literally been a life-saver. This is my climbing harness, by Arc'teryx.
Like a lot of my gear, it seems that this particular model has been superseded but don't let that daunt you, it doesn't bother me.

Lets have a look at what goes into a climbing harness. There are three main components; a reinforced padded waist-belt, leg loops and a connecting loop. The waist-belt is sometimes called a "swami-belt" and in this case, features a wide padded belt, which is surrounded by a webbing band, stitched heavily, and buckles to one side of the middle. Like a Riggers Belt, it has a wide loop sewn into it, through which the connecting loop is found. A series of plasicised loops around the back and sides act as attachment points for accessories. The leg-loops have retention tapes that attached to the beck of the belt and in this case, another heavy webbing loop is found at the back.

The leg-loops are similar to the waist-belt, in that they are padded and reinforced, and feature a tear-drop shape, rather than a full circle, as in climbing when your body's weight is supported by these three belts, cutting off blood supply, or restricting movement is a real hazard. The leg-loops run up, through the connecting loop and form a continuous belt supporting both your legs. I think I may have outgrown this particular harness, as whilst it still does up securely, the padding no longer quite meets in the middle as it did when I was a gaunt student and I have filled out into my more mature body. I'm still confident in its ability to do what I need it to, but I think if i get back into regular climbing, I'll need to find myself a new harness.

I will however be looking at the new Arc'teryx range to furnish myself with, as this is a belt I have put to the test, and bounced back to tell the tale. At the very least, it will remain in my preparedness kit, along with rope, carabiners and a figure 8 descender, for times when I need to get up there, get down there, or stay right where I am. Few things give me as much sense of security as well made climbing gear when my life is on the line. Literally.