Basic Gear Kit

Description

Basic Canyoneering Gear Kit (PPE: Personal Protection Equipment)

Entire Kit:  $430.00

If you are signing-up for our Technical Canyoneering Course (ACE-L1), and have no gear, this is the basic gear you’ll need for the course, and for your first canyoneering experience with us (the often-offered Monday Canyon!)  If you already have some gear, this will serve as a list of the gear we recommend for the sport of canyoneering, and for our beginning/intermediate course.  If enrolling in our Advanced Canyoneering Course (ACE-L2), please see ‘Advanced Canyoneering Gear Kit’.  That gear is a list of the additional gear you’ll need for that course.  Same goes for our ‘Canyon Essentials & Rescue Gear Kit’.

Sign-up for a class and you’ll receive a 10% discount and free shipping on this purchase!

PPE included in this ‘Basic Canyoneering Gear Kit’

Black Diamond Momentum 4S Harness:   We love this unisex harness because it has all the features we like in a canyoneering harness at a lower price, and can also be used for climbing.  It has some padding for comfort while remaining fairly hydrophobic, has durable, protected gear loops, has 4 speed-lock buckles for virtually automatic safety and extraordinary flexibility while keeping everything centered, and has openable leg-loop buckles for adding a butt protector.  (We are not fans of any of the canyoneering-specific harnesses on the market and find the rhetoric surrounding the mandatory ‘horizontal belay loop’ to be ‘preference’, and not performance or safety.)  $69.95  (choose your size at checkout)

Black Diamond Half-Dome Helmet:  We love this helmet because it is comfortable, comes it great colors, and has both unisex AND woman-specific helmets (in feminine colors and which accommodate ponytails!) … all at a perfect price-point!  $59.95  (choose your size, style and color at checkout)

Black Diamond Transition Gloves:  If you haven’t noticed, we love Black Diamond!  While wearing gloves to rappel is a personal choice, we are firm proponents!  These gloves protect your hands from the heat and abrasion created while rappelling.  They are comfortable, and fit most so perfectly that you can keep them on while tying your knots and doing your rigging.  We have found no glove that works as well in both dry and wet canyons. (They are leather so they don’t like being soaked repeatedly, but they still protect your hands better than any neoprene or gardening glove!)  $44.95  (choose your size at checkout)

Imlay Critr3 Rappel Device: This is a great device for rappelling single-strand or double-strand, 8mm or 9mm, has pre-rappel and mid-rappel friction options, isn’t overly sized, and even has features we use for some advanced rigging. Symmetry allows flipping that extends the life of the device. Lots of options has made this a popular rappel device especially for full-size (>170 lbs) canyoneers. $59.00

Sterling 7mm Accessory Cord (8′ to make your own safety-tether with 2 different length tails):  Sterling again knocks it out of the park with this Accessory Cord.  It is 500lbs stronger than most other 7mm Accessory Cord.  This added strength is why we love it to make our own safety tethers.  It is supple, strong, and easy to tie. $5.00

Black Diamond Gridlock Carabiners (x2):  These carabiners are actually designed as non-cross-loading carabiners (so you can’t inadvertently load the gate of your carabiners incorrectly causing a safety issue), but we love them for our 2-length safety tethers because the ‘hook’ feature keeps our cord locked in the crotch of the carabiner.  $22.95 x 2 = $45.90

Black Diamond RockLock Carabiners (x4):  These carabiners do it ALL (round stock, HMS-pear shaped, manual screw lock, key nose, etc) at a fantastic price point.  You’ll need 4 of these for now to carry your figure-8, your 48″ Sling/Foot-loop and Prusik, and still have 2 empties for rigging, clipping and bagging.  $14.95 x 5 = $74.75

Black Diamond Super 8:  This low-profile, light-weight figure 8 will be used throughout our series of courses and throughout your career as a canyoneer for things like rigging Contingency 8 rappel blocks and Creeping, Easy 8 lowering systems, Jokers (dual contingency rappels), etc.  We also teach you how to rappel with it, lock it off, and all of its friction possibilities (and limitations) so you can also use it as an emergency device should you loose your dedicated rappel device.  (Also is great for rigging kids and for some rescue scenarios.)  $19.95

48″ Sling/Foot-loop/Runner:  While these come in a variety of materials and diameters, our favorite is the Nylon/Dyneema (Spectra) combination, and the 13mm width.  These are crazy strong, durable, easy to use, great gripping properties, and aren’t bulky.  We use them for self-rescue, ascending, extensions, emergency tethers, and sometimes for making a compact pig-rig system!  We won’t let anyone join us for any canyon descent without one.  $16.00

30′ of 1″ Webbing:  We recommend every participant should bring webbing into a canyon.  Though not actually PPE, webbing is required to re-build anchors as needed, and can be used to lower a pack over a down climb, to extend the pull-side of a rappel rigging, to build a swiss-seat, add compression for a splint, etc.  We’re including ‘black’ because it is a color universally acceptable (and required in some locations).  In a canyon, if you can’t match the surroundings with your webbing, black looks like a crack, a stick, a shadow .. it doesn’t stick-out like a sore thumb.  We ALWAYS avoid using brightly colored webbing like blue, red, purple, day-glow yellow and safety orange!  $18.95

5/16″ Quicklink (Rapide):  Another required component of our anchor systems.  Though anchor material is probably ‘group’ gear, should you need to build or replace an anchor, you’ll need one of these, so carry one or two!  $3.50 x 2 = $7.00

Prusik Loop:  We provide you with the 6mm Accessory Cord and teach you how to make your own during class.  $2.00 $0

Waterproof 120-dB Whistle:  This whistle is designed specifically for the outdoors to perform in all weather conditions. Made from durable polycarbonate and co-molded elastomer for added comfort and slip resistance, it has no moving parts to freeze, jam or deteriorate. The chambers are designed to self-clear when submerged in water. It will be heard above ambient noise, loud crowds, the roar of engines, breaking waves and thundering gale-force winds – up to a mile away.  $8.60

This gear is REQUIRED for any responsible canyoneer.  The additional REQUIRED gear you’ll need to advance through your training and our courses is minimal.  There is always new gear to try, new colors to fall in love with, new tools for new challenges, group gear to purchase and share through your canyons, but this is a rather small initial investment in your new sport considering the places it’s going to take you!!