Inside a Mountain Guide's Backpack | Ultimate Gear Shake-down for Mountaineering

[@eluno151]

Thank you for the interesting insight into your backpack.

[@TakeTheHighground]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@eluno151]

I always carry a small bag with some cable ties, superglue and a small sewing kit for small repairs.

[@TakeTheHighground]

Good old cable ties - definitely worth bringing them!

[@andreasweber7828]

I also bring superglue, in my IFAK. Helps to fix cut wounds.- old habit ( I’m a nurse )

[@TakeTheHighground]

I did quite a few medic and first aid courses, but I personally wouldn’t feel confident to actually glue a wound - but I have steri-strips in my first aid kit, they were very useful when I had a cut on my forehead from dry tooling. With your medical background you have a great advantage there!

[@dvt1249]

Thanks!

[@dvt1249]

Actually, I looked at the BD cams. My question was about the cams in your video. The ones that looked like they had three different widths. Thanks! Also, I’m a big fan of Black Rifle Coffee too.

[@TakeTheHighground]

Ah, I see what you’re getting at. Omega Pacific’s Link Cams. They’re certainly veey useful, particularly for mountaineering. Here’s the rundown: These cams have lobes that are split into three parts, all riveted together, allowing them to contract far beyond what standard cams can manage. It’s no exaggeration to say that one Link Cam can cover more than twice the crack sizes than a normal cam. That’s handy when you’re unsure of the protection a pitch may require or just want to carry minimum weight (like when mountaineering). They can be heavy, and there’s a certain finickiness to them, as they don’t have a fine loop and are sensitive to the direction of force. The rivets mean you need to be a bit more mindful with placement. For proper climbing, I’d probably stick with something like the C4. But for mountaineering, when you’re in need of something with a wider range, Link Cams are a good choice.

[@dancoursey5447]

What length sling do you put on your "expandable" quickdraws?

[@dvt1249]

Thank you for the great video. Would you kindly spell out the cams you referenced?

[@TakeTheHighground]

Sure, I like the Black Diamond C4. A basic set for me are the following sizes: 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 2, 3. If I assume that I need a bit more protection I double up on the sizes 0.5, 0.75, and 1. If the climb is so hard that I need even more than that, I would double the whole set, although this will be something where I have a partner who has his own gear and so we build a big set out of the stuff we have together, specifically for the route we’re doing. Does that make sense for you? 🙂 I’ll also bring a full set of BD Stoppers from 3-13 (I feel that anything smaller than 3 is more a question of aid climbing as I’m not necessarily willing to bet my life on these sizes- but that’s my personal decision).

[@dvt1249]

@@TakeTheHighground thank you. Makes perfect sense

[@3ndur1st_67]

I do always bring a Samsplint and a Propper tape with me. So versitile, light and usefull.

[@TakeTheHighground]

Interesting, is propper tape actual duct tape or are we talking medic-tape? The Samsplint is definitely a useful addition.

[@3ndur1st_67]

@@TakeTheHighground im talking about a wide medical tape. U can Tape stuff if something is rubbing, to prevent blisters, you can tape fingers, wrists, and ankles if u hurt them, and a lot of other stuff is possible too

[@TakeTheHighground]

That definitely makes a lot of sense, this is one of the things that I have in my first aid kit and wouldn’t want to miss.

[@Baertschi47]

very informative, thank you. I‘m actually planning to buy my first rope soon to go on some L/WS alpine tours in switzerland with my girlfriend. would you rather recommend a 50 or 60 m rope? and as I understood correctly, you wouldn’t suggest one below 9.5 mm? As there‘s the sender alpine ropes from mammut for example with 8.7 and 9 mm. I‘d really appreciate a feedback from you 🙏🏼

[@TakeTheHighground]

Thanks for watching and commenting! The 9.5 is what is used for guiding, there have been some accidents with ropes running over sharp edges while more than one person was lowered (something that occasionally happens when guiding), and hence the thicker rope is now mandatory for all the courses. However I personally use an 8.7mm rope for my trips with my wife or friends, so you will be fine with that and safe a lot of weight. 🙂 Take the 50m, the 60m is very rarely needed and only necessary for some very wild routes, you should be able to do all routes in Switzerland and the surrounding counties up to AD with a 50m rope, the description will say it explicitly if you need something longer. Hope this helps, have fun and be safe out there!

[@Baertschi47]

@@TakeTheHighground thank you so much, this is much appreciated! I'll look for the 8.7 mm sender from Mammut then. And you would definitely go for a 50m and not a 40m, right?

[@TakeTheHighground]

I have a 40m as well, but for a lot of cool stuff, like the Cosmiques Ridge in Chamonix or anything with a rappelling, you’ll need the 50, so as a first rope, it will likely be the better choice.

[@Baertschi47]

@@TakeTheHighground danka vielmol! 🙏🏼

[@Baertschi47]

@@TakeTheHighground all right, thank you. and lastly, are 3 expresses sufficient for the beginning? I'm thinking of the ocun kestrel with a 60 cm sling for alpine climbing.