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On 23 Dec 2005 09:00:57 -0800, wrote:

Lets see, about 20' of seat belt webbing, 2 "D" rings, a seat belt
adjuster for the chest harness (not the clip but the adjuster), 1' of
1" wide webbing, about 10' of hard braid nylon for prusiks. OK, I
already had the locking carabiner but they are about $6.00 each.

For deep pits, several of us pooled our money and bought 1200' of PMI
11 mm very low stretch rope. New rope has a waxy coating that makes it
"fast" on rappels so it has to be washed. You can imagine the looks we
got at the laundrymat stuffing 1200' of rope into an oversize washer
(half in one and half in the one next to it with duct tape to disable
the door switch.) PMI cost $.48/ft then.

My cave pack was a $2.00 surplus gas mask holder modified with Fastek
buckles. An expensive mountaineering pack would last only one trip
while I still have my gas mask bag after 20 yrs. A carbide lamp was
about $20 and a construction helmet about $5.00 modified with chin
strap. Expensive mountaineering gear simply did not last on caving
trips so we used ultra-cheap stuff. Surplus Viet nam jungle boots for
$5.00 a pair would last maybe 20 trips. For cave clothing we wore
either cheapo cotton stuff from goodwill or scavenged old disco era
clothing for free. It had to be thrown away after a trip.

This was the cheapest high adventure sport you could imagine. We went
places and did stuff that far exceeded stuff you see in National
Geographic. In later years, I am finally seeing pics of the places we
went in National Geo. Cavers always look like crap covered with mud so
no outdoor equipment maker wanted cavers as models so special made
equipment did not exist (now it does much to my dislike).

The one piece of equipment I used then that I use all the time for
sailing is my old hand compass. Although it may mean little to him, I
plan to say in my will that my son inherits it.

Yep, much as I thought - your rig is stronger by far than the
commodore's - and rather less money too!
I have made A swiss harness from car seat belting (this stuff is
typically rated at 30 g's tensile on a heavy body.) I have a couple of
climbing harnesses and an industrial harness too. This last item is
made like a climbing harness with a long umbilical and everything in
heavy terylene webbing. Kinda cumbersome. I made "huits" (=figure of
eights) for rapelling and sliding bar brakes, but I can't bring myself
to cough up for ascenders - though fence wire grippers won't quite do
it either!

Brian Whatcott Altus OK

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