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Equipment for Caving
Required Equipment
- Helmet with chinstrap**. Must be worn at all times.
- Three sources of light**. Your primary light source must be helmet
mounted. A carbide lamp is recommended as it gives off heat. Your other
two light sources should be carried in separate places, i.e. a flashlight
in your backpack and another light source strapped to your helmet, kept
in your pocket, or otherwise readily accessible. Make sure that the
extra light source can be held in your mouth or strapped to your helmet
so your hands are free.
- Water. Both for the carbide lamp and for drinking.
- Large trash bag, preferably stored in your helmet. If you have to
wait for any reason, take your trash bag out, punch a hole in the top,
put it over your body, and place your carbide lamp or candle between
your legs. Remember: that's a large trash bag, like for leaves and stuff.
Lawn bags are great.
- Heat source. A carbide lamp can be used as a heat source. If you do
not use a carbide lamp, another heat source must be carried. Some suggestions
are a candle and matches, and many foot warmer packs.
- Boots with lug soles and ankle support. Tennis shoes don't work very
well.
- Clothes. Many beginners dress in heavy jeans, thick socks, and a long
sleeves t-shirt. Dress for 54-degree weather. For wet caves remember
that cotton wicks heat away from your body, while wool, polypropylene,
nylon, and many other synthetics keep you warm while wet.
- More clothes. A change of clothes for the ride back.
**Helmets and one source of light are available in the club equipment
for those that do not have them.
Recommended Additional Equipment
- Pack. An old book bag, gas mask pack, or specialized cave pack will
work. The bag should be small and compressible with few straps.
- Spare carbide. There must be plenty of carbide on the trip. It's recommended
that everyone on the trip carry a carbide supply. A plastic 16 oz. soft
drink bottle works fine. The cave club supplies carbide to anyone who
pays dues.
- A spent carbide dump bottle. All spent carbide must be carried out
of the cave. A carbide dump bottle will need a wide mouth, and since
the carbide reaction will probably heat the dump bottle, it should be
made of heavy plastic.A Nalgene bottle works well.
- Duct tape. It's a good idea to put a bunch of Duct Tape around your
dump bottle - the stuff can come in handy.
- Food. Candy bars, granola bars, pop tarts, or whatever else lights
your fire.
- Spare lamp parts. These can be purchased from the club store.
- Webbing. 20 to 30 feet of 1 inch tubular webbing (also called sling)
is useful for belays, handlines, arm rappels, and climbing harnesses.
Extra Equipment for Vertical Trips
- Seat harness or webbing.
- Rappel device - rack, figure 8, bobbin, etc.
- Ascenders.
- ~$5 climbing system - a set of knots
- ~$150 climbing system- a frog system
- ~$300 climbing system- a ropewalker
- Gloves
- Rigging gear. Enough ropes, rope pads, webbing, cable ladders, etc.
to rig all the drops you plan to do.
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