— In Yahoo Canyons Group, Justin Eatchel
When you come up on a sling wrapped around a rock or boulder, and can’t see the entire length of the sling, do you:
a) Go ahead and trust it, hoping the sling isn’t partially ripped or torn where you can’t see it. > b) Wrap another length of webbing around the anchor, and rap off the two. > c) Remove old webbing, install new webbing just to be sure.
I consider myself lucky because I have always trusted old slings, and nothing has ever happened. But do I represent the majority? What does everyone else do?
-Justin >
That’s an EASY one…
You should inspect the entire length of the webbing. This might involve substantial digging to get at it, but you really ought to.
If you’re going to put a new piece on, please remove the old piece.
In practice, we don’t. We judge by the part that is showing whether the webbing is dicey, and if it is it should be replaced. If it is easy to inspect, then, yeah, we usually inspect it.
This also applies to webbing on bolts. Webbing will sometimes cut across the hangers. Webbing that is cut AT ALL, should be replaced. A small cut in webbing reduces its strength substantially.
Tom
moabmatt
> This also applies to webbing on bolts. Webbing will sometimes cut > across the hangers. Webbing that is cut AT ALL, should be > replaced. A small cut in webbing reduces its strength substantially.
Here’s a nifty, easy way to help protect webbing on a sharp bolt hanger.
When faced with a couple bolt hangers I take a length of webbing and tie one end of the webbing (with a water knot) to one hanger and the other end to the other hanger. Tie each water knot with enough tail so that the tail can be looped back through the bolt hanger and placed under the “working” piece of webbing to pad it.
To finish things you then equalize for the direction of pull by tying an overhand on a bight to create an attachment point for your rapid link.
This setup uses less webbing than if you were to create a loop through the hangers with only one water knot. It also prevents the dreaded death triangle Charlie mentioned. You can also carry several 1″ to 2″ sections of old webbing that can be slid over webbing, rope, cordelettes and such to pad the hangers.
Moab Matt
Tom Jones
Old slings maintain their strength really well, unless eroded by the flow of water, cut by force against a sharp edge, or chewed on by rodents. ‘Specially that 1″ tubular stuff.
So, let’s see: you’d trust multiple layers of tat? But not one old sling? Please, if you don’t trust the sling, remove and replace. Old slingage on anchors does little to make them safer, and can often make it hard to inspect the underlying anchor.
Of course, your mileage may vary. Do what works for you. Be smart, be safe.
Tom
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, jef levin wrote: > I wouldn’t trust an old sling, unless there were > multiple slings, and even then not unless they were in > ok condition. Maybe you’ve just been lucky, but the > truth is you can probably get away with it a thousand > times before one breaks. But it only takes that one > time…. > -jef
> Justin Eatchel said:
I consider myself lucky because I have always
trusted old slings, and
nothing has ever happened. But do I represent >the > majority? What does
everyone else do?
jef levin
I wouldn’t trust an old sling, unless there were multiple slings, and even then not unless they were in ok condition. Maybe you’ve just been lucky, but the truth is you can probably get away with it a thousand times before one breaks. But it only takes that one time…. -jef
Justin Eatchel said: >I consider myself lucky because I have always >trusted old slings, and >nothing has ever happened. But do I represent >the majority? What does >everyone else do?
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Charly Oliver
“Webbing will sometimes cut across the hangers. Webbing that is cut AT ALL, should be replaced. A small cut in webbing reduces its strength substantially.
Tom”
This applies to poorly rigged anchors (aka death triangle) as well. It never ceases to surprise me that I still run into this after all these years.
Charly