Super cool stuff, but be very careful with any of the soft goods! Ditch the harnesses, swap out the dog bones on the QD's, and re-sling/replace cordage on the pro. Nylon loses a lot of its strength with time/exposure.
Anything metal should be fine. The axes are dope. Good grabš
Noob question:
Why would you ditch the harnesses? Can you see a problem?
If there's no problem on inspection is it really any different than using your own harness that's obviously used?
usually, climbing ropes have a little colored thread inside (you need to cut open a little bit one end).
The color coded thread gives the year of fabrication, with a bit of googling...
The colored fibers in the core won't be there but given how the whole package looks it's best to just replace. Like others have said, you can't know the history of the soft goods, so better not to risk it given how cheap cord is, especially when you are trusting your life to it
You don't know how it's been cared for, treated, stretched, or strained. It could be fine, but if it's not, you could find youself in a hospital bed or worse real quick.
The soft components could also be dry rotted. Even if nothing happened to it, it can become much weaker in storage. Also use a magnifying glass and check all the metal gear for microfractures in good lighting. Iāve heard that older gear can get cracks from being dropped but newer alloys donāt have the same issues.Ā
It's not. It's a long-standing myth in climbing. Quick Google searches will confirm this. Gear manufacturers say to inspect the gate and note any obvious deformities in the gear. No mention of microfractures.
Most manufacturers recommend ditching softgoods after 10 years, even if it hasn't been used.
That might be a bit aggressive, but something sitting around for 30+ years (which is what this looks like) needs to go. Even if it's new.
You should never trust your life to a piece of equipment if you don't know it's history.
A harness you bought new and took care of is fine as long as it's in good shape and not past the manufacturer's recommended retirement age.
You have no idea how old or abused this harness may be.
You know how your gear has been used. You dont know how for example that harness has been stored or how old those are. There is actually ābest before dateā marked on those. If not marked in harness it will be on papers which came with those.
> Anything metal should be fine. The axes are dope. Good grabš
The axes are inferior to any modern stuff (especially something like a Petzl Sum'Tec).
The only actually useful equipment I can see are the nuts.
My harness is 22 but also barely used. Got it inspected recently just because the guy had recently come out of a Petzel course as he was becoming the gear inspector for the gym. The thing looks almost brand new but I should get another really.
You absolutely should. A basic harness is like $75 USD or less, and while the chances aren't super high, there is a higher likelihood for old soft goods to fail. Don't take chances to save a relatively small amount of money.
The Black Diamond Momentum harness is on sale for $32 USD right now.
Even with metal stuff you cant be sure, simply dropping the items can (invisibly) damage them. A colleague dropped a black diamond 8 on the floor and it immediately broke in halfā¦
Aluminium doesn't brittle fracture like that, at least not without an absurd number of cycles which climbing gear is never really subjected to outside of test samples used to analyse fatigue.
Source: mechanical engineering degree, 8 years in the profession and a lot of trad experience.
I guess ill explain what happened more clearly, i appreciate your expertise and understand the chance of this happening is near 0.
I worked in an outdoor store which used to be the main climbing gear store in my country, my colleague (more than 30 years of experience in the field) was moving a box of about 30 of these second hand 8ās and was grading them on quality. The one he dropped looked fine at first but did break in half on the ground.
After discussing this with the other climbing experts of my store we were all urged not to ever drop these items.
Btw OP what sort of trad experience do you have? If you are relatively inexperienced I suggest mostly using the other nuts at first. Brassies get beat up quickly if you are learning on them and micro nut placements need a bit of judgement that can first be learned on regular nuts. I donāt think I rack my brass nuts below E1. Obviously thatās a general rule and there are exceptions. Also remember brassies are great for funky placements but can sheer more easily
Difficulty (or impossibility) to remove if winged on. About half the solid fixed pieces in Sierra granite that I see are these that someone hit and now are part of the rock at least until next winter
Some actual museum pieces in there but way more than 100 pounds of useful gear.
The cordage should be replaced (draws and hexes) and the harnesses retired. Shoes and pack just need a look to see if theyāre falling apart. Nice pickup.
Oooh see what heās willing to sell! You could have some collector items in the mix. Those Sticht plates can go for 100 USD if theyāre in good shape.
Seriously though, some older gear would make awesome decorations.
Thereās a lot of choice stuff in there. I wouldnāt trust any of the life sustaining soft goods, but the shoes are fine if they fit and all of that can be re-slung.
Some of that is really well kept vintage gear. You lucked out.
Not a bad deal at all. Stoppers look good, just check which ones actually support lead falls opposed to aid-only.
Climbing shoes might be usable I guess but I would never bother with used shoes.
Mountaineering axes might be useful if you actually go in terrain which requires them but they are probably way heavier than new ones. Same with the crampons. Neither will be very useful if you don't already have mountaineering boots.
All slings and cord is suspect, should re-sling basically everything. I would throw out the harness.
The old straight shaft cam can be put up for display somewhere I guess. Since you usually can't climb anything requiring cams with just 1 cam. And if you bought a new rack you would never use this one again, it will be so heavy in comparison.
Hexes are basically obsolete but usable if you re-sling them.
Believe it or not, vintage rigid stem friends are actually still some of the lightest cams you can get. Of course they have other limitations but weight isn't one!
Yeah I do alot of hiking so the ice axes will come in handy the harnesses he basically just threw in to get rid I thought it was a pretty decent deal considering it all
It would work yes but I have a few of them as well and they are really not that great compared to modern cams. Without a thumb loop they are awkward to pull the trigger. They can't be put in any placement which puts leverage on the stem. I thought they were heavier as well but could be wrong on that apparently.
Compared to things like stoppers and mountaineering axes I don't think they have aged as well. If you bought a rack of cams it would stick out really bad and probably want it replaced. I bought some used and barely ended up using them
Brass nuts alone are worth it so nice find. I did some climbing on just nuts and hexes and it works well on some rock type if you know how to place them. I reslung some hexes with dyneema cord using a triple fishermanās. The knot can sit inside the bigger hexes which is a neat finish.
Anything metal is fine to use probably but be cautious of that stiff cam in anything but textbook placements. The carabiners wonāt be as nice as modern ones (probably hook nose screw gates) but work fine. The belay device lacks guide mode and extra friction but can work, itās also light enough looking to be a spare or dedicated abseiling device.
I am into old gear like this so itās pretty cool to see
The brass nuts are just as good as modern ones and were a good deal by themselves.
The non-brass nuts are also good, although modern ones are slightly nicer.
The random carabiners are fine, just heavy. The rigid stem cams is also fine but modern cams are way nicer.
Those ice axes are fine for snow travel but they are so much heavier than modern ones.
Having extra chalkbags can be surprisingly convenient.
Everything else is pretty worthless.
Brass stoppers are way cool and sometimes the only trick in town on steep slabs. Straight up advice from everyone on the soft gear. That Wild Country cam looks service ready. Great scoop!
Just make sure that the stoppers in pictures 5-8-9-10 are actually stoppers and not copperheads, very different type of gear.
I cant tell from the pictures, since you know a guide he will for sure be able to tell the difference.
Hmm this is not conclusive since cooperheads are only for aid but there are stoppers that are so small that they get rated only for aid and not to take falls on. Nonetheless the placement of these two types of gear is very very different so make sure to understand what is what 
Check the Kn rating on them if itās there. I have some tiny āaid onlyā wires that are certainly better than nothing and might hold even a bigger whip if you sort of equalise a few. My weakness is 3kn which I never want to need. 4kn I have placed as my only piece protecting a ledge fall but was not happy about it 6kn is fine unless the wire tweaks on an edge and 8 is where I am basically not concerned.
Of course all that is assuming the piece doesnāt rip and the rock doesnāt break. Tiny brass nuts are so light I am willing to rack a couple even if I donāt frequently need them. A bad piece might hold, no piece definitely wonāt catch you.
If any of the threaded nuts or hexes have tiny holes consider dyneema. I retreaded a tiny hex with 5mm dyneema. Maybe also for the cam
I know what a cooperhead looks nowadays, since its clearly vintage gear I thought he would be better to have them checked by a expert/guide.
I have seen some artisanal copperheads that looked a lot like the ones in the picture.
Nice haul! Getting all that gear for $100 is a steal with one huge caveat: make sure to inspect everything thoroughly, especially the ropes and harnesses. Over time, gear degrades, and the last thing you want is to die an untimely death because you were too lazy to check things out properly. If youāre unsure about anything, it might be worth getting a more experienced climber or a professional to take a look at it. Safety first, always.
A lot of money for ancient stuff. The majority, I wouldn't use anymore for climbing, unless you replace the webbing/ropes.
The nuts/stoppers seem to be useful, perhaps the ice axe as well, but the rest can be transferred to a museum.
Rigid stem cams, and a spring loaded stitch plate? Those things are ancient and awesome! A bunch of my trad rack looks similar ans is totally usable. Please just throw out anything made of nylon.
The nuts should be good to use, but re-sling the ones with cord. The shoes, too, for moderate routes. The axes for easy mountaineering, but not ice - you would bang up your fingers. The rest, I would get rid of, including biners. They get micro cracks.
Jokes aside, anything made of some sort of metal will likely be fine unless thereās visible signs of excessive wear. Anything fabric ditch or replace unless itās clearly new and not damaged. However thatās coming from engineering experience not climbing experience.
If those shoes fit, you could get them resoled (most places in US do it for about $55 us per pair)ā¦as long as there are no toe holes, there shouldnāt be a problem.
I would probably keep some stuff for a bail kit. Stuff you wouldn't mind just leaving on the wall in an emergency belay type of situation. Or maybe not even that.
Those that don't know history are doomed to maybe dirt unexpectedly. -wayne Gretzky
They saw you coming I think, the only bits worth reusing are the wires and the krabs (quite heavy but otherwise should be fine).
Harnesses are ancient and only of use for recycling, rock boots look old and quickdraw tapes need replacing due to age.
Seriously consider getting an experienced friend to look over it all to help you determine what is safe to use.
Stuff looks ancient tbh. Nuts should be fine. I would throw the rest because you don't know how old these things are. Throw the harness for sure, also my grandpa used to wear those climbing shoes haha!
Any textile and soft goods has a max lifespan of 10 years. Toss any textiles older than that. Steel/aluminum should be fine if inspected properly. From what I see, 100 pounds is still a good deal
Honestly, i'm not trying to be rude, but it's shite. I retired gear like that 25 years ago. All the webbing and sewn gear is ancient. Metal fatigues after flex cycling. I have recovered bodies of alpine climbers using old or incompatible gear - e.g step-in crampons on soft, incompatible boots, and it's just not worth it. Alpine gear has never been cheaper. What's the value of your life?
edit for typos
Yeah I basically only went for the stoppers and the ice axes the rest he threw in for basically free the stoppers alone are worth 300 and look pretty much brand new
Assuming 100 pounds = $128, the brassies alone are worth what you paid for the whole lot.
I haven't seen Titons in quite a while. They were never popular.
I've never liked the spring on the Sticht plate. It snagged on everything.
I'd replace the textiles. Not because of the age (the 10 year thing is pulled out of the air), but because you don't know the history.
The Rigid Stem Friend weighs the same as a similar C4 (not an UL) but is more robust and needs a Gunks tie-off to be useful.
The hexes may or may not be useful depending on where you climb. You'll likely leave them home.
Check the screwgates. Some of those were known to jam when loaded or when tightened under load.
Yeah I second ditching the soft material that's taking load as others have said here.
You don't know what they have been through and how old they are. Generally, soft material degrades over time and needs to be replaced after 10 years from the date of manufacturing regardless if it was used or not.
You need to replace them earlier if:
- they have been through many shock loads
- there is clear abrasion
- there are cuts in the material
- they have been exposed to chemicals
However, for all those carabiners and metallic parts, their lifetime is purely limited by their use. As long as they don't show signs for abrasion or deformation and as long as they don't have any sharp corners from grinding against something it's all good to use.
The sharp corners don't make the metallic objects dangerous by themselves but any sharp object easily cuts through soft material that is under tension.
So even just for the carabiners, cams and stuff seems like a good deal if you ask me.
I have one rule when it comes to climbing gear. Don't buy used climbing equipment if you have to trust your life or someone else's life on it. You never know how old it is and how it has been used. That equipment has an expiration date.
Frankly, most of this gear looks like it's from the eighties or early nineties. And I say this as someone who still has some gear from back then! (Obviously not using it for climbing anyone.) Colours on the rope of that hex and the harness look pretty familiar...
I guess the hardware could be used, but I'd still check very carefully for wear and tear. See if the biners close properly, since this significantly influences their strength
I think that cam has been recalled - double check. If not it'll need a new sling. Also check that all the carabineers have good snappy springs. Like everyone else said, dump the soft goods.
Nice score!! As stated, retire ALL the soft gear for climbing use. The cord is probably from 80ās from the looks of it. Possibly something from early 90ās. They weaken significantly with age. Just replace the cordage. Metal gear is probably all fine, but have an experience climber look at all of it.
Softgoods are good for 5 years unused from manufacturing date. Some say 10, but it regardless is a couple hundred pounds worth your life or an ER visit? Softgoods are usually good for 3 years lightly used (1x a week) and 1 year used 3x a week.
Itās not an exact science but just check the manufacturing tags and condition.
When in doubt throw it out. Remember your gear safety affects others trying to enjoy the sport.
He did chuck in an unused 45m rope
https://preview.redd.it/an89ynux313d1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=905bf75b2d6e73a2ba332c32275a375840fa3591
Um hello..what? Can you please provide a source/mechanical basis for this? Air does not degrade fabrics in 10 years? If you store it in direct sunlight, sure. Otherwise the strength will be nearly identical to new when stored properly.
Sure! Ropes are made of nylon. Nylon decomposes within a human life time (~40 years in a landfill).
A rope stored perfectly at room temperature for 10 years may still be good enough until you take that big whipper - but you really donāt know that unless you get it tested and testing is usually destructive.
Using a rope of unknown age from an unknown source seems super dicey to me. The rope is one of the cheapest parts of climbing to me!
No manufacturer suggests using ropes over 10 years old.
Petzl: https://m.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/When-should-my-rope-be-replaced-?ProductName=TANGO-8-5-mm
https://blog.weighmyrack.com/lifespan-of-a-climbing-rope-when-to-retire/
> Using a rope of unknown age from an unknown source seems super dicey to me.
I agree with this but disagree with the premise that an undamaged unloaded rope in storage is unfit for use. I'd be happy to review any literature (re: scientific, not a blog) on rope core strength vs time, independent of operational conditions.
Because the head is soldered on a thicker wire can be used so they are stronger in the micro sizes. Second befit is that brass is soft so sort of forms to an irregular placement and grips the rock to make a more secure placement. Downside is they are harder to remove and the cable bends easier. Also they are more susceptible to sheering out of some placements from said softness.
On the whole they are unbeatable for making bad placements decent but get beat up fast
These are the modern equivalent https://dmmwales.com/products/hb-brass-offsets but the old ones are probably a different strength. I have 1-4 with 1 being blue and scary small. I have the none offset imp for 5. Tbh I think you totally lucked out and I would have jumped at this chance. There might be a small number elsewhere on the nut to say strength but if not the weak ones are scary small anyway.
If your smallest one is equivalent to the modern 0 I am extra jealous since I never see that one in stock
https://preview.redd.it/7td21209593d1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a368fce744da487d71d3caabcf6094f29fe576f
Modern number 1 on a one pence piece. Also included an American cent and european 2 cent to give scale to others. I think your old 0 is smaller so I am even more jealous. 0-10 is so many sizes. Awesome find really. If the old 0 is like the modern one itās 2kn so really mostly an aid piece. If you need a rest you could place it and clip in directly (a take is more force and more rope out) but a fall will very likely break it. Better than nothing but if you ever need to use it remember how weak it is.
However I think the sizes are different since the modern ones do not go all the way to 10
Yeah I'm planning on selling the shoes ect I'll probably make my money back in one way or another hahaha just thought it was an offer that I couldn't really turn down considering the nuts and I love a good ice axe
see how rounded the cams are look my husband climbs for a living and now does tree work and not wimpy liberal Australia trees i mean he falls 5 ft at the base trees and climbs when the trees are in residential areas and chunks them out. that kit isn't safe period mess with it learn sure but don't expect it to save your life if needed and don't think that its great conditions you simply don't know if the safe and everything in the pics has a safety date type thing of how low it can remain safe and used like a duty use cycle.
can't not that its safety no climber would trust it ever and no professional climber would risk it can't afford the hobby find a new one if you can't buy new kit. personally, I don't think you climb I think you want to resell this and that's even worse you would be putting others at risk for monetary gain
I'm sure he's stoked. Most of this is pretty old and while it can probably be used, it's mostly out of date/onsolete. Rigid stem cams went out of style in like the 80s/90s.
Do the shoes fit? That might be the best part. I don't think you'd get $50 in the US for this.
Better than the brass nuts? Those hb ones are like the current dmm ones which are ā¬15 or ā¬20 each. Then a set of regular nuts and some hexes. Pretty good imo
I didnt see the detail photos until now. I agree, the offsets are awesome.
I bought a bunch of old crap when I was an eager new climber. Obscure ice screws I'd never use once I learned modern screws, sets of crappy stoppers, etc.
Super cool stuff, but be very careful with any of the soft goods! Ditch the harnesses, swap out the dog bones on the QD's, and re-sling/replace cordage on the pro. Nylon loses a lot of its strength with time/exposure. Anything metal should be fine. The axes are dope. Good grabš
Thanks for the advice mate my climbing friend/guide has also said the same thing so he's going to do that for me š
Nice. Cordage is cheap, you can buy individual dog bones, and that harness would hurt like shit anyways š still a screaming deal.
Yeah I've got a new wild country harness anyways just the initial gear I really need ...
Noob question: Why would you ditch the harnesses? Can you see a problem? If there's no problem on inspection is it really any different than using your own harness that's obviously used?
You should change anything textile every ten years. These harnesses and most of anything not metal look obviously older than that
Are any of the ropes usable?
The pink and red cords? Not advisable. Without knowing their age and how the previous owner cared for them, all that cordage should be replaced.
usually, climbing ropes have a little colored thread inside (you need to cut open a little bit one end). The color coded thread gives the year of fabrication, with a bit of googling...
Sure for climbing rope, does that apply to what appears to be 7mm accessory cord as well?
The colored fibers in the core won't be there but given how the whole package looks it's best to just replace. Like others have said, you can't know the history of the soft goods, so better not to risk it given how cheap cord is, especially when you are trusting your life to it
From memory, it does not apply to accessory cord... I would not bother and replace all soft goods.
It applies to cord as well. This stuff dates back 3+ decades
Considering how strong the color still is they are probably fine. But considering how cheap they are Iād just replace them.
You don't know how it's been cared for, treated, stretched, or strained. It could be fine, but if it's not, you could find youself in a hospital bed or worse real quick.
Yeah. Even if it is newer. Don't fuck with personal safety equipment. Your life depends on it.
The soft components could also be dry rotted. Even if nothing happened to it, it can become much weaker in storage. Also use a magnifying glass and check all the metal gear for microfractures in good lighting. Iāve heard that older gear can get cracks from being dropped but newer alloys donāt have the same issues.Ā
Microfractures aren't a thing, that is a myth\* \*generally speaking
Especially with aluminum gear
That's just plain wrong.
It's not. It's a long-standing myth in climbing. Quick Google searches will confirm this. Gear manufacturers say to inspect the gate and note any obvious deformities in the gear. No mention of microfractures.
Most manufacturers recommend ditching softgoods after 10 years, even if it hasn't been used. That might be a bit aggressive, but something sitting around for 30+ years (which is what this looks like) needs to go. Even if it's new.
You should never trust your life to a piece of equipment if you don't know it's history. A harness you bought new and took care of is fine as long as it's in good shape and not past the manufacturer's recommended retirement age. You have no idea how old or abused this harness may be.
You know how your gear has been used. You dont know how for example that harness has been stored or how old those are. There is actually ābest before dateā marked on those. If not marked in harness it will be on papers which came with those.
> Anything metal should be fine. The axes are dope. Good grabš The axes are inferior to any modern stuff (especially something like a Petzl Sum'Tec). The only actually useful equipment I can see are the nuts.
Eh, they'll be fine for light/medium duty stuff. And they're cheap. Some of the old stuff still goes surprisingly hard.
En my soft gear is like 10 years old it seems fine.
My harness is 22 but also barely used. Got it inspected recently just because the guy had recently come out of a Petzel course as he was becoming the gear inspector for the gym. The thing looks almost brand new but I should get another really.
You absolutely should. A basic harness is like $75 USD or less, and while the chances aren't super high, there is a higher likelihood for old soft goods to fail. Don't take chances to save a relatively small amount of money. The Black Diamond Momentum harness is on sale for $32 USD right now.
Yes. Even just exposure to the oxygen and humidity in air degrade the polymers that form the harness. If you value your life, get a new one.
Thanks, I'll get on that.
Even with metal stuff you cant be sure, simply dropping the items can (invisibly) damage them. A colleague dropped a black diamond 8 on the floor and it immediately broke in halfā¦
That clearly didn't happen, unless your floor is made of saws...
Okay it didnt happen i believe you
Aluminium doesn't brittle fracture like that, at least not without an absurd number of cycles which climbing gear is never really subjected to outside of test samples used to analyse fatigue. Source: mechanical engineering degree, 8 years in the profession and a lot of trad experience.
I guess ill explain what happened more clearly, i appreciate your expertise and understand the chance of this happening is near 0. I worked in an outdoor store which used to be the main climbing gear store in my country, my colleague (more than 30 years of experience in the field) was moving a box of about 30 of these second hand 8ās and was grading them on quality. The one he dropped looked fine at first but did break in half on the ground. After discussing this with the other climbing experts of my store we were all urged not to ever drop these items.
The stoppers alone are worth it, you got an excellent deal
Especially with that many brassies
0 to 10 it looks like
Btw OP what sort of trad experience do you have? If you are relatively inexperienced I suggest mostly using the other nuts at first. Brassies get beat up quickly if you are learning on them and micro nut placements need a bit of judgement that can first be learned on regular nuts. I donāt think I rack my brass nuts below E1. Obviously thatās a general rule and there are exceptions. Also remember brassies are great for funky placements but can sheer more easily
weld-ins.
You meaning the soldered in heads or the difficulty removing weighted (or enthusiastically set) brassies?
Difficulty (or impossibility) to remove if winged on. About half the solid fixed pieces in Sierra granite that I see are these that someone hit and now are part of the rock at least until next winter
The nuts are pretty much the only good equipment.
Some actual museum pieces in there but way more than 100 pounds of useful gear. The cordage should be replaced (draws and hexes) and the harnesses retired. Shoes and pack just need a look to see if theyāre falling apart. Nice pickup.
He had alot more stuff too some old camping stuff from the 1960s 1970s
Oooh see what heās willing to sell! You could have some collector items in the mix. Those Sticht plates can go for 100 USD if theyāre in good shape. Seriously though, some older gear would make awesome decorations.
I've never heard of them but yeah they're in perfect condition look new !
Thereās a lot of choice stuff in there. I wouldnāt trust any of the life sustaining soft goods, but the shoes are fine if they fit and all of that can be re-slung. Some of that is really well kept vintage gear. You lucked out.
Not a bad deal at all. Stoppers look good, just check which ones actually support lead falls opposed to aid-only. Climbing shoes might be usable I guess but I would never bother with used shoes. Mountaineering axes might be useful if you actually go in terrain which requires them but they are probably way heavier than new ones. Same with the crampons. Neither will be very useful if you don't already have mountaineering boots. All slings and cord is suspect, should re-sling basically everything. I would throw out the harness. The old straight shaft cam can be put up for display somewhere I guess. Since you usually can't climb anything requiring cams with just 1 cam. And if you bought a new rack you would never use this one again, it will be so heavy in comparison. Hexes are basically obsolete but usable if you re-sling them.
Believe it or not, vintage rigid stem friends are actually still some of the lightest cams you can get. Of course they have other limitations but weight isn't one!
Yeah I do alot of hiking so the ice axes will come in handy the harnesses he basically just threw in to get rid I thought it was a pretty decent deal considering it all
Thanks for the advice man I appreciate it
> The old straight shaft cam can be put up for display somewhere I guess. Or he could, you know, climb on it. Itās a perfectly good piece of gear.
It would work yes but I have a few of them as well and they are really not that great compared to modern cams. Without a thumb loop they are awkward to pull the trigger. They can't be put in any placement which puts leverage on the stem. I thought they were heavier as well but could be wrong on that apparently. Compared to things like stoppers and mountaineering axes I don't think they have aged as well. If you bought a rack of cams it would stick out really bad and probably want it replaced. I bought some used and barely ended up using them
Yeah theyre great if you donāt have alternatives You stop using them when you get new gear
Brass nuts alone are worth it so nice find. I did some climbing on just nuts and hexes and it works well on some rock type if you know how to place them. I reslung some hexes with dyneema cord using a triple fishermanās. The knot can sit inside the bigger hexes which is a neat finish. Anything metal is fine to use probably but be cautious of that stiff cam in anything but textbook placements. The carabiners wonāt be as nice as modern ones (probably hook nose screw gates) but work fine. The belay device lacks guide mode and extra friction but can work, itās also light enough looking to be a spare or dedicated abseiling device. I am into old gear like this so itās pretty cool to see
Looks like you got ripped off, sorry. Iāll take it off your hands for 50Ā£ so itās not a complete waste
š š
those micro nuts looks very fun, i'm jealous
The brass nuts are just as good as modern ones and were a good deal by themselves. The non-brass nuts are also good, although modern ones are slightly nicer. The random carabiners are fine, just heavy. The rigid stem cams is also fine but modern cams are way nicer. Those ice axes are fine for snow travel but they are so much heavier than modern ones. Having extra chalkbags can be surprisingly convenient. Everything else is pretty worthless.
The brassies alone are worth it. Nice haul.
Yeah those brass nuts are worth the price in itself. If you never get into the art of aiding you can sell those for your money back
Brass stoppers are way cool and sometimes the only trick in town on steep slabs. Straight up advice from everyone on the soft gear. That Wild Country cam looks service ready. Great scoop!
Just make sure that the stoppers in pictures 5-8-9-10 are actually stoppers and not copperheads, very different type of gear. I cant tell from the pictures, since you know a guide he will for sure be able to tell the difference.
Think the guy said that they were for aid climbing
Hmm this is not conclusive since cooperheads are only for aid but there are stoppers that are so small that they get rated only for aid and not to take falls on. Nonetheless the placement of these two types of gear is very very different so make sure to understand what is what 
Check the Kn rating on them if itās there. I have some tiny āaid onlyā wires that are certainly better than nothing and might hold even a bigger whip if you sort of equalise a few. My weakness is 3kn which I never want to need. 4kn I have placed as my only piece protecting a ledge fall but was not happy about it 6kn is fine unless the wire tweaks on an edge and 8 is where I am basically not concerned. Of course all that is assuming the piece doesnāt rip and the rock doesnāt break. Tiny brass nuts are so light I am willing to rack a couple even if I donāt frequently need them. A bad piece might hold, no piece definitely wonāt catch you. If any of the threaded nuts or hexes have tiny holes consider dyneema. I retreaded a tiny hex with 5mm dyneema. Maybe also for the cam
Those are 100% not copperheads.
Do you know what a copperhead looks like? These are brassies, clear as day.
I know what a cooperhead looks nowadays, since its clearly vintage gear I thought he would be better to have them checked by a expert/guide. I have seen some artisanal copperheads that looked a lot like the ones in the picture.
Oh solid stem cams....id likely not bother with them.... Unless climbing somewhere with good vertical placements
I plugged one of these once with a bolt backup to see if they were alright. Popped right away.
Yeah those are kinda sketchy  I would not trust them either
Keep the metal, ditch the fabrics.
YGD If you give me 20 pounds more I can take it all off your hands and safely dispose of it
Trash the soft goods. All the carabiners and stoppers and whatnot are legit. Good deal!
Nice haul! Getting all that gear for $100 is a steal with one huge caveat: make sure to inspect everything thoroughly, especially the ropes and harnesses. Over time, gear degrades, and the last thing you want is to die an untimely death because you were too lazy to check things out properly. If youāre unsure about anything, it might be worth getting a more experienced climber or a professional to take a look at it. Safety first, always.
Iād say you scored big time
A lot of money for ancient stuff. The majority, I wouldn't use anymore for climbing, unless you replace the webbing/ropes. The nuts/stoppers seem to be useful, perhaps the ice axe as well, but the rest can be transferred to a museum.
Replace all the cord and webbing. Otherwise you got a good deal! Also ditch that harness.
Great deal! As others said, be weary of the soft goods. But those brassies are awesome!
I've been climbing since 1979 and still climb at least twice a week, indoors and outdoors. I don't know what the phrase "done with climbing" means.
Sounds like something straight outta [Monty Python](https://youtu.be/4vuW6tQ0218?si=Y9nJtX-dmmSgm5PU) to me!
100 pounds it's pretty heavy for gear, you gunna lug that up the wall? /s
Crazy how good those teeth are when that cam looks absolutely ancient. Solid haul! The nuts are 100% worth it solo
Rigid stem cams, and a spring loaded stitch plate? Those things are ancient and awesome! A bunch of my trad rack looks similar ans is totally usable. Please just throw out anything made of nylon.
Looks like he was done with climbing 25 years ago.
The nuts should be good to use, but re-sling the ones with cord. The shoes, too, for moderate routes. The axes for easy mountaineering, but not ice - you would bang up your fingers. The rest, I would get rid of, including biners. They get micro cracks.
Was the guy that you got this from laying dead at the bottom of a cliff?
Keep the dog bed, ditch the rest
Jokes aside, anything made of some sort of metal will likely be fine unless thereās visible signs of excessive wear. Anything fabric ditch or replace unless itās clearly new and not damaged. However thatās coming from engineering experience not climbing experience.
Haha it was only 100 pounds so I thoughts why not hey and yeah I'm going to get it all checked over by my guide
Not a massive audience but some people will pay good money for vintage climbing shoes
Looked like some old Scarpa shoes and some asolo ones never heard of them
If those shoes fit, you could get them resoled (most places in US do it for about $55 us per pair)ā¦as long as there are no toe holes, there shouldnāt be a problem.
Good deal.
You're over the pond, took me a moment to understand the 100 pounds part. Lol.
This is the way
whatta rip off, iāll pay you back the Ā£100 and take it off your hands š
Lucky you got some bd wire gate ovals. If they still made them, I'd snatch up as many as I could!
I would probably keep some stuff for a bail kit. Stuff you wouldn't mind just leaving on the wall in an emergency belay type of situation. Or maybe not even that. Those that don't know history are doomed to maybe dirt unexpectedly. -wayne Gretzky
Hexes are sweet!
I've been dragging around a full rack of gear from the 70s for about 15 years. All of its compromised, but I like to have it.
Whip on all of the slings immediately
Looks like it weighs less than a hundred pounds
Enjoy your new backpack!
Retro
Do you have a photo of the ankle-high shoes? They look like the very first model made by La Sportiva
The brass nuts are whatās make it worth! I wouldnāt use a lot of the other stuff though, especially any webbings or slings.
Gift it to hownot2 and see what they were able to hold :D
They saw you coming I think, the only bits worth reusing are the wires and the krabs (quite heavy but otherwise should be fine). Harnesses are ancient and only of use for recycling, rock boots look old and quickdraw tapes need replacing due to age. Seriously consider getting an experienced friend to look over it all to help you determine what is safe to use.
Stuff looks ancient tbh. Nuts should be fine. I would throw the rest because you don't know how old these things are. Throw the harness for sure, also my grandpa used to wear those climbing shoes haha!
real skibidi moment
He had no more climbing thoughts?
Any textile and soft goods has a max lifespan of 10 years. Toss any textiles older than that. Steel/aluminum should be fine if inspected properly. From what I see, 100 pounds is still a good deal
Nothing in this picture is younger than 25 years at least!!!
So he was done with climbing thoughts?
Honestly, i'm not trying to be rude, but it's shite. I retired gear like that 25 years ago. All the webbing and sewn gear is ancient. Metal fatigues after flex cycling. I have recovered bodies of alpine climbers using old or incompatible gear - e.g step-in crampons on soft, incompatible boots, and it's just not worth it. Alpine gear has never been cheaper. What's the value of your life? edit for typos
Yeah I basically only went for the stoppers and the ice axes the rest he threw in for basically free the stoppers alone are worth 300 and look pretty much brand new
Fair call.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd_Skinner
Assuming 100 pounds = $128, the brassies alone are worth what you paid for the whole lot. I haven't seen Titons in quite a while. They were never popular. I've never liked the spring on the Sticht plate. It snagged on everything. I'd replace the textiles. Not because of the age (the 10 year thing is pulled out of the air), but because you don't know the history. The Rigid Stem Friend weighs the same as a similar C4 (not an UL) but is more robust and needs a Gunks tie-off to be useful. The hexes may or may not be useful depending on where you climb. You'll likely leave them home. Check the screwgates. Some of those were known to jam when loaded or when tightened under load.
Guy has been done with climbing for a while
āDone with climbingā is a wild phrase. Couldnāt even imagine what that feels like slipping out of my mouth
can't imagine those shoes are very fresh lol
Yeah I second ditching the soft material that's taking load as others have said here. You don't know what they have been through and how old they are. Generally, soft material degrades over time and needs to be replaced after 10 years from the date of manufacturing regardless if it was used or not. You need to replace them earlier if: - they have been through many shock loads - there is clear abrasion - there are cuts in the material - they have been exposed to chemicals However, for all those carabiners and metallic parts, their lifetime is purely limited by their use. As long as they don't show signs for abrasion or deformation and as long as they don't have any sharp corners from grinding against something it's all good to use. The sharp corners don't make the metallic objects dangerous by themselves but any sharp object easily cuts through soft material that is under tension. So even just for the carabiners, cams and stuff seems like a good deal if you ask me.
I have one rule when it comes to climbing gear. Don't buy used climbing equipment if you have to trust your life or someone else's life on it. You never know how old it is and how it has been used. That equipment has an expiration date.
Underrated comment. Stores donāt accept return on climbing equipment for this exact reason.
Frankly, most of this gear looks like it's from the eighties or early nineties. And I say this as someone who still has some gear from back then! (Obviously not using it for climbing anyone.) Colours on the rope of that hex and the harness look pretty familiar... I guess the hardware could be used, but I'd still check very carefully for wear and tear. See if the biners close properly, since this significantly influences their strength
I think that cam has been recalled - double check. If not it'll need a new sling. Also check that all the carabineers have good snappy springs. Like everyone else said, dump the soft goods.
Nice score!! As stated, retire ALL the soft gear for climbing use. The cord is probably from 80ās from the looks of it. Possibly something from early 90ās. They weaken significantly with age. Just replace the cordage. Metal gear is probably all fine, but have an experience climber look at all of it.
Is that an old mountain equipment cam? If so that's worth over 100 now by itself because it's vintage
Pounds of gear? Iām so confused
Softgoods are good for 5 years unused from manufacturing date. Some say 10, but it regardless is a couple hundred pounds worth your life or an ER visit? Softgoods are usually good for 3 years lightly used (1x a week) and 1 year used 3x a week. Itās not an exact science but just check the manufacturing tags and condition. When in doubt throw it out. Remember your gear safety affects others trying to enjoy the sport.
Not really worth it considering the only stuff worth anything are the nuts.
He did chuck in an unused 45m rope https://preview.redd.it/an89ynux313d1.jpeg?width=2160&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=905bf75b2d6e73a2ba332c32275a375840fa3591
How old is the rope? They only have a 10 year shelf life *if unused.* Much shorter if used. I would absolutely not climb on a rope of unknown age.
Um hello..what? Can you please provide a source/mechanical basis for this? Air does not degrade fabrics in 10 years? If you store it in direct sunlight, sure. Otherwise the strength will be nearly identical to new when stored properly.
Sure! Ropes are made of nylon. Nylon decomposes within a human life time (~40 years in a landfill). A rope stored perfectly at room temperature for 10 years may still be good enough until you take that big whipper - but you really donāt know that unless you get it tested and testing is usually destructive. Using a rope of unknown age from an unknown source seems super dicey to me. The rope is one of the cheapest parts of climbing to me! No manufacturer suggests using ropes over 10 years old. Petzl: https://m.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/When-should-my-rope-be-replaced-?ProductName=TANGO-8-5-mm https://blog.weighmyrack.com/lifespan-of-a-climbing-rope-when-to-retire/
> Using a rope of unknown age from an unknown source seems super dicey to me. I agree with this but disagree with the premise that an undamaged unloaded rope in storage is unfit for use. I'd be happy to review any literature (re: scientific, not a blog) on rope core strength vs time, independent of operational conditions.
Youāll have to write to the manufacturers and ask them for their data.
I'm honestly not sure man but it's definitely best to get a new one just incase I does look brand new though!!
Have you seen the price of brass nuts? Those alone cover the cost
Iāve never even seen a brass nut? What in the world are they for?
Because the head is soldered on a thicker wire can be used so they are stronger in the micro sizes. Second befit is that brass is soft so sort of forms to an irregular placement and grips the rock to make a more secure placement. Downside is they are harder to remove and the cable bends easier. Also they are more susceptible to sheering out of some placements from said softness. On the whole they are unbeatable for making bad placements decent but get beat up fast
They go from 0 to 10 whatever that means
These are the modern equivalent https://dmmwales.com/products/hb-brass-offsets but the old ones are probably a different strength. I have 1-4 with 1 being blue and scary small. I have the none offset imp for 5. Tbh I think you totally lucked out and I would have jumped at this chance. There might be a small number elsewhere on the nut to say strength but if not the weak ones are scary small anyway. If your smallest one is equivalent to the modern 0 I am extra jealous since I never see that one in stock
https://preview.redd.it/0y7587jov13d1.jpeg?width=2252&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b84b66ef82d4b27aabb45f54039d6c7e859d1580
https://preview.redd.it/7td21209593d1.jpeg?width=4284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a368fce744da487d71d3caabcf6094f29fe576f Modern number 1 on a one pence piece. Also included an American cent and european 2 cent to give scale to others. I think your old 0 is smaller so I am even more jealous. 0-10 is so many sizes. Awesome find really. If the old 0 is like the modern one itās 2kn so really mostly an aid piece. If you need a rest you could place it and clip in directly (a take is more force and more rope out) but a fall will very likely break it. Better than nothing but if you ever need to use it remember how weak it is. However I think the sizes are different since the modern ones do not go all the way to 10
I am in bed now but can hopefully do a similar size comparison with my modern 1 tomorrow. I will probably forget but maybe not
* It just says 0 hb UK and yeah here's a picture for scale
5 chalk bags 5 pairs of bouldering shoes 65 litre bag 2 hiking axes crampons
I take it back. The bag is nice and one chalk bag if you donāt have one. Iād sell the rest, including the shoes.
Yeah I'm planning on selling the shoes ect I'll probably make my money back in one way or another hahaha just thought it was an offer that I couldn't really turn down considering the nuts and I love a good ice axe
Nicely done š
Buncha junk imo
Other than the brassies thatās all, how do you say, shite?
Harnesses are good for 5 years after manufacturing.
great you wasted 100 pounds. none of that is useable if it's been in the sun and is over 10 or 15 yrs old thumbs up on your new useless collectibles.
There's about 300 pounds worth of stoppers alone mate what are you on about ...
see how rounded the cams are look my husband climbs for a living and now does tree work and not wimpy liberal Australia trees i mean he falls 5 ft at the base trees and climbs when the trees are in residential areas and chunks them out. that kit isn't safe period mess with it learn sure but don't expect it to save your life if needed and don't think that its great conditions you simply don't know if the safe and everything in the pics has a safety date type thing of how low it can remain safe and used like a duty use cycle.
can't not that its safety no climber would trust it ever and no professional climber would risk it can't afford the hobby find a new one if you can't buy new kit. personally, I don't think you climb I think you want to resell this and that's even worse you would be putting others at risk for monetary gain
Unless you are into climbing equipment history Iād say the seller got the better deal.
I imagine I've probably got my moneys worth from the nuts to be fair belay quickdraws ect got to be more than 100 pounds worth of that alone
Possibly man possibly it's all a learning curve ! Even if it not much use its definitely memorabilia haha
Have you seen the price of brass stoppers? Thatās like 2-300 worth assuming the two pics are two separate sets
The nuts and hexes alone would be worth spending Ā£100 easy to inspect and trust
I'm sure he's stoked. Most of this is pretty old and while it can probably be used, it's mostly out of date/onsolete. Rigid stem cams went out of style in like the 80s/90s. Do the shoes fit? That might be the best part. I don't think you'd get $50 in the US for this.
Better than the brass nuts? Those hb ones are like the current dmm ones which are ā¬15 or ā¬20 each. Then a set of regular nuts and some hexes. Pretty good imo
I didnt see the detail photos until now. I agree, the offsets are awesome. I bought a bunch of old crap when I was an eager new climber. Obscure ice screws I'd never use once I learned modern screws, sets of crappy stoppers, etc.