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I haven't been out climbing in going on 2 years and all of my equipment has just sat in my garage in my backpack the entire time, should I be concerned about the condition of any of it if I get back out this year?

i work for a company that tests that stuff. send it to me and ill check it all out and let you know.

are you serious or just messing with me? my inclination is that it's all fine, but i know some people on here have a lot more experience than me.

wow! such a long time! you really should buy all new gear.... and give me the old gear to recycle (it's the right thing to do for the planet! and i'd be happy to help out).

seriously, it's always a good idea to manually inspect your gear, even if you're climbing regularly. and it will only take a few minutes to find out.

in said garage, do you have any chemicals such as solvents for painting, or acid from a car battery, etc. If you think any of your stuff might have been exposed to something like this, then don't use it.

otherwise the guy at the gear shop tells me that a rope has a shelf life of 5 years even if unused. it seems that a rope would last much longer than that to me, but that is the safe answer. probably applies to slings, harnesses etc. as well. check for bad fraying, sheath picks in the rope or an unusual square shape, or anything else that just looks bad, and use common sense.

if you haven't used it in 2 years, clearly you are not a climber. give it to a dirtbag at miggies.

seriously

pigsteak wrote:if you haven't used it in 2 years, clearly you are not a climber. give it to a dirtbag at miggies.

well, the thing is my baby turned into a toddler and i made a choice to quit until she was big enough to go and have fun with. i've never stopped wanting to climb, i've just had things i prioritized before it.

tsparks wrote:i've never stopped wanting to climb, i've just had things i prioritized before it.

Wow. What is that like?

you see people, this is why i do not have kids. i am far to selfish and I recognize this.