Gear Maintenance

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[edit] How do I get the smell out of my shoes? / How do I clean my shoes?

From: Softman
let your climbing shoes air out and dry before storing them - this is probably the single easiest way to avoid stench. loosen the laces all the way and clip them on the outside of your pack as you hike out from a climb and drive home. just make sure to shake out all the leaves, scorpions, etc. before putting them on the next time. put them in front of a fan (no heat) at home as well.
From: user
throw them in the washing machine on cold with a bit of normal washing powder. Let them go through all cycles and then prop them upto dry somewhere out of direct sun or heat. Result: No more poxy boots.
From: Red Rock Resole
Sometimes shoes get caked inside with dirt, sweat and so on, and you can remove this stuff with warm water, mild soap and an old toothbrush. Immersing the shoes, or worse, putting them through the washer, isn't the best thing for them, IMHO. Just open up the laces wide, and scrub the shoes out and rinse by splashing water inside. Once they're completely dry, they should smell better too.
The smell is from a build-up of bacteria. This odor can be masked with scented sprays (one guy I know favors shaving lotion); but more effective is to neutralize it with anti-bacterial spray or baking soda.
Baking soda is probably the most eco-friendly, lowest-impact and cheapest, but it can build up inside the shoe too, and it can feel grainy against the skin. Not good when you're sketching on a dime-thin edge! If you can find a product in spray form that's both anti-bacterial and scented ("deodorant"), both the smell and its source are dealt with. Some products do this better than others. One gym I know of uses Lysol, but it makes the shoes feel slick inside and it's hard in the shoes' interior. It seems to soak into the leather and make it break down.
In my shop, I use a product by Kiwi called "Sport." I use it not just on customer shoes upon request, but on all of my own various shoes, the majority of which are athletic, and if it works on mine, it'll work on anyone's! It comes in a three-tone blue can and costs about $5, and a single can goes a long way. To find out where it's available, you can write to Kiwi (there was no phone # printed on the can): Kiwi Brands, 447 Old Swede Rd., Douglassville, PA 19518-1239. Maybe by now they even have a website. (I order my supply from a wholesale distributor in San Diego.)
Here's a lot more info on taking care of your shoes: http://www.REDROCKRESOLE.COM/care/
From: Chris Kantarjiev
I wash mine once in a while - when they turn black inside, mostly. (I don't have much of a stinkfoot problem - combination of dryer sheets and vented gymbag helps that.)
I wash them by hand.
I wash them with as little water as possible.
I definitely don't saturate them.
The leather stiffens a little, but nothing that doesn't work out after a wearing or two.
I just air dry with no shrinkage problems, but if you're very worried about shrinkage, stuff with newspaper while drying.
I agree with Jules - machine washing would be bad.
From: Paul Brooks
Put the offending items into a plastic bag and leave them overnight in the freezer. It seems to work - presumably by killing the smelly bugs.
From: Jim Leininger
you can take some of the cedar chips that are used in hamster cages, stuff them into cut-off nylon stockings, tie of the stockings and Presto, odor-eaters
From: Christian Brooks
Dr. Sholls odor-eater powder works really well.
From: Michael Gordon
I'd resist putting any kind of powder in my shoes or on my feet. It will result in caking inside the shoe. And though I have no first-hand experience, people who have powdered have reported a 'slimy' feeling as a result of perspiration and caking combined
From: H. Joao
Put drier sheets in them. Change every once in awhile.
From: Adrian McNair
I tried all the FAQs on Dawns Web Page and they did not work. My older pair were hopelessly foul beyond redemption. I made sure with my new pair to always air them out after use and it seems to have worked well so far. Airing them out and putting a scented drier sheet in them works well.
From: Lei
When I first started climbing I wore my shoes as everyone else. After a month it started to stink and I said screw it, and wore my normal white cotton socks.
I've been wearing socks for 4 years now, and I will never go back. It's much more comfortable, the shoes don't stink at all, and I don't remember a single climb where not wearing socks would have made the difference between success and failure, whether it's 5.8 or V##++.
Try it out. After a few weeks you might change your mind too.
From: John Byrnes
It just amazes me that this topic comes up so often. Put your feet in your shoes, not your nose.

[edit] Where should I get my shoes resoled?

Your local climbing gym or climbing store can probably give you the name of the resoler closest to you.
These resolers are very popular with rec.climbers:
The Rubber Room in Bishop, CA
Rock and Resole in Boulder, CO
See also:
Climbing Shoe Resolers on dmoz.org
How can I resole / repair my shoes myself? on Tradgirl

[edit] How can I resole / repair my shoes myself?

From: Retrograde
I've used regular superglue on peeling stealth rubber. Worked fine.
From: Geoff Jennings
I've used Superglue on my climbing shoes, but didn't find it worked well on Tevas or Approach shoes. Not sure why.
From: Ben Craft
The best glue I've found is freesole.
From: Maechyll
Shoe Goo.
From: Jim Leininger
Believe it or not, I used a bicycle intertube repair kit. Worked like a charm!
From: Kai Larson
Barge cement
From: Irishman
I obtained a Five Ten kit for the purpose of putting some rubber on a pair of my kids boots. I procrastinated so long he outgrew the boots. In the mean time I used the glue in the kit to put one of the soles back on my Guide Almightys. (The infamous Five Ten delaminating problem) Since then I've put on some rough miles with no further problems. That's the extent of my experience. Personally, I think it would be hard to fix small areas with Barge Cement. It would be hard to contain the heating process to the areas you're trying to fix. Too much heat in the surrounding areas could undermine the part you don't want to work on. Do you still have the instructions that came with the kit? They mention "Aqua-seal" for fixing delaminating problems and filling voids. I haven't tried that yet.
From: David Wilson
I helped a fried resole his sandals with 5.10 rubber and the thing that worked best with contact glue that came in the kit was to heat it hot over a stove (electric or you will have a cool fire on your hands!) then beat the newly placed sole with a hammer. Since then the rubber has never come off.
From: Mike Yurkish
I've got a pair of beater shoes that I keep applying toe grafts to. I take a razor and cut a slice of rubber off of the heel, grind the nearly bare spot under the big toe, and glue the patch there using two boards and a C-clamp for compression. It's held far better than I'd have thought it would each time I've done it. My shoe looks a little funky, though, and I'm running out of heel rubber.
From: Sam Gilbert
I have resoled my old pair of shoes... You can buy a kit for ~$20 and basically cut and glue your new soles on... They actually work okay as a spare pair... But it depends on your precision skills in this type of thing how well they come out. Meaning, don't try to resole your 1-yr old boreal aces... resole the 10-yr-old 5.10s.
From: Tim Stich
A while back I noticed a friend of mine had two half soles on his climbing shoes. He told me that he resoled them himself, which was something that I was interested in trying. Recently I found a resole kit for $10 on sale and went about buying some sanding disks for my drill and a disk holder. I had no idea if the project would be worth doing myself and I had the mailing address for Rock and Resole sitting on my table. But money was tight, and I reasoned that if I messed up I didn't care. So I set about reading the information in the package.
The first operation was getting the worn soles off. This required a source of heat, in this case an electric stove was suggested. I had one, which turned out to be one use that it performed better than a gas stove. In any case, I waved my shoes for the recommended 30 seconds and then grasped them with pliers. To my amazement, the soles peeled off without a fuss and I was done. I had previously cut the soles in half with a razor, incidentally. That way I didn't have to redo the heel, which was fine.
The next step was somewhat harder. I outlined the patterns of the old soles on the 5mm Stealth rubber provided. A colored pencil made enough of a mark to see, so that sufficed. Cutting the rubber was damn difficult with tin shears, so I used a medium sized exacto knife and just punched cuts along with the rubber at the edge of a table. In the end, it didn't matter how nice the cut was since I ground the edges with the sander.
The sanding was next. At first, I used a hand drill clamped between my shoes on the kitchen floor and let the fine rubber dust pack onto the fridge door and the oven. I vacuumed it later before my live-in girlfriend came home. This was tiring work, so I stopped that nonsense and borrowed a proper table top belt sander. In the end, this was the crucial piece of equipment that made the job possible. I was able to bevel the edges like the old soles and remove several milimeters of rubber without any real problems.
I then sanded the old rands and cleaned both the new rubber and old with a solvent I had called Goof Off. I didn't have any trichloroethane and couldn't find any in town. The solvents made the rubber slimy and even removed some of it, which I took as a good sign for some reason. Call me glib. In any case, I applied the rubber cement and let it dry overnight since it was late.
Just today I briefly heated the rubber and glue pieces and joined them, using a vise grip clamp to smash the whole mess together. To my amazement, the pieces bonded and didn't spontaneously delaminate. I'll be testing them in the gym now. In no way would I trust these shoes for a trip without having a back up. The whole thing was mainly done to save my good pair from a premature gym death.
Judging from the ass-ache from the whole resole project, I think I'll just mail mine off in the future. I would rather have shoes I can trust and spend the spare time I would put into the project gazing into my navel and drinking beer. It wasn't all that bad I guess and I really couldn't afford squat this month. So that's my experience with the task. It was something to do on a rainy day, though.
Note: the following was added in a subsequent post.
I think the key is to get everything really clean and not get finger grease on them. Maybe one should use gloves when handling the pieces? I don't know. I tried the shoes in the gym tonight with mixed results. First of all, I should have sanded the bottoms better. They were still a bit smooth, which made for some comical footwork. One toe is delaminating already, but I think it was due to not using enough rubber cement in the spot. I'll fix it tomorrow.
On a funny note, this guy I know in the gym said his friend resoled a pair of shoes and parked his car over them to compress the rubber. And to think I was just using a clamp!
From: Ted Compton
Tools you need:
  • pliars
  • sharp long exacto blade
  • electrical tape
  • rough sandpaper and block
  • wire brush (optional)
  • electric stove burner
  • peel of old sole. follow instructions. don't pull rand loose.
  • cut new rubber based on old sole but about 1/4" bigger all around.
  • clean, sand, apply glue as per instructions (lightest coat of gule possible is key here)
  • heat surfaces and stick together with even overlap all around.
  • pinch on with pliars and/or hammer on.
  • stuff sock or paper into shoe.
  • wrap tightly and extensively with electrical tape.
  • leave overnight.
  • remove tape.
  • trim with exacto knife. This is the key step. Except for maybe some texturing, you can achieve a finished product at this step. Cut so that the knife cuts into the glue bond and just touches the rand. Leave no unglued rubber (it will peel off if you do). Watch your angle (cut it the way you want it to be when you are done). You have to do it in one pass. You can't shave a little away at a time. The key to a smooth cut is to grab the 1/4" excess rubber and pull it away from the blade as you cut (a partner can be helpful here). If you do this the blade literally slides through the rubber.
  • sand to add texture and blend sole and rand.
This has worked well for me on probably 10 resoles. Total working time is about 1 hr. per pair.(less if you do multiple pairs).
From: Matt Buckle
unless you've got the right equipment (a grinder etc.) it is hardly worth the 25 bucks you'll save. I resoled a pair a couple years ago, took me about 4 hours, and I ended up with a pair of shoes I'd only use if they were the last pair I had. I'm sure if you had the equipment and experience it would be worth it though.
From: Donna
Takes a few pairs to get it right, but you absolutely need a band grinder. follow the applied instructions completely, try to grind down the old sole at the instep so the new sole will overlap by an inch or so. If you're new at this don't even think of doing the rand, it's a pain in the a#@.
See also:
FiveTen's C4 Resole Kit from Hermit's Hut
FiveTen's Dot Resole Kit from mgear.com
Aqua-Seal from Altrec.com
Barge cement from Altrec.com
Freesole from MEC
Shoe Goo in black from Blank Skate Supply Company
Where should I get my shoes re-soled? on Tradgirl

[edit] My new shoes are too tight. How can I stretch them?

From: Jose Acosta
I'd say try soaking them and wearing 'em wet for awhile, maybe while bouldering or climbing for the day if you don't mind your feet looking like prunes. That helped me with a similar situation.
From: Walter Strong
Have you been using them for very long? My Paranoia's, when I first purchased them, could hardly be worn for a full climb before the pain made me want to curse the day I bought them. Now, after a few weeks of constant use, they've stretched enough on their own that I can usually fit in a couple short climbs before I have to take them off.
I think it was the "gear" issue of _Climbing_ that recommended not only whearing them into the shower, but leaving them on for an hour or so afterward so that the leather as a chance to take the shape of your foot.
From: Brent Ware
I surmise that by not fitting them quite so tight, the shoes don't need to stretch, aren't getting stretched every time I put them on, and so last longer and fit better through their lifetime (I resoled the last pair three times; the first didn't even last long enough to get resoled once). Hey, it only took me about ten years and god knows how many pairs of climbing shoes to figger this out. For me, climbing shoes will fit better longer if I don't buy them super tight. Paradoxical, eh?
From: Wade Lippman
"Climbing 2001 Gear Issue" suggests taking a shower with them on. I suggest buying the right size.

[edit] How do I wash my rope?

From: Stefan Kruger
Leave it to soak in the tub over night if you've climbed on sea cliffs or if it's excessively dirty. Just beware that repeated washing can undo any dry treatment your rope might have. An alternative is to flake out your rope into a pillow case and cold-wash it in the washing machine without detergent, or with a small ammount of 'woolite'.
From: Roger Dyke
Being lazy, I just used to drop the rope in the bath after I got out, let it soak while I dried myself, stirring it occassionally, then hung it over the taps to drain off and dry overnight
From: kbctan
I've since invested in a Dobi rope-brush ( caving places tend to sell them). They're like two halves of a plastic tube that clip together, with rotating brushes in both halves. Immerse the rope in warm soapy water ( usually used bath-water), place it in the middle of the two halves, clip them together and pull the rope through ( several times). Amazing how much grit & grime you can extract, even from "cleaned" ropes.
From: Ken.Cline
Here's what Beal Ropes recommends:
Ropes should be washed periodically to help remove sharp particles from the sheath and so prevent them penetrating to the core where they can cut the fibres. Use a mild detergent (as might be used for delicate fabrics) in cold water. Dry slowly, and store away from sources of heat and out if direct sunlight. This applies to the storage of all fibre products - store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and all possible contaminants (if you're really keen, store in an inert environment like nitrogen ; )
http://www.bealropes.com/english.dir/care.html
They show a picture of a faucet and scrub brush. I put the rope in a mesh bag and toss it in a front loading washing machine. Tossing a loose rope in a washing machine will result in a gordian knot.
There are wash-in dry treatments you can use to increase water repellancy.
From: Marie
I find that daisy-chaining the rope works quite nicely to prevent it from becoming an unmanageable nylon wad.
From: Blue Water
Put the rope in a pillow case or washing bag and use a front loading machine with cold water only to prevent shrinkage. It is acceptable to use a mild soap to remove oil or grease but avoid harsh detergents. DO NOT USE BLEACH OR BLEACH SUBSTITUTES. Make sure to rinse thoroughly. Small amounts of fabric softener may be used to give better flexibility and a softer hand as a rope stiffens with use. Your rope should be air dried away from direct sunlight. It will not harm a rope to store it wet. Nylon is not affected by water and will not rot or mildew.
See also:
Sterling's Guidelines for Washing Ropes

[edit] How do I mark the middle of my rope?

From: Karl Lew
You have several options:
1) use Blue Water marker
2) whip thread thru and round middle
3) trade it in for a bicolor/bipattern
4) cut the rope in the middle so you don't forget where the middle is.
5) learn to measure rope so you can find the middle in the dark.
From: Matthew Buckle
One thing to keep in mind if you use tape is that over time the tape will get caught in belay devices, edges in the rock etc, and may eventually become loose and slide along the rope. The only thing worse than no middle mark is an inaccurate one.
I currently have a bicolor rope, and don't think I'll go back. It may be an extra 15 bucks, but it gives you 100% certainty of the middle of the rope, and is much easier to find than a taped or ink middle mark.
From: Michael E. Gordon
In Advanced Rock Climbing, John Long has endorsed the Sanford "Sharpie" marker for middle-marking. I've done this to three ropes with no problems.
From: the Maxim rope brochure
To mark the midpoint of your rope, tests show that the following markers will not weaken the fibers of the rope: Carter Marks-a-Lot, Sanford Sharpie and Binney-Smith Majic Marker.
From: New England Ropes (via email)
We recommend Avery Marks a Lot and Binney-Smith Majic Marker.
We do not recommend Sharpie.
From: Michael Lamoreau
The info for Marking maxim rope needs a minor tweak... When I went to look for Carter Marks a lot I was unable to find it. I was able to find Avery Marks a lot(I thought maybe Avery bought Carter). I sent a quick email to New England ropes and was able to confirm that indeed Avery bought Carter so the Avery Marks a lot is ok for use on the Maxim ropes.
From: Bob Cable
Have not read anything positive on taping the midpoint. Maybe I'm the only one who likes to feel that half way point. Yeah, you do have to check it occasionally and redo it once in a while, but you can't feel a little black mark at night.
From: Christopher A Kantarjiev
dental floss, woven through the outer sheath, and whipped. You can see it pretty well (it will get dirty) and you can feel it if you're paying attention.
From: troutboy
It seems the black marker crowd is in the majority, but I like my method of flourescent pink embroidery thread sewn through the sheath with (of course) a blunt end embriodery needle. It can be seen and felt (especially when the thread starts to wear a bit) but won't get hung up in a crack or belay device (although you can feel it going through). The best part is the looks and inquiries from other climbers regarding my rope sheath that appears to be quite worn, until closer inspection. One to three treatments last about one season of 75-100 climbing days.
The marker is hard to see on dark-colored ropes, can't be felt in the dark, and isn't nearly as stunning :-).
From: Dave Wood
Just a thought from the MIC (mountaineer in charge - highest award from the British Mountaineering Council) who inspects the club gear I've looked after:
Never mark the mid point of a rope. If it needs the end trimmed off because of damage then it's not the midpoint. If you want to find the midpoint, grab both ends and run them through your hands, _that_ is the midpoint!
See also:
Will using a magic marker to mark my rope weaken it? on Tradgirl

[edit] What can I do with my old rope? / How do I make a rope rug?

From: Ulrich Prinz
As long as there are no obvious and visible damages to the rope, you can safely assume it has not had too much abuse.
Especially for toproping you can use the rope until it nearly falls apart. The only times when modern ropes break is on extreme falls, or if they are hanging over a sharp edge. Toproping takes away the falls, and the age won't change the edge-issue.
From: Dave Andersen
There's a place on the net to which you can send your ropes and they'll weave them into a rug for you:
If you feel like doing it yourself, then consider one of the following options:
  • Weave your own with an oval weave called an "ocean platt"
What else can I do with my old rope?
From: Ange Hamish
Good scheme for ropes you think are a little passed it for walls, high fall factor leads etc. Rotate them.
1. New rope=main lead rope
2. Worn but structurally ok rope=top roping rope
3. Mostly ok but one or two core shots=cut up and use as rigging/anchor rope
4. Manky/dodgy/shag pile carpet rope with tufts of core sticking out everywhere=car tow rope (you'll be amazed how much static strength it probably still has!) or washing line in the garage for drying out all your gear after a wet weekend.
Also check out http://www.realknots.com for some cool ways to make door matts out of old ropes (use the ornamental knots).
See also:
Marvin Minsky's Original Rope Tie
When should I retire my rope? on Tradgirl

[edit] How do I clean gear like biners and cams?

From: Dwight Haymes
Blow the dirt out with the air compressor down at the gas station
From: Staff @ Climber Online!
As far as loosening sticky camming action, try a little WD-40 on the bearing surfaces. Let it soak in a little and work the cams. Do this a few times to get them totally smooth, then apply some bicycle chain lube to the bearings. The key is to be stingy with the lubricants. Dirt will be attracted to almost anything, including WD-40 or teflon based lubes. Wipe up all excess stuff.
From: deadhorsepoint
If you have access to an ultrasonic bath, that's the ultimate cleaning/decorroding/degriming treatment. I ultrasound my cams in a solution of citrus de-greaser for about 30 min at a time, with periodic scrubbing with a narrow brush.
I used WD like Scott, until I discovered Mountain Bike Lube for lubing the inner workings of the cam. The best ones are teflon-based and therefore they repel water and mud.
From: John Byrnes
If you visit a marine climbing area, I recommend you wash all your gear in fresh water when you get home.
If you live in a marine environment, I'd say you need to wash it regularly.
From: troutboy
I know some cam manufacturers recommend it, but WD-40 is one of the worst things you can put on any mechanism that will be near dirt (including locks). It is especially wicked for Aliens which tend to gum up easier than other cams due to their design. It works great until the dirt starts sticking to the gear thanks to the WD-40 (about one climbing day).
I second the bike lube or other silicon spray products. They lubricate w/o leaving an oily residue.
From: Ken.Cline
For what its worth: Black Diamond, though they recommend a teflon based bike lube for Camalots, found that WD40 works just as well and gathers no more dirt.
From: Ray Martin
I shake them vigoursly in warm soap and water, shake them dry, then apply triflow. The process works wonders on carabiners as well.
From: Inez Drixelius
Brutus of Wyde recommended tryflow to me and I don't like the results. Seems everything is caking up more.
I recommend going back to my old routine of cleaning cams and biners by soaking them in kerosene (I then also remove the nylon, of course), for a few minutes.
Then I wipe off crud, let everything dry out overnight all spread out on old towels and in the morning I treat the moving parts with a lock lubricant. Wipe off again, let dry for a few hours, then do the nylon/spectra/whatever, mark with new tape and voila.
A good weekend job for sitting on the porch with a glass or two and some good tunes.
From: rick d
Try a soap bath, or I always use white gas (Colman fuel) after desert runs and a lite scrubbing with brass or stainless brush (I don't dunk the slings).
From: Micah Lauer
Black Diamond recommends TriFlow and Metolius recommends a dry graphite like LockTite, so it's basically your call. I think the dry graphite stuff like LockTite almost sounds better because I assume it would collect let grit, etc., but then again, I've only used TriFlow, so I can't compare lubrication properties, etc. If you use TriFlow, use a cotton swap or bit of rag or something and wipe off all the extra after working the trigger some to distribute the lubricant - it will keep the grit from collecting so quickly.
From: Alistair Veitch
I'll go with Clyde Soles on the best answer - White Lightning. It's a wax-based bike lube. Seems expensive for the small bottle, but it works *really* well.
From: Eric D. Coomer
I used this stuff (White Lightning) and found that it ended up gumming up the action on all my gear once the wax dried. Even after playing with the action to smooth it out, it's not near as good as using tri-flow, WD-40 or graphite. I know another person that tried the white lightening stuff with the same results I had.
From: Hans Lehmann
I've heard that some people soak their rack in gasoline overnight, then set the whole mass on fire until the remaining solvent has burnt off. Sounds OK to me.
WD-40, Tri-flo, graphite, spit, urine, whatever... Use what you've got, it all works.

[edit] What's the best way to mark my gear?

From: mfletcher
I use two colors of tape for my carabiners. Go to a hardware store and get two different colors of 3M colored tape. Everybody uses one color and sooner or later you and a partner will have the same single color, so use two colors of tape.
For soft gear, slings, webbing, runners, etc., I use a Sharpie permanent marker. John Long's "Rock Climbing" book states that this pen will not damage nylon or Spectra. Just put your initials and date of purchase on the soft gear. Another option which I have not tried, but some of my partners use, is to put wraps of colored tape around the soft gear also.
From: Russell Odom
Or just do what everyone else does and use insulation tape, which is far cheaper. Just don't go for obvious colours, like black and red, since every man and his dog use them.
From: mark
I use nail polish on all the hardware- durable, cheap, and you can always find a color that noone else has. Automotive touch up paint from Wal-Mart should work about as well, but the colors just aren't the same...
From: Michael Gordon
I'm not necessarily one to plug products, but the claims the company makes about its own Identitape are true
No sticky residue, no easy peeling, hard to scratch, etc. ALL of my gear is marked with it. I have NEVER seen another climber with their gear marked like mine, but perhaps this post will change that.
From: Chris Harmston
I have never heard of any instances with markers affecting structural aluminum. This doesn't mean it can't occur. What solvents are in these I have no idea. The potential is real I suspect.
I know that many many people have been using nail polish and paint to mark carabiners and other gear and I have never seen any indication that this leads to any type of corrosion or failure of the product.
Stamping. In general most of the lettering and numbering on product is done during the forging operations, before heat treat. These will not affect the strength of the product. It is possible that marking after heat treat by stamping numbers into the product could act as stress concentrators. I have never seen evidence of this and we have tested this out in some detail. Many products on the market have traceability stamps (look on the spine of BD carabiners for an example) and these are placed in the product in its finished state. I have seen many products that are more than 20 years old with hand stamped initials and have never seen any evidence that this weakened the product. Most of my partners us stamps in their gear.
I personally use paint (brown) and nail polish (purple). I hate tape because it does come off and once got stuck in a carabiner gate when I was using a partners biner making it stay open.
From: Michael Hulbert
Just did the auto touch up paint thing last week. Gear's been on one trip and it's already showing some scratches. I put it on the inside and sides of the spine. I kind of wish I had put it on the inside of the gate as well. I might also try nail polish. The auto paint DOES hold up on the little plastic heat shrink on my BD Stoppers. Probably better penetration into PVC plastic.
Get touch up paint at Pep Boys. It's like $3 per can, and you can get some cool colors, brush is in the can.
From: Michael E. Gordon
It so happens that most of my gear is marked with blood. I can always prove ownership by the wounds on my hands.

[edit] How do I sling my hexes?

What kind of cord to use
From: Thor Lancelot Simon
5.5mm Spectra or Gemini (Spectra/Kevlar blend). The Gemini is even stiffer than the Spectra, but supposedly stronger and more cut-resistant.
I have some hexes slung with each. Both were so stiff initially that they were a huge PITA to tie the knots in (triple fisherman's for spectra, at least a double for gemini) but have loosened up quite a bit over time.
I have a cordelette made from 20' of the same 5.5mm spectra I sling my hexes with. It was a nuisance to use and even to rack at first because of the stiffness, but after three or four days' use it was fine and now it's really not appreciably stiffer than my other, 7mm nylon, cordelette.
Nylon cord thinner than 7mm isn't really strong enough to sling hexes with (IMHO) and cord thicker than 6mm won't really fit through new hexentrics, so if the hexes are reasonably modern your only real choice is between spectra and gemini.
From: Art Howe
I don't know about what Camp recommends, but I recently asked Black Diamond the same question about what 5.5 mm cord to use. Jeff Maudlin at BD sent me a prompt helpful response (with the standard disclaimer that his note wasn't necessarily company policy). According to him, you can use any of Gemini (BD), Spectra-A (New England), Titan (Blue Water), and High Tenacity Vectran (Sterling) to string hexes. Of course, BD would like it if you used its Gemini cord. Jeff added that you should check whatever cord you buy often for wear, and replace it as neccesary -- say around every 12-24 months depending on use.
Jeff at BD suggested 3 to 3 1/2 feet for length and using tails on the knots of 2-3 inches. FYI, I found that tying a triple fisherman's with 3 inch tails on Titan takes a little over a foot -- about 14 inches of cord. Also, some manufacturers recommend that you tighten the knot using full body weight.
How much cord do you need
From: Steve Prouty
Cord Length for Slinging Hexes
Size   Cord length (inches)
11     45
10     44
9      43
8      42
7      41.5
6      41
5      40.5
4      40
Total  337"
From: Walter Pienciak
I don't think so hard or measure so closely: 3 feet per hex works fine for me.
From: Drew Mitchell
I just slung a set and found that about 45" worked well.
Slinging newer hexes (cord too big)
From: Mike James
But the Spectra is too big for the holes! What do it do?
If it really is too big I can't help you. On the other hand, if it's exactly the right size and therefore almost impossible to push through, I've had that trouble before:
1. Pull the sheath back and cut off about about 1/2 an inch of the core.
2. Pull the sheath back out, so that you have a 1/2 inch floppy bit on the end.
3. Stick the floppy bit through the hole in your hex and use a pair of needlenose pliars to pull it through. I find it helps to pull as much as you can and then twist the pliars to wrap the material around the nose -- sort of like the key on a can of Spam.
4. Repeat until you've done all four holes.
From: Keith Jewell
If you've got the 5.5mm Spectra, which is about all you can find, then you've got the right size. Like somebody else suggested, cut the cord, pull the sheath back, cut the core, slide sheath back over it (I've even gone as far as to melt the sheath into a point), pull it through the hole and repeat.
From: Born2Bad
The problem prollay isn't the fact that the 5.5 was too big. what happens is when you cut it it unravels a bit, kinda loosens. You get the same thing even if you cut it with a hot knife, which kinda deforms it. My trick is just heat the end with a flame and then squish it/ shape it with my fingers ( wearing gloves ). You can shape it into a nice sharp point.
Just make sure that you use a triple fisherman's knot. I put the end into a vise and pull it as tight as I can.
Slinging older hexes (cord too small)
From: Richard White
I had some questions regarding slinging old-style (large hole) hexes a few months back, and got a pretty quick e-mail response from Black Diamond's customer service. Their advice:
"In regards to slinging hexes there are a couple ways you can sling them. First, Gemini cord is WAY stronger than perlon you can get in todays climbing shops. So, you can run the Gemini cord through the Hexes without the rubber tubing or...you can get the rubber tubing at the hardware store and use that in conjunction with the Gemini cord to make the sling more secure. Either way, the strength is going to be about the same. If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to write.
ps. 3 1/2 feet of Gemini Cord is what I recommend for bigger Hexes and 3 feet for the smaller ones. Good Luck."
From: Tim Howe
i have some old hexs i would like to sling with spectra and use but the spectra comes around 5.5 mm and the holes in the old hexs are way bigger than the new ones....
You have two options that I know of. Find some surgical tubing whose inside diameter is about 5-6mm and whose outside diameter is 8-9mm. Feed the cord through the tubing and then feed the tubing through the hexes. This seems to work well and it is probably better than the modern hexes as it reduces teh sharp bends over teh edges of the hex. The tubing should extend about 1 cm past the bottom of the hex.
I have also used some re-slung old hexes without the tubing and it doesn't bother me that it is a bit loose. You can't use the cord for reachy placements though. On the larger hexes (10 and 11) you can put the knot inside the hex which helps somewhat with ridigity but you can't usually place those sizes like that anyway.
From: Steven Cherry
The advice I got, which worked well, was to get some clear plastic tubing at a hardware store (eg Home Depot). It comes in different sizes and should snuggly fit into the hex holes (bring the hexes to the store); the spectra needn't fit into the tubing quite so snuggly, but shouldn't be too loose either. The tubing is quite cheap, and an entire set of hexes took me about an evening of sitting in front of the boob tube to complete (effort probably comparable to Slime's tape-based solution).
If your set includes any of the largest hexes note that the knot can go inside the hex, which is a pretty neat thing.
From: John Byrnes
String the hex on the spectra as you want to use it. Get the length right and tie the knot. Position the hex on the loop so the knot is where you want it.
Now mark the cord with a marker on the top and bottom of both holes. Push the loop through the hex so the marks are exposed. Use climbing tape (cloth athletic tape) and wrap the cord between the marks with tape until it will fit tightly in the holes (experiment). Tear the tape for the smaller sizes.
Do both sides, then pull the cord back into place. I put the hex in a vice and pulled like mad. You may need to use a smalle flat blade screwdriver, or a little soapy water (K-Y if you've got it) to get a nice tight fit.
After a bit in the sun, the hex will become unmovable. Tape is easy to find and the time, money and weight are negligable.

[edit] How do I clean the tubes for my water bladder? (Platypus, Camelback, etc.)

From: Crispin
I disinfected it with TCP, it tasted of TCP for a week and tastes fine now but still covered in cr:p on the inside.
So I tried soaking it in bicarbonate of soda, dunno why really. Oh yes, it's because it's what you use on a thermos.
Still not clean though - any ideas?
From: Martin Whittaker
You could just replace the tube. And no, I don't mean you should hand over another surprisingly large quantity of dosh for the genuine Platypus article. Have you noticed that the Platypus flexible bottles are only a couple of quid, but if you buy a bottle with a drinking tube you'll be shelling out in the region of twenty notes?
Go to B&Q or Homebase and buy a couple of metres of food grade 5mm clear PVC tubing at around 85p a metre. It's usually sold from a roll at the bottom of the same display rack as the ropes & chains (handy if you need to re-stock your S&M supplies at the same time). Trim it to the length you need and swap the mouthpiece and bottle attachment on to it from your old, grungy tube.
Tips and wrinkles:
1 - Slit the ends of old tube lengthwise with a sharp knife to get the mouthpiece and bottle attachment off.
2 - Platypus use 6mm tubing and your new tube will be only 5mm. No problem: just dip the ends of the new tube in boiling hot water for a second to soften it up and the Platy fittings will slip right in.
3 - If you think the Play fittings might be grungy as well then, as Carol suggested, try soaking them in Milton or similar, following instructions per baby feeding equipment.
Advantages: You can make the tube just the right length for you and your favourite pack.
Disadvantages: Theoretically the 5mm tube doesn't flow as much liquid as the 6mm. In practice I've not noticed any difference. YMMV.
From: Chris May
Another top tip for use once you've cleaned/replaced the current grotty tube: In between trips, wash the whole thing out, then store it in the freezer. Result, the gunge doesn't grow as quick and you get much more mileage out of your platy before you have to replace it again.
I've found this to be very effective when dealing with platypi used for carbohydrate "sports" drinks - it would appear that PSP-22 encourages the growth of a mould species which nothing short of concentrated nitric acid will shift.
From: Dominic Sexton
To prevent gunge building up always rinse with clean water and thoroughly dry the tube after use. It can be dried by whirling it round your head vigorously.
From: David Bennett
To clean bladder systems...
1) Buy baby bottle steraliser (tablets or fluid)
2) Buy Camelbak brush set (one large - never used; one small - frequently used)
3) Buy mouthwash (apparently)
4) Make up steraliser according to instructions and put into bladder
5) leave to soak for a while (about 1 hour or so)
6) User camelbak brush set (thin brush) to clean tube - you may have to remove tube to clean from both ends
7) Rinse a lot
8) Fill with water and taste... Spit out as it still tastes of chlorine
9) Rinse with a small amount of mouthwash
10) Rinse with a lot of water
11) Use as originally intended
12) Watch stuff grow inside over time
13) clean again when you get tonsilitus/ the runs/ some other ailment from the water.
From: Adrian Berry
I have a perfect method: you get some stiff wire and feed it into the tube, then bend it slightly and roll the tube between your fingers so that the stiff wire scrapes off the build-up. I do it quite regularly and it works perfectly.
From: Julie Haas
A pretty good idea is to keep it in the freezer (which is conveniently a less-than-bacteria-friendly environment) between uses. On super-hot days (Moab in July, for instance), starting out with frozen fluid is a :good: thing!
I usually pop for a new one once a year or so - all told, there's too many little spots I can't get to, and GI health is worth the $20 or so a year.
See also:
Platypus® Frequently Asked Questions

[edit] How do I resling my cams?

From: Jonesyboy
BD does it for a nominal service fee. Call the warentee dept.
From: Ken Cline
You could send them Wild Country, USA in North Conway, NH. I think they contract out that work, but its a start. There are plenty of other options, including companies like Fish and Wild Things.
From: Julie Haas
Ragged Mountain, in North Conway, also re-slings friends.
From: Jim Cormier
Try Forest safety products in Durango Colorado
From: Andy Gale
Fish Products does it.
From: Paul Heinrich
Yates and Wild Things do re-sling active camming units that don't require specific webbing sizes.
From: Steven Tregay
For old style camalots you can cut about 1/4" off each side of the black plasic and then fit a camalot Jr thumb piece and then sling. This only works on 1 and 2's. This was in a quick clip in climbing some time this past spring.
From: Chris Harmston (Black Diamond)
This may have been in quick clips, but this is not recommended by Black Diamond in any way. The following is a letter I sent to Climbing magazine folloing another letter to them regarding slinging Camalots.
From: Karl Lew
From a safety standpoint, you should have your cams reslung by Black Diamond. Look carefully at your cams and you'll see the sling is doubled up across the wire. The plastic insert breaks in high impact falls, leaving just the wire holding your sling, and that wire is mighty thin (i.e. "sharp"). That said, yes, I do resling my cams with Titan Spectra. And it is weaker...
From: John Byrnes
All my cams are set up with 5.5mm spectra/kevlar/whatever to form an 8 to 10" loop. Position the knot (double or triple fishermans) about 3/4ths of the way from the cam. Put a thin piece of tape about 1/2" from the stem to short-circuit the loop and form an "8" with a big loop and a small loop. Leave just enough room to be able to clip a biner between the tape and the stem in case you want to use it as a quickdraw in a pinch. The tape keeps the loop from shifting, the knot out of the way, and keeps things hanging neatly on the rack. Eventually, the cord will take a "set" which you'll find beneficial.
Color-code the cord to match the color of the Mfg's sling. This way, you'll still have a "Yellow Camalot" for your less retentive partners. Use soft cord.
I've found that the smaller the cam, the longer the sling should be (at least for free climbing) because the smaller springs allow the cam to walk more easily. Smaller persons may find having cams bashing them in the knees to be a problem. Ignore their whining.
Now you can place a cam without having to put a draw on it. You can carry fewer draws. Your rack will be lighter. You can place, clip and be moving sooner. You might start to consider dumping all those wired stoppers and replacing them with roped stoppers...
From: Patrice10
I recently re-slung my smaller BD cams with double loops of Supertape. I used water knots, pulled 'em tight with pliers, then machine-stitched the ends of the tape (heavy-duty thread, straight stitch; not a bartack). Real pleased with the results. I also reslung my flexi-Friends, but with just a single loop; hole's too small, ya see.
It seems to me you could use a double loop of webbing to sling any cam that will accommodate two layers of webbing and which is designed to be slung (i.e. isn't just bare wire cable, for example the o-o-o-old Camalots). Somehow I'm just not tempted to use skinny cordage to accomplish double-slinging my Friends. To be strong enough yet still small enough in diameter to fit thru the hole, wouldn't it have to be Kevlar-ish or something stiff like that, thereby making it hard to extend the double loof when clipping? That's what I think, anyway.
From: Matt Kingsley
Can anyone recomend what I should use to resling my WC rigid friends. Sling? 5.5 Spectra?
If you use spectra watch out for the knot sliding apart. I think a triple fishermans is recommended, but I would consult one of the "knot" books first.
Best course of action is to get Wild Country to resling them for you. That way you will get the whole thing cehcked out.
From: Shane Glynn
Can a normal sewing machine make strong bar tacks or do I need a special machine?
Sorry, but there is a special machine that you need to make bar tacks of any real strength. A normal sewing machine won't cut it. (It might :look: strong enough, but it's not!)
If you need to fix the slings on SLCD's, I hear that FISH will put in the bar tacks for some nominal fee if you send them your cams and webbing.
From: Russ Walling
Very true. Bartack machines are a special breed and cost several thousand dollars. A good heavy duty upholstery sewing machine with the right thread can make runners and slings etc. Not the type of thing to try some lonely saturday evening while drunk, but good results can be obtained quite easily if you use your head. Need more info? Email me.
See also:
Reslinging Camalots and Part 2 on Climerware
New slings for Camalots on Toadhall Rock Climbing
What should I do if my tri-cams need new slings? on Tradgirl

[edit] Where should I get broken trigger wires repaired?

From: Russ Walling, Fish Products
Russ, does Fish still do replacements, and if so, for which types of cams?
Yep... still do. $4.00 for a single side and $6.00 for both.... Shipping flat rate $5.00. All types of cams. We'll look at anything. We are also the "official" repair station for all Trango Cams. Call them up and they will tell you what to do.
From: Nate Beckwith
Of course, if you are in the Valley, have T. Tech fix 'em...
From: Eric Coomer
He's a valley "regular." There are ALWAYS "cam mechanics" in the valley pretty much year round. Put a not on the board, or stop by the deli and look for someone with a LOT of empty OE cans in front of them (though tucker is usually good about tossing the empties so he's not a walking "I'm drunk" sign). I believe most cam mechanics are around $3-4 per side. dunno for sure.
They're nice of course, because if you're in the valley, it's on the spot (or maybe next day) service.
From: Brent Ware
Forrest Gardner, Vermin Equipment, I've got the address around here someplace. Good price, fast turnaround, and his trigger repairs are absolutely bulletproof. Heavy duty high quality stainless steel cable and swage. Eventually all my BD cams will have had their triggers replaced by him and I'll never have to send another off.
From: Wayne Busch
Forest Gardner's Vermin Equipment and Supply in Ringold, Georgia. Phone 706.866.1407
CCH Aliens
From: Peter
Send it in to CCH they can replace it for $5 or so. they did mine really quick. It came back all lubed and smooth.
From: Jim Melo
Hey just wanted to let everyone know that I sent back a couple of cams to CCH for some refurbishing. Their new address is 115 Lyon, Laramie, WY 82070.
They fixed em up good as new and didn't even charge me and sent them back free of charge. NOT BAD!!! They were very helpful. Sure their cams get a bit sticky but when they are working there is nothing better!!! THANK YOU CCH. but now that they are in wyoming are they going to become WCH?
Note: (307) 721-9385
Black Diamond Camalots
From: MadDog
do climbing stores still sell replacement triggers for old style Camalots?
Not many stores carry them but last time I checked (6 months ago), Black Diamond still stocked them.
From: Nate Beckwith
BD still sells triggers for the old and new Camalots. Call them or have a better shop special order them for you.
Unfortunately, the current replacement triggers for the old Camalots suck. The trigger itself is round and difficult to actuate. I suggest you go to a small repair shop ( like the more traditional hardware stores ) and have them build a trigger kit around your old plastic trigger; or better, give them the cam and have them fix only the frayed sections. It isn't that difficult of a job. The materials are readily available. Best of all, it will probably be cheaper than the cost of a BD trigger kit.
REI - new style Camalot (post-1994) trigger replacement kits
Black Diamond - old and new style Camalot trigger replacement kits
Wild Country Friends
From: Alex Feinberg
Friend trigger kits are also available but much harder to find. To re-trigger Friends, you can sent them to: Wild Country, 624 Main St., Conway, NY 03818. Last time I checked triggers cost $9 and new sewn slings cost $5.
From: Martin le Roux
The Friend trigger kits work only with the old-style rigid shaft Friends. For flexi Friends you have little choice but to send them back to Wild Country, as the only way to repair them is break and re-swage the join between the cable and trigger wire.
Having had to do this a couple of times I can report that Wild Country is ::slow::. Both times it's taken several months and a number of phone calls before I got my Friends back. If you figure out (a) the cost of the repairs, (b) mailing costs and (c) the inconvenience of having to do without for a couple of months, and weigh this up against the expected remaining useful lifetime of the piece, you might well conclude as I did that it sometimes makes more sense just to go out and buy a brand new one.
mgear.com - variety of Wild Country trigger replacement kits
Metolius
From: Metolius's Website
Metolius will replace slings or trigger wires on our cams for a nominal fee. We don’t offer repair kits for the triggers because we like to get damaged or worn cams back in-house for a thorough inspection.

[edit] How do I make my own replacement trigger wires?

From: Bill Wright, 9/16/1992
This super nice guy showed me how to replace just the cable (not the entire trigger or even the solid wire that is attached to the cams but just the wire) by hammering off the swage connecting the braided wire to the cable. Then he simply cut a piece of cable (purchased at your friendly neighborhood nautical supply house -- maybe even at a hardware store) the proper length, threaded it through the trigger (which was still attached to the friend because we only replaced one of the cables) and used a 3BX29 super deluxe swager to reconnect the cable back to the solid wire with a couple of swages. This worked like a charm!
From: themadco, 11/29/2001
I have been making my own triggers for about six years out of sturgeon fishing leader material. It is super strong cable coated with a Teflon that keeps them from kinking. The swages are sold along side of them in different diameters. I have never bought a second roll of cable, just swages. They also have a cool little swaging pliers for them also.
Here is the name of the material manufacturer I was talking about, 7Strand Tackle Corp. I have been using the 90wn cable (coated). They say to use the A7 sleeves but I think I have been using A5 sleeves as well. Try both. For cams that have the rigid part of the trigger preformed into the cam, like small tcu, I leave the wire in place and cut the swage in half with a Dremel tool or grinder. Then all you have to do is replace the cable. Something I just started doing is using really solid wire for the rigid part of the trigger. I use a pair of needle nose to form a small loop in the rigid wire that would take some pulling to undo (like a cold shut). Now you don't have to attach the cable to the rigid wire. Send one end of the cable through the sleeve, then through the loop you made in your wire and then put the end of cable back into sleeve. Now it is attached like a link of chain.
I am hoping this will alleviate the trigger breaking at the swage all together. Just using the Teflon coated wire makes your triggers last five times longer then the factory ones.
From: Brutus of Wyde, 11/30/2001
I use 1/16" cable and 0.062" music wire. standard 1/16" swage sleeves work well with this. Re-enforce the cable/swage with electrical heat shrink tubing. This works well even on standard off-the-shelf trigger kits.
I use a pair of needle nose to form a small loop in the rigid wire that would take some pulling to undo (like a cold shut).
Music wire is so tough that it would be impossible to make said loop. Prior to swaging, the end must be either bent out slightly, or scored with a cutting tool for friction to ensure it stays in the swage sleeve.
I second the comment about getting a cable cutting tool... getting a cleanly cut cable without one is really difficult.
Note: 1/16" cable is slightly thicker than that used on Friends and Camalots, so it is necessary to slightly enlarge (by drill) the holes in the triggers and cams when using it, but so far I have never had a cable break after replacing with this stuff. (in 20 years of rebuilding triggers)
From: Doug Chinnery, 11/29/2001
I've been making my own with stainless steel deraileur cable from a bike shop, small guage stainless wire from Home Depot, and crimpable swages to join the two. The swages crimp nicely with any sort of wire crimpers.
I've also started putting heatshrink tubes over the joints to make them a bit smoother and it also seems to keep the cables running a bit straighter, which lessed the wear.
I've never had one fail and all the homebrew ones are in great shape still after a few seasons of hard use, while the BD trigger kits have needed to be replaced. $15 bought me enough materials to build 50 or so trigger kits.
Where are you getting your swages? Home depot also? I haven't found ones small enough that I like.
Na, I couldn't find them ther, either. I went to a fasteners dealer. Here in Vancouver its CTF fasteners. I was able to get a dozen or so small ones, but now all I can get are the double holed thingies. They work just fine, although they definately don't look quite as slick as the smaller ones.
From: Dwight Haymes, 11/29/2001
Use the swager at the hardware store. You can get the cable cut to length, get them swaged right there. The cashier ought to give you an odd look when you lay the cam down on the counter.
From: Clint Cummins, 11/30/2001
I use a "17-B4 Nicopress" swaging tool that I bought years ago from A5 Adventures for about $20. Cable (I use the stainless steel) and swages (copper nickel) should be available from West Marine, although I have used other sources. I also bought a specialized cable cutter, because plain wire cutters frayed the cable ends so much they were hard to thread through the trigger bar. It's been great for repairing Friends, TCUs, and even Camalots.
From: Rick D, 12/7/1998
go find a "wire rope" dealer and buy the #0 Nicopress tool (I forget the number-might be B-17? 3/64" --under $30) (or similar Taiwan version), some Nicopress ovals swedges (the copper Nicopress brands are the best), and some aircraft cable (3/64") and then find a shop that has piano string (I just matched the size, one spool lasts 1,500 repairs)--and go into business for yourself. The "push rod" wire (piano) I bought survives 15 times the cycles of bending the stock Camalot stuff. If you want heads, get the Nicopress "GGMP 64" tool (with cutter) with the bench mount and now you can do #1, #2, #3, and #4 heads all day long.
From: Tom Donnelly, 11/30/2001
A friend of mine showed me how he repairs them with wire only. Works for 4 cam units. No rigid wire or swages needed. Just run a good wire, like bicycle wire, from one cam, thru the trigger, and down to the other cam. Bend the ends over, with about .2 inch of extra cable. Smash the ends down with pliers. Put a bead of solder on each end to cover up all the sharp wires.
I've only tried it on old dual stem Camalots but I assume it would work on other 4 cam units.
From: Clint Cummins, 12/1/2001
If you are threading "cable" through the cam, then it sounds like a lot more work than just crimping the swages, since you have to remove the old wire. (This is another reason I didn't like replacement trigger bars; reswaging is easier, plus you usually only have to do one side). Also, the surface on the cable rotating in the cam will generate more friction and accumulate more dirt than the original thick bent wire. So I think there would be a performance loss (as Ron noted as well).
Perhaps the cable would not break as often, since it would not face the bending point at the swage. But the frequency of breaking is not that big a deal if you already have the tools to repair it. You can just wait until about 1/4 or 1/3 of the strands are broken, and fix it. I like the "shrink tubing" idea to reinforce/stiffen the swage/cable junction area. But I'm a little concerned that it would make visual inspection for broken strands more difficult.
Years ago, I scored 2 booty cams from one pitch on the Central Pillar of Frenzy. One of them used thick nylon fishing line instead of cable! (Yes, the nylon line had broken).
One problem I have with the stainless cable is that it will not form a permanent bend at the trigger bar. So the cable will move through the bar sometimes and make the cams imbalanced.
From: Tom Dunwiddie, 12/8/1998
You know, the other way to make your trigger wires last longer is just to put a little blob of epoxy where the wire meets the swage. That way it can't flex at a sharp angle at that point, and doesn't fray.
See also:
BD Camelot Triggers ( Again ), 6/26/2001 (problem with the cable loop popping out of the trigger handle)

[edit] See also: What should I do if my tricams need new slings?

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