Many climbers around the world trust their lives with their gear. From ropes to harnesses, and carabiners, every piece of equipment plays a crucial role in a climber’s activity. With every piece of equipment being so important, we believe that every climber should know when to retire their gear, and be inspecting it regularly.
We have provided some links to articles that details how to inspect your gear, and when some pieces of equipment should be retired. If you don’t already have a solid knowledge of when you should be saying goodbye to you favourite rope (and sending it to us!), we highly encourage you read through some of these articles. If you have any other articles you think other people should read about when to retire gear, please put them in the comments!
Rope:
This article from Montana Alpine Guides looks at different things to look out for, as well as the approximate lifespan of your rope, depending on how often you use it.
https://www.mtalpine.com/uncategorized/when-to-retire-a-climbing-rope/
Petzl’s notes for inspecting ropes. How to inspect your rope, as well as things to look out for. Pictures included!
https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/News/2016-6-29/PPE—INSPECTION-ROPES
Harnesses:
A well rounded article looking at harness care and maintenance, as well as notes on when to retire it.
https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_CA/qc-lab-strength-of-worn-belay-loops.html
Petzl’s notes for inspecting your harness. How to inspect, as well as things to look out for. Pictures included!
https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/News/2018-1-24/How-to-inspect-your-climbing-harness
Ropes, harnesses, and more:
Notes on ropes, harnesses, carabiners, and helmets.
https://gripped.com/profiles/tech-tuesday-spring-clean-and-when-to-replace-your-gear-rack-and-rope/
Great post, very informative!