Caving
Here is a guide on the essential kit for every Caver.
If you're looking to put together your own SRT kit, here is a handy guide on what you'll need.
Petzl Rocpec Drill
The Petzl Rocpec Drill is a hand drill designed for aid climbers and cavers. The drill accepts SDS drill bits and can drill holes of varying depths and diameters for all types of anchors. The lightweight drill is easy to set-up and dismantle and doesn't need additional tools.
Petzl Explo
The Petzl Explo is a caving chest harness with an X-shaped construction that provides a good shoulder position, the chest strap then allows for precise adjustment of tension on the ventral ascender. The Explo shoulder straps allow the Croll ventral ascender to remain correctly positioned, in order to optimize efficiency and comfort during rope ascents when caving. Each strap is equipped with two HMPE gear loops and two slots for carrying equipment.
Petzl Tam Tam Hammer
The Petzl Tam Tam is a practical hammer for speleology to place anchors. The handle is equipped with a 13 mm wrench for 8 mm nuts. Thanks to the practical wrist strap, it always lies securely in your hand.
Petzl Simple
As the name implies, the Petzl Simple is an easy-to-use caving descender. It can be used with 8.5 to 11 mm diameter low stretch kern-mantle ropes. Reduced bulk and low weight simplify progression in narrow passages. The pulleys can be rotated or replaced to prolong the duration of use over time.
Warmbac Warmtex Cavers Adjustable Knee Pads
The Warmbac warmtex cavers adjustable knee pads are well known for their high levels of comfort and durability. These have the addition of the Velcro adjustable legs straps; this makes them slightly easier to get on and off. With the adjustable neoprene straps it also helps to achieve the perfect fit with the correct levels of tension.
Petzl Classique 22L
The Petzl Classique is a 22-liter caving pack, ideal for carrying waterproof containers and some of your gear. With a welded construction, it offers great durability throughout its lifetime. It is equally comfortable and convenient to use, with two molded handles.
Fenix HM50R V2.0
The Fenix HM50R V2.0 is a rechargeable and multi-purpose headlamp that is ideal for industrial, every day and sporting use. This lightweight LED headlamp offers an impressive upgrade over its predecessor with increased output, up from 500 to 700 lumens, the addition of 2 red light modes, USB-C fast charging and new breathable & reflective headband design.
Petzl 5 Bar Rack
The Petzl 5 Bar Rack is an update of the classic brake bar descender. The design and configuration of the bars makes setting up and inserting the rope easy. The device allows the user to adjust the number of bars engaged on the rope to obtain the necessary the amount of friction while descending to adapt to changing conditions such as rope weight, terrain, etc. The rack is designed to use on long descents on single or double ropes.
Alp Design Classic Bag
The Alp Design Classic Bag is a water and tear resistant tubular PVC bag that's been designed specifically for caving use. It features padded and adjustable shoulder straps, various handles for different carry options and a drawstring closure with cord. The handles are on the top, rear and base of the bag and have been attached with internal anti-tear reinforcement for added durability. This is a high quality bag that's perfect for cave exploration.
Kong Futura Body
The Kong Futura Body is designed to be used with a full body or chest harness in order to stay secured to the rope whilst ascending. Best used in conjunction with other ascenders for feet and hands. Small size and weight make it easy to carry with you caving, climbing or mountaineering.
Kong Speleagle Hammer
The Kong Speleagle is an innovative compact stainless steel hammer with lightweight head, specifically designed for mountaineering, caving and rescue. Equipped with two hexagonal keys to tighten the screws, one of 13mm in the handle and one of 17mm shaped in the hammer head.
Warmbac Daren Cilau Bag
The Warmbac Daren Cilau Bag is a cavers tackle bag that's been designed in conjunction with members of the Daren Cilau digging team. It accommodates two daren drums and features a tough construction that will stand up to the harsh environments that you throw at it.
Petzl Stop
The Petzl Stop is a popular choice of descender, thanks to it being easy to use and having the backup of the automatic brake (remember to lock it off if you've stopped though!). It can also be used instead of a chest jammer in an emergency on short pitches. The downside is that it can get a bit warm on long descents of a dry rope (think Alum pot North West) so take a squeezy bottle of water with you!
Fenix HM65R Headlamp
A favourite with cavers the Fenix HM65R Headlamp is super powerful, robust, waterproof to IP68 and uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The 1000 lumen Cree spot beam reaches over 160 metres, whilst the soft 400 lumens natural LED provides close in detail. You can combine them for 1400 Lumens during serious night navigation and large scale illumination! With long run times and a light magnesium alloy body the Fenix HM65R headtorch delivers epic performance whatever your adventure.
Fenix HM65R ShadowMaster
The HM65R Shadowmaster is a rethinking of the standard HM65R. The magnesium alloy body still provides a light weight for the level of durability, as well as good dissipation of heat. However, the 400 lumen floodlight has been removed, and in its place sits a 150 lumen red floodlight, while the main beam as been improved, from 1000 to 1200 lumens, to compensate for this. It is powered by an included 18650 li-ion battery.
Fenix HM70R
The Fenix HM70R is an all-metal headlamp that provides long-distance and wide-range lighting, with a maximum brightness of 1600 lumens and a maximum runtime of up to 100 hours. It is fitted with red and white light sources plus a red flash mode for alerting purposes. It is rechargeable with a hidden USB Type-C charging port for go-anywhere charging. Featuring a large-sized switch, impact resistant to 2 meters, it can be your trustworthy lighting tool for high-intensity outdoor work and it is ready to travel with you to a variety of challenging activities.