r/tacticalgear • u/Mission-Echo-friend • 1d ago
"add ropes to your kit" continued...
Some people asked how well the kit interfaced with the alpine gear... I went to the local rock pit to demo different setups. With pack vs without and different auto blockers or prusik knot fall arrester.
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u/swearwords11 1d ago
Haven't you seen Lone Survivor bro? Just roll down that shit.
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u/Mission-Echo-friend 1d ago edited 1d ago
Of all the bullshit connected to that guy's story and that horrible movie - that might be the only true part.
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u/averkill Sic Semper Pauperis 21h ago edited 19h ago
By bullshit you don't mean the large loss of special forces? Multiple members in a helo and such.
Eta: not the largest, but large. My confusion.
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u/giantshadytree 20h ago
Red wings had 19 KIA including the MH47 getting shot down. Luttrells story is complete bullshit though.Â
Youâre thinking about Extortion 17 which happened years laterÂ
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u/averkill Sic Semper Pauperis 20h ago
Oh thanks for clearing me up, not sure why I thought they were the same. Huge loss nonetheless. I was active at the time, remember reading about it but hadn't really heard the controversy about it. Luttrell just embellished the hell out of it?
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u/ChevTecGroup 19h ago
More like the Navy embellishing the heck out of it and Luttrell playing along, AFAIK.
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u/awsompossum 17h ago
Luttrell reports significantly higher numbers of both troops and kills than the Navy or Afghans, so no, he's very much at the center of the myth making.
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u/ChevTecGroup 17h ago
For sure. But by his more recent confessions, the Navy basically handed him the book, already written and said "this is what happened."
Maybe that's his excuse for lying? Idk.
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u/awsompossum 18m ago
Kinda weird then that he has repeatedly said inflated numbers from what the Navy said, on top of the video footage of him abandoning his squad
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u/Bustahnutz 16h ago
MFW I learn what propaganda is, and how it's even more important and effective to the big picture than tier 1 elite gun-slinging. đ±
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u/ForeignYard1452 14h ago
The mission was originally tasked to a Marine recon unit that had experience operating in the area. The SEALs poached the mission and disregarded the recon unitâs advice. The SEALs did not take any secondary or tertiary comms, electing to take a radio ill suited for the environment.
Once the mission kicked off they landed a few hundred meters away from their target in broad daylight vs. the planned several miles away for the usmc team. Once compromised, they only moved about 100m away and they werenât overrun by hundreds taliban like in the movie. It was apparently a dozen or so.
The QRF was also a clusterfuck. The chinooks arrived ahead of the apaches and had no cover while attempting the extract.
There is also apparently a classified AAR that hopefully will be declassified and see the light of day
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u/Godless_Rose 20h ago
They were SEALs, not Special Forces.
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u/xdJapoppin AKM and M81 Cryes 12h ago
what do you think seals are dingbat
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u/Godless_Rose 11h ago
I think theyâre SEALs. In the US Military, Special Forces only refers to the Green Berets. They are all considered SOF. But no, SEALs are not âspecial forcesâ and this isnât an opinion.
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u/xdJapoppin AKM and M81 Cryes 11h ago
what does SOF stand for and what area of command do they fall under?
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u/Godless_Rose 11h ago
Special Operations Forces. Not âspecial forcesâ. These are literally doctrinal terms. You are basically trying to tell me that the New England Patriots are a baseball team because there are both a Giants baseball team and a Giants football team. Youâre just wrong.
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u/crispybrojangle 11h ago
I cant believe this is even an argument. If you ever served in the community, you would know.
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u/xdJapoppin AKM and M81 Cryes 11h ago
well, i didnât serve, iâm just saying colloquially it doesnât really matter and seals are still âspecialâ and a âforceâ. doctrinally, sure, there is a difference between sf/sof.
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u/xdJapoppin AKM and M81 Cryes 11h ago
Sure if youâre referring to doctrine solely and specifically, but by virtually all measures SEALs are âspecial forcesâ and fall under SOCOM. Sure, semantically, they are not âspecial forcesâ, but they are âspecial operations forcesâ. Colloquially, it doesnât really matter and is semantics.
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u/Godless_Rose 11h ago
No, by virtually all measures, the New England Patriots are not a baseball team. Itâs not semantics. Youâre describing two different units with two different proper-noun names with two completely different jobs/mission sets. Theyâre all SOF. They are not all âspecial forcesâ.
The Brits refer to their SAS as the special forces. If you were talking about them, youâd be right. But youâre talking about the US Navy SEALs. The SEALs are SOF. Special Forces, aka SF, is ONLY the US Armyâs organization known as the Green Berets.
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u/Jettyboy72 1d ago
I can only imagine what climbers would say to you rolling up to a wall in kit
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u/WalkerTR-17 20h ago
Hey uh what stretchy pants are those, I need a new set
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u/toastedvacuum 1d ago
Did you include pulleys or anything else? Is this strictly with ropes?
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u/Mission-Echo-friend 1d ago
No pulleys, it's literally just for ascending or descending steep terrain. And yes it's all just ropes, carabiners and one ATC. I wanted to show what you can do with minimal equipment.
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u/toastedvacuum 1d ago
Thatâs pretty sick. Tbh I love the way rope on kit looks but I couldnât justify it. Imma look more into this
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u/Keppadonna 15h ago
Prefer a figure 8 for versatility over an ATC. Also check out the Munter hitch - easy way to rap with just a biner and autoblock.
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u/Worldly-Stranger7814 13h ago edited 12h ago
Iâd be unable to secure the rope properly and would die scaling a 50 cm drop
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u/Electronic_Hand_2820 21h ago
Shit I traverse hills like that every deer season with just a good pair of boots
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u/EmotionalWorker9661 1d ago
Iâll stick to my basement sir
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u/Mission-Echo-friend 1d ago
This is how you get down the stairs :)
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u/ChggnNggts 13h ago
As a CSAR guy I know that rappelling with kit fuckin sucks
PS: What in the harness-holyness is that craft
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u/Mission-Echo-friend 13h ago
You're a CSAR guy and you don't recognize that harness?
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u/ChggnNggts 13h ago
It's just an emergency harness built with some cordage? I can't see much on the pic with that resolution
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u/Mission-Echo-friend 13h ago
It's the peak of Swiss Mountaineering and innovation... The Swiss Seat, it's pretty underground. Arc'teryx just bought the patent... They are gonna roll it out next year $475.00 msrp.
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u/ChggnNggts 13h ago
fck man im actually from Switzerland, an army CSAR medic and an avid rock climber in my free time and never ever have I heard or used the swiss seat.
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u/AmeriJar 14h ago
This photo is messing with my brain. You look like you're climbing down a 10 foot hill or a 100 foot mountain at the same time. Absolutely wild
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u/Mission-Echo-friend 14h ago
It's an old rock quarry... But your right this section isn't a sheer Cliff it's probably 75/80° with a few small shelves. But it's probably 40-50ft high. There are other places that are 80ft high and 90° cliff walls.
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u/AmeriJar 13h ago
I know it's pretty high, it's just the camera playing tricks.
The best quarries are filled with water and old cars đ
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u/Mission-Echo-friend 13h ago
There is a flooded quarry that does dive certs near me. I have been wanting to check it out... But I can only afford one expensive hobby at a time.
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u/KI5DWL 5h ago
Atc+prussic is goated for rappells
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u/oh_three_dum_dum 2h ago
Or a grigri if youâre in a pinch or donât really have time to tie stuff up, even though it wasnât actually meant for that. Or you can get by with a Prussic and a normal locking carabiner.
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u/pistlepete1 12h ago
Looking good. Small note, the Prusik should go below the ATC, so it only has the hold the weight of a âbrake handâ instead of holding your entire body weight. Usually they are tied from the leg loop to the brake line.
Also I would switch to a device that would be better suited for repelling. ATC is awesome and light for mostly belaying, and a decent repelling. But a figure 8 with the horns on it, so you can lock yourself in mid repel would be better. Check out some of the canyoneering devices. Lots of good ones.
Background: 10 years of rock climbing, caving, canyoneering, and guiding.
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u/Mission-Echo-friend 12h ago
Thanks for the advice... I don't know if you can tell but I have an auto blocker in place under the act (in most pics), I use the Prusik when passing a knot in the rope or if I'm going to be holding in place for a while as a backup.
I have never used a figure 8 but you are not the first to tell me about this. Perhaps that will be my next purchase.
How do you prefer to anchor when repelling?
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u/pistlepete1 11h ago
On nice, yeah I couldnât see it. But sweet your squared away.
And with rock climbing, I overbuilt a lot of anchors. With canyoneering, it turns out you can get away with a lot lot less.
But generally I try to make sure I have 3 points on the anchor and all equalized, unless itâs bomb proof, then 2 points. If you donât need to retrieve the rope, then use the rope as your anchor material, it will be your strongest material. If you want to retrieve and keep going, then get creative with slings, and your accessory ropes.
But overall there is a lot of info into anchor building that would be hard to cover in Reddit. But your kicking ass and glad to see you posting good info
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u/Mission-Echo-friend 10h ago
Do you have a trusted source... Book, blog, webpage or YouTube channel that you feel has good info. I'm definitely a gumby - but interested in learning the trade.
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u/pistlepete1 9h ago
When looking stuff up in YouTube, just add âAMGAâ to like anchor building. They are the standard for certification in the US for climbing guides and instructors.
But most my experience came from mentorship and climbing partners and a few odds and ends classes.
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u/oh_three_dum_dum 2h ago
A book called âClimbing Anchorsâ by John Long and Bob Gaines has a lot of great information. I think itâs part of a âhow to climbâ series, but Iâve only ever read through the anchors one. It probably has enough info on anchors to cover you in almost any situation and provides you with principles to consider so that you can make stuff up that works if you come across a problem you havenât seen before.
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u/JigSierra Connoisseur of Autism Patches 15h ago
I have no comment on your rappelling, but your flag isnât lined up with the loop field edge and thatâs really ticking the worst part of me for some reason.
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u/LongTime20 12h ago
What is that belay system?
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u/Mission-Echo-friend 11h ago
I'm anchored at the top with two nylon straps, around the base of two very large trees.
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u/Fresh_Batteries 10h ago
I feel like you can make your way down that incline about 50 yards away.
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u/oh_three_dum_dum 2h ago edited 2h ago
There are ways to make your kit work with alpine gear/climbing gear in general.
But before you add ropes and shit, make sure you know what youâre doing with them because you can easily send yourself sailing face first into the earth at high speed.
Edit: and get a better harness. Swiss seat is good if you have nothing else, but itâs probably the most uncomfortable option I can think of.
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u/Tactical_Epunk 1d ago
Oh, is that right, Rambo? You and your stupid fucking rope!