Hey Manny, You didn't indicate your general experience with following and cleaning trad lines. I would tend to dial back your expectations of leading up to 5.7 as the Gunks can be a definite eye opener if you are used to different rock. BITD they used the whole 5.0-5.x scale and meant it. The good news is that there is a wealth of fun lines in the 5.3-5.5 range for you to figure out how your rack is going to work. As others have said, if your funds are limited, then tricams and hexes are the ticket. Make sure your partner has a nut tool. Some of the smaller cams would be next on my list. Aside from not tangling with Aliens (see the threads on this forum and rc.com) there are a number of choices.

Drop me a PM if you want to cheat sometime and place cams.. :-)

That sounds perfect, and should give you good options for large cracks in corners. Unfortunately, the place where hexes don't often work as well is in horizontals (which only sometime are deep enough and contain the right sort of constrictions) - and the Gunks has plenty of such faces. But you'll see for yourself, and your tricams will help a lot here, at least in the size range in which you own them.



Yeesh. Nesting micro-stoppers is pretty advanced stuff, and you sure as hell don't want to be falling on them, or using them as belays to keep both you and your partner from taking the big ride.



Hmm... if I had your rack, I think my next purchase would be a Yellow Alien (or equivalent). There are a *ton* of placements for that size, and your smallest tricam will be just a little too big.



Happy to oblige!

GO

Thanks again to everyone for all your replies, suggestions, and comments (and for your patience with all my newbie questions).

Mike, thanks for the info about the rappels and walk offs. It's funny that the notion of fixed rap stations hadn't even occurred to me, as all I'm used to is rappelling down from bolts/chains at the end of each individual multi-pitch climb.

Rob, I'll keep those tips about sizes in mind. As for the draws, this guy I learned from out in colorado told me the same exact thing, so pretty much 2-footers are exclusively what I'm using (I was able all get those BD draws at $10 each, so i figured it was a good method of snagging bd wiregate biners for $5 a pop) I WAS planning on just taking a few w/ the dogbones as-is anyway, but based on this being the second time someone tells me slings are where it's at... i'm bringing slings.


Ianmanger, yea, I've since come to terms with the fact that I will definitely be starting on the bunny slopes, and for just those reasons. I really want to make sure I'm comfortable w/ all this gear, and you are right, I don't even know what the rock surface will feel like out there yet, so me and my buddy are starting low. I'm still waiting for my DW guide book to get here or I would have already highlighted a ton of routes in preparation by now. As for my experience, my guess is I've probably followed somewhere around 20 - 30 trad pitches, and up to 10a absolute hardest. I know it's pretty little, but that's yet another reason I took my trip out west to learn the ins and outs of leading from a Pro. I'll keep the small cams in mind.

GOclimb, I have officially scratched my idea of using and nesting microstoppers, I might still be inclined to bring the 2 and 3, but it would be out of my self-diagnosed OCD rather than having any smart rational behind it.

To all, will there ever be a point when a "to-buy" mental gear list doesn't exist? (I already realize there will be no such day and that I need to hide my credit cards from myself).

manny,

No need to wait for the guidebook. Gunks routes

General mountain/ski/outdoor/climbing gear collectively? No.
Climbing gear exclusively? Sure, especially if you stick with it for 10 or 35 years.

I just need one more .75 camalot and then I'll be done. Really. I mean it this time. Hmm... although it would be nice to get pick up some more notchless biners. And my toes are starting to poke through my anasazi velcros, so I should maybe pick up a new pair, and...

GO

To your last question, I was going to try to say yes, but .... no.

You'll end up with a basic rack you like, but there are always tweaks to be made with new gear that comes out; and you're always replacing soft goods like ropes and shoes, and eventually slings.

"You spent $100 on 'pieces of string?'" - my wife

"You would think they would be prettier for all that money." former girlfriend BITD.

ehhh... I'm pretty much over the whole buying gear thing. I like what I have and I'm comfortable with it. New shoes, new clothes, sure, but new gear? not so much. I'll just replace stuff as it wears out, and given that I've even got a couple of chouinard camalots still kicking on my rack, that may not be for a while. But I'll tell you what, I hate the stupid sidelock on petzl crampons, and although I have a brand new pair that I acquired gratis (the boyfriend hates them that much mre than me), those new grivel crampons are looking awful slick...