Good evening everyone. I am headed to Yosemite in a few mounths and I was wondering about something. When you are on a bigwall or any route for that matter. how do you get your rain gear on with-out getting out of your harness, mainly your pants.(I have the jacket figured out :) Or do you just put on a jacket set up your portaledge and wait it out?

-- Robert Hecker (bigwall1@hotmail.com), June 10, 1999

Answers

Response to bigwalls

Interesting question. I have had the good fortune to have had stellar weather on all of my walls except the Leaning Tower, where weather doesn't matter. Anyway, in the case of my harness (BD Bod), you can drop the leg loops while keeping the main waistbelt tied. That way, you can get your shell pants on while still being tied in. Incidentally, this also allows you to take a BWD while remaining tied in. With other harnesses (fixed leg loops), you'll have to work something else out!

Have fun.

-- Dave Hill (dfhill@engr.psu.edu), June 10, 1999.

Response to bigwalls

Option 1: put zippers on the thighs of your rainpants. Wear the upper part all of the time, and when it rains, zip on the rest (works especially well with overpriced gore-tex stuff).

Real answer: not having done this, I cant tell you weather it will work or not, but it seems to me that you could pull on one leg, feed the other leg through the other leg loop of the harness, and then finish the job. This would be facilitated by pants with full length zippers for the second leg.

-- roger murphy (rogermurphy@stowe.k12.vt.us), June 10, 1999.

Response to bigwalls

to put pants on (rain or fleece) with your harness on, you just put it over the harness. It is not a perfect fit, but it will keep you dry in case you are in the middle of a lead or just ready to jug. If the ledge is set up, the take the leg loops off, etc.

-- Matt (jmpollard@kfogmail.com), June 11, 1999.

Never having been on a big wall, I can't answer directly, but I have had to do this on glaciers while tied in to my harness. Full side zippers is the way to go. If you also have a full fly zipper (opens at the waistband) you can fasten the waistband and leave the rope to the harness coming out at the fly. It looks like you are tied in to your dick, but that just adds to the "hardman" image.

-- Woodie Helmeteer (denali42@home.com), February 20, 2001.