A Prize for Top Technical Tip

[Fulk]

That is cool - emergency lighting and emergency food supplies combined!

Not to mention emergency bog paper! :yucky:

 

[potholer]

Actually a sensible one (no prize winner of course) - if you have the option, dig crawls out to kneeling height as a minimum - you can extend the dig just as quickly as if you keep the crawl flat out. The number of digs I have seen abandoned because they were just too bloody awkward when they need not be. It does, of course, depend on the depth of infill and the amount of space you have for dumping. It also prevents future arguments about whether it is ethical to make a tight place easier to get through......

Absolutely.
The last dig I was involved with, we made a conscious decision at the start to make it a decent size, though possibly that was helped by having some idea how long it might be, and (for once) starting from a passage/chamber with decent stacking space.

~90 metres later, when we finally got through, we were pretty glad we had,

 

[potholer]

Silicone Grease.
Use it for O-ring seals on lamps, torches, Daren drums etc. Don't use vaseline (petroleum products) because these get absorbed by the rubber causing the rubber to swell. Silicone grease is available from most good plumbers merchants in small tubs which should last a good few years for most cavers (although once you've got some, you'll probably find a lot more uses for it).

Maj.

For neatly lubricating O-rings, etc, small syringes can be really handy and clean to use, are cheap to buy in small quantities on ebay.
I got my silicone grease in a squeezy tube, which makes refilling syringes dead easy.

 

[Maj]

For neatly lubricating O-rings, etc, small syringes can be really handy and clean to use, are cheap to buy in small quantities on ebay.
I got my silicone grease in a squeezy tube, which makes refilling syringes dead easy.

A syringe is what I use, but I fill it from the small tub using a screwdriver as a sort of pallet knife. A syringe makes it easier to reach the deeply recessed daren drum seal.
If anyone would like a syringe or two, we might still have some about at the MNRC if they've not been thrown out yet.

Maj.

 

[undergroundHP]

My top tip:
Put a strip of yellow reflective tape on the last cm of your ropes.
makes it allot easier to see when ropes in a bag or on the floor or when in water.

I also write my initials and rope reference number and length on the  tape then shrink wrap the tape to make it secure.

 

[Peter Burgess]

If you get fed up with your caving colleague's smelly helmet, contrive for him to leave it in your boot, then give it a good session in a dishwasher.

 

[SamT]

My top tip:
Put a strip of yellow reflective tape on the last cm of your ropes.
makes it allot easier to see when ropes in a bag or on the floor or when in water.

I also write my initials and rope reference number and length on the  tape then shrink wrap the tape to make it secure.

That's genius ! 

Obviously we all use tape, mark lengths and dates and then clear heat shrink over them, but not thought of using reflective tape so far.

 

[bograt]

If you get fed up with your caving colleague's smelly helmet, contrive for him to leave it in your boot, then give it a good session in a dishwasher.

I am intriqued about how you get a helmet into a boot???, also, the helmet is not usually the smelliest part of a spelio's equipment?

 

[Peter Burgess]

I merely pass on a recent turn of events......  If you are from beyond the western shores of the Atlantic, then substitute trunk for boot.

 

[bograt]

I merely pass on a recent turn of events......  If you are from beyond the western shores of the Atlantic, then substitute trunk for boot.

Night, Night, Pete, Luckily this side of the Atlantic

 

[ALEXW]

Reflective tape has its uses but be warned It can really upset  the photographers on the trip when it reflects a flash :-\
.

 

[TheBitterEnd]

If you get fed up with your caving colleague's smelly helmet, contrive for him to leave it in your boot, then give it a good session in a dishwasher.

I find Fabreeze works well. Give it a squirt leave for 5 mins and then wash out.

 

[Antwan]

Coming soon, A tackle bag tip to repair almost anything....

 

[Burt]

Clean your cranks, chainsets, derailliurs etc in the dishwasher. They come out like new!
(just make sure there's no dishes in there and the wife can't find out)

Who said it had to be a caving top tip?

 

[Maj]

Broken zip tab - replace with a key ring. Even if not broken, break off the tab and fit a key ring anyway. It makes it much easier to zip up and down with cold fingers. Also works well with muddied zips. You could even hang a small tag on it to help identify your oversuit. Helps prevent someone else picking yours up by mistake, particularly when hanging up with a dozen other almost identical oversuits.

Maj.

 

[nickwilliams]

I find a small Tywrap works even better - just as easy to get a finger in and doesn't go rusty.

 

[pwhole]

Mustad stainless split rings are available at any good fishing tackle shop, and are the business - far stronger than normal split rings and they definitely don't go rusty

 

[ah147]

See if you can blag old grenade split rings off anyone...go rusty but ridiculously strong even when rusty.


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[cavermark]

See if you can blag old grenade split rings off anyone...go rusty but ridiculously strong even when rusty.


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Careful what you do with the rest of the grenade, mind...

 

[ah147]

For a short while they work well as diving weights...a very short while


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