Knee length wetsocks inside improve the shin protection even more.Regarding shin pads, I would say everyone who wears wellies is wearing shin protection.
My landjoff has elastic ones and I thought it was a bit of a gimmick at first but now I'm a complete convert!Sew braces inside your oversuit
A neat idea, but potentially dangerous. You can generate high fall factors slipping off a traverse line. Putting that load through a toothed jammer cam could damage and possibly break the cows tail. I'd want to see it tested first before trying it, or recommending it. I know you said a hanging traverse, but that can change in to a climbing traverse at various points and you'd have to remember to take the cowstail out of the chest jammer. Easy to forget and get yourself in to a situation where the fall factor is approaching 1.Clipping your cows tail into your chest jammer makes it variable length, handy for hanging traverses. Shin pads are cheap and make crawling so much more pleasant!
Indeed, the downside of helmet mounted systems. Waist mounted batteries and generators made their own safety cablesThe thing I started doing about 10 years ago was to put a safety cord on my helmet after I nearly lost it down a pitch. I attach a 3-4 mm cord to the cradle about 250mm long with a loop on the end which clips into a very small snaplink on my chest harness ( a Torse ) level with my shoulder.
We carry a few hundred quid on our heads these days and, in my case, my spare light!
Just remember to take your helmet off before your belt - or risk whiplashIndeed, the downside of helmet mounted systems. Waist mounted batteries and generators made their own safety cables
25cm isn't much to work with - how do you handle taking your helmet off for squeezes? I had to remove my helmet in order to squeeze through the safety grill over a mine-shaft yesterday, and clipped my long cows-tail through the cradle to ensure I didn't drop it down the shaft, which worked nicely.I attach a 3-4 mm cord to the cradle about 250mm long with a loop on the end which clips into a very small snaplink on my chest harness ( a Torse ) level with my shoulder.
If my helmet will not go through the rest of my 'sleek' body has no chance.25cm isn't much to work with - how do you handle taking your helmet off for squeezes? I had to remove my helmet in order to squeeze through the safety grill over a mine-shaft yesterday, and clipped my long cows-tail through the cradle to ensure I didn't drop it down the shaft, which worked nicely.
I would add don't drag a tackle bag into a head down crawl, but push it ahead. More than once seen someone trapped by a bag rolling forward and wedging themIt's amazing how much difference (easier) it makes having one arm forward and one backwards going through very tight squeezes, also re tight spots and especially wet ones I don't like having a bag clipped to me ,
this happened to me once on a solo trip in Jean Pot. It was funny at first, then less so, and very awkward to empty the sack in order to extract myselfI would add don't drag a tackle bag into a head down crawl, but push it ahead. More than once seen someone trapped by a bag rolling forward and wedging them