Cost of Caving Crisis

[Rob]

Whether it's £400 for an SRT kit, £100 for a tank of fuel, or a £4 post caving pint, it's affecting all of us!

So, even at the risk of comfort, convenience or pleasure, please share your tips and tricks on how you're trying to make it a little bit more affordable.

 

[PeteHall]

Easy.

Save £400 on an SRT kit by caving on Mendip.

Save £50 on fuel by lift sharing.

Then you've got plenty spare for beer (and a lift home if you've got the 2nd point right)

 

[PeteHall]

Joking aside, buy a Speedy Stitcher and extend the life of your kit.

 

[T pot 2]

Whether it's £400 for an SRT kit, £100 for a tank of fuel, or a £4 post caving pint, it's affecting all of us!

So, even at the risk of comfort, convenience or pleasure, please share your tips and tricks on how you're trying to make it a little bit more affordable.

Cave at night, use solar power to charge lamps, lidar etc. Install water wheels in streamways to power generators to do the same, cycle or hitch hike to caves as we did mid mid 70's. For food purchase ex army dehydrated rations, use a camp fire made from free wood from the copse and water from a stream to re hydrate said rations. Home brew for ale and save money

 

[wellyjen]

If you've chosen eating food, over having heat and electricity this winter, then you can eat a mars bar in the cold and dark at home, without having to go to a cave for that experience.

 

[grahams]

Get a liking for cold wet places and cold tolerance so that you've no need to centrally heat your home. Oh hang on, most of us are already there.

 

[Ian Ball]

200mm unused 9mm Edelrid rope going on ebay for £101 at the minute. In Wells if you fancy collecting. Seems a bargain. Actually ignore this please, stuck a bid on myself ha!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/144700782616?hash=item21b0d6b818:g:ILgAAOSwn0ljEH4v&autorefresh=true[/url]

 

[JoshW]

Cave at night, use solar power to charge lamps, lidar etc. Install water wheels in streamways to power generators to do the same, cycle or hitch hike to caves as we did mid mid 70's. For food purchase ex army dehydrated rations, use a camp fire made from free wood from the copse and water from a stream to re hydrate said rations. Home brew for ale and save money

Have a look at the cost of ex army dehydrated rations and tell me it’s still a cost saver

 

[wellyjen]

200mm unused 9mm Edelrid rope going on ebay for £101 at the minute. In Wells if you fancy collecting. Seems a bargain. Actually ignore this please, stuck a bid on myself ha!

200mm? Doesn't sound much of a bargain to me. Would be even worse if it was 9mm of 200mm rope of course.

 

[ttxela2]

I'm going underground much less, unfortunately as well as general cost increases in stuff, my wife is having to slow down work wise for health reasons and is looking to retire completely over the next year which means, combined with some adaptions we're having to make to the house, a substantial reduction in household income.

We're fortunate in terms of still being relatively comfortable but are having to think a bit harder about expenses and naturally end up prioritising trips/activities we can both enjoy together.

In terms of adapting to this I suspect we'll probably give up one of the cars, I'm already using mine much less and commuting on a small CC motorcycle instead. I'd also planned on dropping down to 4 days work a week but this has now had to be postponed for the forseeable future.

Of course one only needs to look at the folk relying on food banks and sitting in the dark with the heating off to realise we're pretty lucky overall!

 

[tomferry]

I am trying to save money by tidying up places at home finding stuff I have forgotten I even had and selling it on eBay for spare cash for fuel. Me and my family are going out in the car much less now we are combining all of are trips into 1 so not just nipping out for 1 thing. The cost of electric is still a issue I cannot find a true answer haven’t had my heating on since December.

 

[topcat]

Less weekends driving down from Scotland to the Dales, but more full week trips = less driving per cave day.

 

[Ian Ball]

200mm? Doesn't sound much of a bargain to me. Would be even worse if it was 9mm of 200mm rope of course.

It's a terrible buy isn't it, no one else need look, nothing to see here, move along, haven't you got homes to go to? ;-)

Sorry to hear things are getting tough for your wife and you backward-alextt.


For those with washing machines, electric showers and dishwashers, how much difference does it make waiting till the late afternoon to use warmer water coming in the building?

 

[ttxela2]

For those with washing machines, electric showers and dishwashers, how much difference does it make waiting till the late afternoon to use warmer water coming in the building?

You mean as a result of the mains supply heating up? I believe it's a statutory requirement to supply water at less that 20degC so probably very little saving. Of course if you run those appliances off stored tank water there may be more of an effect.

I've definitely heard advice that you shouldn't let bathwater out until it has gone cold since that heat is dissipating into the house and would be wasted if it went to drain - of course having a hot bath may be something of an extravagance in itself!

One could always try some of the techniques of cooking with other appliances that are running anyway to save energy. I have heard of folk cooking fish in a running dishwasher (I believe tightly wrapped in foil to prevent anything soapy getting in) or baking potatoes on the exhaust manifold of your car whilst driving home, again tightly wrapped in foil.

 

[tomferry]

You mean as a result of the mains supply heating up? I believe it's a statutory requirement to supply water at less that 20degC so probably very little saving. Of course if you run those appliances off stored tank water there may be more of an effect.

I've definitely heard advice that you shouldn't let bathwater out until it has gone cold since that heat is dissipating into the house and would be wasted if it went to drain - of course having a hot bath may be something of an extravagance in itself!

One could always try some of the techniques of cooking with other appliances that are running anyway to save energy. I have heard of folk cooking fish in a running dishwasher (I believe tightly wrapped in foil to prevent anything soapy getting in) or baking potatoes on the exhaust manifold of your car whilst driving home, again tightly wrapped in foil.

We pre wash are plates in the sink then do the washing up in the bath afterwards has cut are hot water use down loads !!

 

[ttxela2]

Sorry to hear things are getting tough for your wife and you backward-alextt.

Thanks, I wouldn't say things are tough, we're living pretty well really - it's just not as free and easy as it used to be.

 

[ttxela2]

I am thinking of bunging some more insulation in the loft before winter, I believe £ for £ it's the simplest most effective way to save heating costs.

 

[alanw]

Living by myself, an air fryer (£34 from Asda) saves turning the oven on to cook frozen chips. It heats up pies and pasties too.

 

[PeteHall]

I've definitely heard advice that you shouldn't let bathwater out until it has gone cold since that heat is dissipating into the house and would be wasted if it went to drain - of course having a hot bath may be something of an extravagance in itself!

I think the humidity problems will outweigh any benefit from warmth, so really wouldn't advise this.

 

[T pot 2]

Have a look at the cost of ex army dehydrated rations and tell me it’s still a cost saver

I have army rations that were purchased many years ago