Forgotten things?

[bagpuss]

What's the worst case of forgotten item for caving you've had? This evenings trip was through some sections of passage I find really hard, hoping to photograph an area of cave that's pretty. Got half way in, camera set up for photo to realise I had left my memory card in my laptop at home and the camera has no internal memory
Also had a trip where I've gone in my furry and forgotten my clothes for after (the joys of no caving hut) and have turned up for a trip with two left wellington boots..

 

[JoshW]

I’ve done the camera memory card thing on a trip with @badger into Hagg Gill Pot. Having previously tried to find the cave with Paul Dold (and failed), we returned and after setting up various flashes and camera on tripod tried to take a picture to get the warning of ‘no memory card inserted’ - cue multiple years of pisstaking

 

[bagpuss]

I’ve done the camera memory card thing on a trip with @badger into Hagg Gill Pot. Having previously tried to find the cave with Paul Dold (and failed), we returned and after setting up various flashes and camera on tripod tried to take a picture to get the warning of ‘no memory card inserted’ - cue multiple years of pisstaking

It's happened to me so many times, should really just gaffa tape one onto the inside of my helmet..

 

[aricooperdavis]

I've forgotten the key to Aggie twice. The jog of shame is long enough to make it particularly irrigating!

 

[mikem]

I've forgotten the key to Aggie twice. The jog of shame is long enough to make it particularly irrigating!

Did you fill your wellies?

 

[hannahb]

I have also done a trip in two left wellies, when I was a student and we had to rummage in a Bernie's bag of random wellies when we got kitted up. Because they were both too big it was ok.

More recently I totally forgot my wellies. I put my wetsocks on, then my trainers, and it was surprisingly ok, although it was a clean trip.

About twenty years ago a friend of ours forgot his helmet and light on a university beginner trip which he was leading. He put his neoprene hood on and gaffer taped his carbide lamp to it

On a trip with the same person only one of us had kneepads, so we shared them and had one each.

I think I've forgotten charged batteries once or twice.

I've definitely forgotten spare underwear for afterwards many, many times. Not strictly caving gear though.

 

[hannahb]

What's the worst case of forgotten item for caving you've had? This evenings trip was through some sections of passage I find really hard, hoping to photograph an area of cave that's pretty. Got half way in, camera set up for photo to realise I had left my memory card in my laptop at home and the camera has no internal memory
Also had a trip where I've gone in my furry and forgotten my clothes for after (the joys of no caving hut) and have turned up for a trip with two left wellington boots..

You're in good company here. I think it was Sid Perou - he once realised he hadn't put any film in his camera but didn't want to enrage everyone on the trip so he carried on anyway and pretended he later went back to "improve some shots" or something like that

 

[Babyhagrid]

Size 5 wellies instead of size 9 wellies

 

[PeteHall]

About twenty years ago a friend of ours forgot his helmet and light on a university beginner trip which he was leading. He put his neoprene hood on and gaffer taped his carbide lamp to it

I'd forgotten all about that one!

 

[PeteHall]

I forgot to put my memory card in my camera on an exploration trip the other week, so only had space for about 5 photos on the internal memory...

 

[hannahb]

I forgot to put my memory card in my camera on an exploration trip the other week, so only had space for about 5 photos on the internal memory...

Did you have to be very selective, as though you were using film?

 

[mikem]

At least you can delete pics that can be easily replicated and chose to keep those that can't.

 

[Samouse1]

I once helped my partner to cobble together an SRT kit because she had forgotten it, reminding her to always check her kit. Only to realise I’d forgotten my helmet. The ribbing I got was well and truly deserved on that one!

 

[T pot 2]

On a Berger trip i left camp one on my own to go to camp two with a rucksack full of rope, ladders with the rigging equipment required for the descent to the bottom.
Half way down the Grand Cascade my carbide light went out.
After fettling it i realised that it had ran out of carbide and that it required a refill. I reached for my spare on my harness, to my horror it wasnt there. Knowing that another team would be following me, i sat in the darkness in a wet, wetsuit for eight hours. When I was located l had mild hypothermia, but did continue onto camp two after having a brew.

 

[JoshW]

I forgot to check someone had put wellies on our rack at work in a pair so blindly assumed I had a matching pair for a trip, resulting in a left size 7 and a right size 10 (I’m a size ten so at least my right foot was comfy).

I drove to Clapham for an after work trip last summer (during CPC winch meet) only to realise I’d forgotten my SRT kit. Gambled with a walk up the hill hoping some kind soul would lend me one and the champion that is @Ian P came through lending me a club kit to complete the trip. That would have been a depressing walk back down the hill

 

[PeteHall]

Did you have to be very selective, as though you were using film?

Yes and no. I was selective, but as @mikem suggests, I was able to delete the rubbish ones on the spot.

I guess the trouble with modern photography on the fly, is that we get used to taking loads and hoping a few decent ones come out.

 

[PeteHall]

I forgot to check someone had put wellies on our rack at work in a pair so blindly assumed I had a matching pair for a trip, resulting in a left size 7 and a right size 10 (I’m a size ten so at least my right foot was comfy).

I drove to Clapham for an after work trip last summer (during CPC winch meet) only to realise I’d forgotten my SRT kit. Gambled with a walk up the hill hoping some kind soul would lend me one and the champion that is @Ian P came through lending me a club kit to complete the trip. That would have been a depressing walk back down the hill

Reminds me of a university club trip to Disappointment Pot once, when I forgot that the two others didn't have their own SRT kits yet...
We managed to get to the bottom, on a shared SRT kit, with Pantin and Tibloc as a sort of half kit to aid passing bits up and down. The last pitch was hardest, but rigging the rebelay carefully gave enough slack to pull up the lower rope from the ledge.

Same trip, one of the guys was using club wellies and got two left wellies...

 

[legendrider]

Helmet: wrapped a towel around my head like a shemagh, and held in place with a cable tie loop.
next day I went on Ebay and bought a spare Petzl lid, now permanently resident in the car boot locker!

Wellies: Sir Francis in Polyveldts. Brrrrr...

Grinder locking ring nut: cable tie again!

Grinder discs: picked through the gash bag and used up all the part-worn discards.

 

[paul]

I've forgotten the key to Aggie twice. The jog of shame is long enough to make it particularly irrigating!

I also have forgotten the key twice so you're not alone!

 

[Samouse1]

Today I forgot my wellies. My lovely new walking boots which have been up one mountain have had a fun time down out slues