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Who said Cavings a cheap hobby?!?

jonnyrocketboots

jonnyrocketboots

New member
Guys,

Couple of years back when I started caving, The lads who got me started told me 'Nah, Cavings not a dear sport mate, just chip in for a bit of petrol and you can use our gear.' And  I had no reason to not believe them.

  I had a few trips with them and was soon addicted! Happy days!! Was borrowing harnesses and kit from various sources and soon got fed up of adjusting kit of unknown use so splashed out on my own SRT kit and bits and bobs. Still Happy days!!

Rant Start......What the twats didn't warn me about was the sport will get in your blood, and once it has you will cave whatever the weather/temperature, time of year or even day or f'ing night.

Since Xmas I've trashed a gearbox in the work van trying to get up an ice covered Winnats Pass. Quoted over ?1200 for a new gearbox as couldn't find a secondhand one.  Forced to buy another van (another ?2000) to get to work as the new gearbox is still being made in Japan! 

It's took a month or two for me to come to terms with this but I had just about got to grips with it until my fucking washing machine just had a hissy fit, went bang and shot the soap draw off its hinges while rinsing my furry and wet socks after a trip yesterday.

So as things stand I still have a van to fix before I can sell it, Two vans to insure and tax and a new washing machine to buy!  I also have to go to work tomorrow smelling like a wet dog.

Caving? Cheap??  Bollocks!  o_O


 
mrodoc

mrodoc

Well-known member
Who  said 'Caving  should be a cheap hobby,? That would be Mr. Radon who recently dumped his Nife cell and bought a chinese caving light!
 
The Old Ruminator

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
You wanna try diving. Wrecked my clutch towing the club boat about. Your average gas weekend must now run at ?100 a day for offshore stuff. Then the viz is crap or the skipper misses the wreck. Then you vomit all the way home freezing your nuts off at the back of the wheelhouse. Then there is the cost of cylinder testing and regs service and I havnt even got to new kit yet. Jesus caving is for pusses who don't want to spend too much. In the old days it was sump diving in three wooly jumpers and an old garage boiler suit. ( suitably oily ).
 
cap n chris

cap n chris

Well-known member
Ah, but diving in the UK is a mental illness whereas, as noted above, caving is a way of life. There's a subtle distinction.
 
The Old Ruminator

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
UK diving is the best in the world but not for pusses. We have more wrecks than any other country in the world. Sadly senility drove me from the sport I loved not the cost.

I guess if you cost up most other " sports" like cycling or golf etc caving works out less per hour than most. Certainly in terms of hardware it does. The OP refers to transport costs and you get that with most things.
 
Brains

Brains

Well-known member
Dont do golf but I am told a set of bats could easily be a few grand, never mind green fees, bad taste clothes, etc.
 
A

Amy

New member
Cap'n Chris said:
Hobby? HOBBY!????

It's a WAY OF LIFE!
Click to expand...
:beer:
I moved across the country to be able to cave regularly. Still working part time jobs to make ends meet (yay massive budget cuts in research sectors) but I'm caving! Sat, Sun, and a trip Tuesday...it goes on!

mmmm mud
(y)
 
mrodoc

mrodoc

Well-known member
It does get under your skin. I have been scuba diving for us long but you don't get the camaraderie, or sustained interest that you get from caving. If I wasn't a photographer I probably wouldn't be diving except perhaps in caves (rarely nowadays).
 
jonnyrocketboots

jonnyrocketboots

New member
It sure does mrodoc!  I reckon Caving is the  itch you can't quite reach!!

Rant over, Calm and collected little skint caver again

JRB
 
Pony

Pony

Active member
Caving expsensive ! Pah! And balderdash! As Uncle Clive would say. ?13 a month mobile to get on this forum. A bag of sharp sand in a cold tin bath with the lights out then the missus randomly comes in and chucks a cold galvi bucket of beck water over me and clouts me over the head with a rock. All this while I scrub me knees with a pumice stone. Bit of a squeeze if its a club meet. Then its a quick squelch downstairs to a roaring fire and homebrew. Haven't been caving for over a year, saved a bloody fortune. Shit just remembereg;going digging this week. Bugger, can anyone spare a fiver
 
Pony

Pony

Active member
Well would you Adam it. The tin baths sprung a leak, the homebrews gone and exploded in the airing cupboar. The missus has rammed the bucket on me head and I won't say what she s done with the rock and pumice stones. I m posting this whilst the blood wagon s on its way with vasceline and sugar tongs. To cap it all the dogs p%?sed on the kindling for the fire. Anyone got a spare 5 grand and details of a good divorce lawyer... And a spare room
 
The Old Ruminator

The Old Ruminator

Well-known member
mrodoc said:
It does get under your skin. I have been scuba diving for us long but you don't get the camaraderie, or sustained interest that you get from caving. If I wasn't a photographer I probably wouldn't be diving except perhaps in caves (rarely nowadays).
Click to expand...

Diving and photography always leads to mis understanding and kicked up viz. As for the camaraderie Mr O'Doc we shall see about that tomorrow when you turn up to do some work for the first time in weeks. Add to that the agitation you caused about the cafe you intended to open in TFD which we only just have realised was a mis print for " cave ".
Ahh the camaraderie we have when Mr O' Doc is in photo mood.
Back to the OP's point. Blimey dont you expect to pay for life's little luxuries. I could if, necessary kit, myself up for caving for ?100. Mr Radon's ?30 Chinese miners lamp is still working fine and there are plenty of old boiler suits around the garages already waterproofed with sump oil. Like in many sports folk get obsessed with the kit. Cycling is typical. Several ?800 bikes and all the flashy clothes. Still one must look the part nowadays.
 
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