How Strong Is It Really?

Have you ever stood at the bottom of your local crag and your friend hands you some questionable looking quickdraws? " Bro, are these from 2005?". How about getting to a rap station with sun faded cord? It's easy to feel worried about older gear and you should always approach climbing with the respect it demands but how strong is old gear really? Obviously, there are lots of factors to consider and there is no way to 100% know the strength of a piece of gear unless you are just taking it out of its manufacturer's packaging having just left your favorite climbing shop. How ever do you need to retire your rope after 2,4,6 years of occasional climbing or get new quick draws every what, four years? As always many varying factors will affect the strength of your climbing gear but here are some numbers from the good folks at Black Diamond Equipment. They took some old gear from actual customers and took them to the breaking point to find out just how strong the gear actually was.  Check out the numbers and article here


With climbing gear, a good visual inspection before use is always recommended. If you have serious doubts about a piece of gear it is always best to replace it, trying to save $20 on few slings is just not worth it.  Happy and safe climbing, it's almost sending temps!