Carrying Crampons

“I recently got new crampons. Grivel G10s. Never having used crampons, I have what may seem like a silly question. How do you carry them in your pack when you're not using them? So you get a heavy cordura sack for them? Do you tie the straps to the outside of your pack? What is the best way to carry them?”

“get the little plastic covers for the points”

“i got those platic covers and tied the crampons to the outside of my backpack”

“Packs don't seem to come with crampon patches anymore - my Karrimor Alpiniste has a top patch and straps for crampons. Some people store them in special pouiches made of supposedly indestructable material that lasts about as long as a Christmas Slinky. Point guards (called octopus in French) are good and them you strap them to the outside of your pack. Good luck.”

“Thanks! Looks like I'll have to go searching for the point guards.”

“on our last trip, we put them on the outside. wanted room for warm clothing and food”

“Cool, EMS has them.”

“rei has them too. I only paid $7 something for mine. (I think)”

“campmor has them for cheaper I think.”

“yeah, I checked $7.95 for Item 635750”

“durring the winter I higher a shurpa, he carries them....”

“I thought this was just a female issue. Oh, my mistake.”

“There is a local EMS store. I'll call them and see if they have them in stock. If not, I'll probably order them from somewhere...sometime. I just hate to pay a bunch in shipping for an $8.00 item.”

“I use a crampon pouch, it has a hard plastic sheet on 1 side (toward the pack) and cordura with a zip. I have a tab on the zipper pull for use with overmitts.

On an early trip I tied the crampons on to the pack, undoing the knots in -15F and 20mph wind was not something I was anxious to repeat.

I cram in my stove pad on the cordura side so the crampons are padded on both sides. No spike protectors.”

“I nest my G-10s points towards each other in a cheap nylong stuff sack.


Haven't had a problem yet. Of course . . .I don't pack them next to my thermarest or sleeping bag either.


They are usually somewhere accessible by definition (when you need them, it will be snowy, icy wet and muddy with sleet howling wind a crap . . .You don't want to be searching around with your gear all over the trail while you fingers turn to frozen popsicles . . ..). I strap mine to the loops on the top of my pack top. That is, the are on the outside right on top of my pack. Or in the sturdy shovel pocket onthe oputside. Or just under the cover pouch . .but never deeper.”

“Campmor has point guards for ten point crampons, p. 196, item #30020-G for 7,99$. As you said, paying shipping on this is a pain - so why not put the point guards on your holiday list along with a bunch of underlined stuuf on pages with the corner folded down?

I mean, does Unca' Gremlin have to tell you guys everything? Sheesh.”

“I would definitely carry them on the outside of a pack, points out, with point covers on them. If they are like mine, they'll get carried a lot more than they get worn.”

“One of These

Or you can do the covers on the points and strap them on points out. On the wonderland trail, my wife and i carried ours without any protection on the points with no problems.”

“Thanks, everyone. I went to EMS at lunchtime today and got a set of the point protectors. I'll see how they work out. I still may throw them in a stuff sack.”

“I strap mine to my head, pointy side down. It's what any REAL backpacker would do.”

“I get Pennsy to carry all that extra eight for me.....”

“"
"I strap mine to my head, pointy side down. It's what
any REAL backpacker would do.""

Doesn't that dull the points?


Outside and easily accessible. In many situations they go on and come off frequently. I clip them on the pack with a locking carabiner and use velcro strap to keep them from swinging and banging around.”

“I have carried mine tied point to point on the outside of my pack.”

“LMAO sirpete & jeffers!

At the end of the day, while meditating, I lay on the points while Artex breaks bricks on my chest with a sledgehammer. It's very relaxing.”

“lol @ Artex!

Yah, I use the crampon "rubbers" point protectors and carabiner them to the ouside of the pack.

I never got a Christmas Slinky
: (”

“

Are you still mad at me?”

“Mad at you?!?

Heck, I thought you were mad at me!

: )

Too bad you didn't make the Thanksgiving trip to the Adirondacks, we'll catch you this summer when I head South...”

“I was just ..er busy while you were gone. Talked to Tilt lately?”

“Er point protectors? tying them to the outside of a pack? I thought these were kind a personal thing?....

oh the things your wear for ice, sorry :P boy was that a confusing moment...”

“CAP'N? Are you back. Inquirinbg minds are starving for a trip report.”