S U P E R T O P O S

Wall Tips
H2O Rations (per person per day)
3 quarts: October–May
4 quarts: May, June, September
4+ quarts: July and August
For carrying water, two-liter soda bottles work
best. Two-quart Gatorade bottles also work. These
bottles are sturdy on their own and wrapping
them in duct tape is generally a waste of time and
tape. To clip in the bottles, clove hitch a thin tie-off
under the mouth of the bottle.
Essentials
Helmet The most crucial piece of gear on a big wall.
Handy wipes To clean hands and face at end of
the day.
Small knife For cutting faded slings off fixed pieces.
Gloves Use goat skin gardening gloves or
standard leather gloves with the fingertips cut
off, then reinforced with duct tape to keep
seams from unraveling.
Poop tube It’s the law. Sling some four-inch
diameter PVC pipe and put screw lids on both
ends. Standard four-inch triple wall drainpipe is
a lighter and far less expensive alternative to
PVC. It’s plenty bomber, cuts easily, and accepts
standard PVC fittings. Go in a paper bag, then
drop it in the “vault” with a little kitty litter or
lime to mediate the odor.
Shoes Most wall shoes made by climbing shoe
companies are good; but realize that even the
most durable shoes will get thrashed on a wall.
The cheaper alternative is to buy used hiking
boots. A liberal coating of Seam Grip on the
seams and rand of your wall shoes will make
them last much longer.
GriGri
Waulhauler
Stuff sacks with clip-in loops
Duct tape It holds the world together.
Leeper cam hooks Save time and the rock; once
you get over the initial fear of using them, you
will wonder how you ever climbed without them.
Bolt Kit
Used for replacing bad anchor bolts or broken
lead bolts. In general, you do not need a bolt kit
on hammerless routes. Machine heads are no
longer recommended for rivets because they are
difficult to place properly; thus, they become
unreliable on future ascents. They are also
impossible to replace. After heads have rusted,
they need to be chopped, and subsequently, new
holes have to be drilled. The standard rivet in
Yosemite is either the Rawl Drive or Rawl Spike
¼" by one inch.
Equipment list
Bolt bag (or use chalk bag or stuff sack), hand
drill, blow tube, test-tube brush (used to clean
holes), crescent wrench, ¼" x 1¼" Rawl Drive
bolts or Rawl Spike bolts, ⅜" x 2¼" stainless
Rawl bolts (a.k.a five piece), or stainless Fixé
bolts, ¼" and ⅜" drill bits.
Note: Each SDS bit is generally good for
8–15 holes.
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