Distant Clip Horizontally With the Pongoose Stick Clip

The unique stick clip was cobbled collectively in a foraging fashion on the base of the cliff. The bolt-clipping rock jock would supply a stick of the proper size and stiffness. With climbing tape and a twig or pebble to carry the carabiner gate open, salvation was at hand.

However someday within the late ’80s, I began seeing paint poles with a ironmongery store clamp emerge as a considerably industrial stick clip. It served nicely for many years.

Mountaineering escalated in reputation with the appearance of the climbing fitness center, and shortly sufficient, purpose-driven stick clips emerged. Sport climbers rejoiced. These area of interest distant clipping gadgets reworked placing the primary rope-loaded quickdraw up right into a constant routine.

The brand new industrial stick clips, which had been usually “heads” that screwed onto customary paint poles, might additionally cleverly clip the rope into the primary quickdraw or take away a dangling quickdraw.

Nevertheless it’s the 2020s, and progress is fixed. Newer stick clips have built-in collapsable poles and are more proficient in any respect the roles that revolve across the first bolt and typically different bolts. I’ve even seen stick clips used from the bottom to place quickdraws on each bolt of a neighborhood route. I’ve obtained each model of the fashionable stick clip, however the one from Pongoose, by far, is essentially the most distinctive.

I examined the Pongoose Climber 700+ 3-in1 Stick Clip for 3 months of native sport climbing. One in every of my native crags has loads of excessive first bolts. After I was younger and dumb, I hardly ever used a stick clip, touting it as “dishonest.”

However now, in my older years, I fortunately stick clip first bolts, as I see zero purpose to threat a groundfall to stroke my ego. And the Pongoose 700+ Stick Clip was a sublime instrument to clip or take away the primary quickdraw. It additionally was adept at different features.

In brief: The Pongoose 700+ Stick Clip (MSRP $109) was the epitome of stick clips. It effectively hung the primary quickdraw, clipped the rope, and eliminated quickdraws persistently. The trouble and frustration had been minimal, and the stick clip carried out different climbing-related features as a bonus.

Pongoose Stick Clip: It’s All within the Head

The Distinctive Pongoose Stick Clip Head

So far as stick clips go, the useful variations are within the design of the pinnacle. And Pongoose created a one-of-a-kind stick clip head that appears slick and chic.

At first look, the sculpted anodized aluminum head precipitated some head-scratching. It’s so completely different than every other distant clipping gadget I’ve ever made or tried. However referencing the explanatory movies on the Pongosse web site elicited an, “Ah, rattling, that’s so intelligent” from my skeptical thoughts. By means of 5 years of improvement and a dozen redesigns, the British masterminds at Pongoose have unlocked a number of causes of distant clipping frustrations.

The evident distinction within the Pongoose Climber 700+ in comparison with different stick clips is the horizontal orientation of the quickdraw. All different distant clipping devices maintain the quickdraw vertically. The horizontal orientation of the Pongoose head prevents the quickdraw from blocking the view of the precise factor a climber is attempting to entry. The pinnacle orientation can be adjustable in two planes.

One other distinction is the dearth of transferring components or plastic, promising an extended life. I’ve had different plastic stick clip heads break from merely falling whereas leaning towards that cliff. And I’ve had different heads’ transferring gate retention mechanisms fail.

The Pongoose Climber 700+ head removes each of those prospects. And, not like others, Pongoose sells each a part of its Climber 700+, making it infinitely repairable ought to it get broken. The one transferring components are the pinnacle’s adjustable mounting bracket and the pinnacle’s threaded connection to that bracket.

And eventually, if it issues, Pongoose presents the Climber 700+ head and silicone beads (examine them later) in 5 completely different colours. I do discover that sport climbing and bouldering have turn out to be fairly fashion-conscious currently. Gone are the times of carrying painter’s pants or Lycra and being thought-about cool.

Pongoose Stick Clip Pole

I’m all about lengthy, telescoping poles that may slot in my crag pack however prolong far sufficient out to clip sketchy second bolts (yep, I’m getting older and perhaps wiser.) However stick clip poles have usually been flimsy at full extension. This made inserting the draw, rope, or eradicating the draw tough or not possible. Pongoose purposely went with a five-section pole that might not be as compact as others however is claimed to be a lot stiffer.

In journey mode, the Pongoose Climber 700+ pole is 28.3 inches (the pinnacle is 5 inches lengthy) and may prolong to 108.7 inches. The Climber 1000+ pole, which Pongoose presents individually, is 40.2 inches collapsed and 164 inches prolonged. The whole Pongoose Climber 700+ weighs a verified 1 pound, 6 ounces.

The twist-lock pole is topped off with a normal ¼-inch digital camera thread to be used as a monopod. The bracket that holds the Pongoose head has the identical digital camera mount, permitting use as an motion digital camera selfie keep on with an adjustable mounting angle.

How It All Works

First off, the collapsed Pongoose Climber 700+ Stick Clip didn’t slot in my 40L crag pack. However I simply left the highest protruding of a spot within the zipped lid. It probably suits in 60L packs.

The stiffness of the pole in comparison with my different industrial stick clips was immediately obvious. I gladly accepted the bigger collapsed size for a extra inflexible, robust-feeling pole.

The correct use of the Pongoose Climber 700+ isn’t apparent, and for the primary time in a very long time, I needed to reference the model’s tutorial movies. As a substitute of attempting to elucidate all the correct strategies, I’m embedding these movies and commenting on my experiences after every.

Clipping Bolts

I can’t overstate how a lot simpler it was to clip the bolt hanger with the quickdraw held horizontally within the Pongoose Climber 700+ Stick Clip. From the very first clip, I knew it was the superior orientation.

No extra guessing, craning my neck, or holding the pole awkwardly outward to glimpse the hanger to hopefully goal the higher carabiner accurately. I might see all the course of with out struggles. Kudos to Pongoose for determining what all of us ought to have from the start!

Inserting the quickdraw was a one-handed operation, not like most different stick clips. That is vital when going full “French-free” sport climbing mode. I might anchor and sit in my harness on the bolt, maintain the pole with one hand, and insert the quickdraw with the rope clipped with the opposite.

Then I might clip the subsequent bolt and climb on prime rope, no less than to that bolt. With most different stick clips, I’ve to monkey round with my legs to carry the pole to have each fingers free to connect the quickdraw.

The Pongoose Climber 700+ Stick Clip was additionally adept at clipping quickdraws in roofs. The horizontal alignment once more meant that the hanger was seen for all the operation. And the flexibility to tweak the pinnacle angle helped once I needed to stand off to the aspect of the roof bolt.

The pinnacle of the Pongoose Climber 700+ has a gap to clip. This allowed hauling the stick clip up with me on my harness or sending it as much as a climber on a route by clipping it to the rope.

Clipping the Rope Right into a Quickdraw

Once more, the horizontal orientation of the Pongoose Climber 700+ Stick Clip stole the present. It held the loop of rope perpendicular to the carabiner gate, omitting any contortions to line every little thing up accurately. I by no means as soon as missed clipping within the rope at any angle, together with roofs.

I might additionally finagle the bight of rope into the pinnacle one-handed, permitting the assault of pre-hung routes in a full, sit-on-the-bolts sport-climbing siege.

Eradicating a Quickdraw

The keys to getting quickdraws off a route had been the 2 silicone beads that gripped the backbone of the higher carabiner and the horizontal alignment of the bight of rope used to open the highest carabiner. Each made what could be a tough process with different stick clips routine.

The horizontally aligned loop of rope made it a lot simpler and extra constant to open the highest carabiner’s gate totally. And the silicone beads held quickdraw regular so I might persistently get it out of the hanger and decrease it to myself on the primary strive.

Different Pongoose Climber 700+ Stick Clip Features

The usual ¼-inch threaded digital camera mount on each the pole and the pinnacle of the Pongoose Climber 700+ proved helpful past the defined stick clip features.

Stick Brush

Pongoose despatched me two very good, high-quality brushes with matching ¼-inch threaded inserts within the handles. They are often mounted brush aspect up or down, and the comb angle may be adjusted.

This mixture proved a worthy stick brush for prepping the route for a redpoint try. I by no means didn’t brush holds off so long as I might attain them. The adjustable angle helped match maintain angles to get the most effective leverage for efficient scrubbing.

The Pongoose pole was stiff, and the pinnacle was the weak hyperlink within the chain. I might present loads of strain to brush a route I used to be hangdogging. However the setup wasn’t burly sufficient for the required cleansing when growing a brand new route. However I wasn’t anticipating that out of a telescoping stick clip.

Motion Digicam Selfie Stick

The identical mounting technique for the brushes labored with my GoPro. The consequence was an extremely lengthy selfie stick, which proved efficient for getting the popular top-down motion pictures. I additionally used the setup to get the top-down “that is what I packed” photos typical of editorial journey reviews.

I’ve a GoPro Hero 12 Black, and the pinnacle and pole had been strong sufficient at full extension to get good pictures. However something heavier wouldn’t be steady sufficient at full extension.

Monopod

The identical ¼-inch threaded digital camera mount sits on the Pongoose pole. This made for an ideal monopod with the pole collapsed. I used it with my mirrorless digital camera to get usable pictures in low-light situations.

Pongoose included a picket ball with an identical threaded insert to cowl these threads when touring with the Climber 700+. The model recommends eradicating the pinnacle to guard it throughout transport. The picket ball protects your baggage from getting torn by the threaded mount.

Conclusions on the Pongoose Climber 700+ Stick Clip

Each factor of the Pongoose Climber 700+ Stick Clip was an enchancment over every other distant clipping gadget I’ve tried. The horizontally aligned and sturdy head was a lot simpler to make use of. It saved the bolt hanger seen and held the rope within the right orientation for clipping or eradicating a draw. And the dearth of plastic and transferring components guarantees it’s going to accompany me to the crag for years to return.

Whereas not as compact as others when collapsed, the pole offered a rock-stable platform for all of the stick clip features. It additionally delivered the leverage mandatory for maintain brushing. Lastly, it acted as a gentle growth in selfie-stick or monopod mode. And identical to the pinnacle, the pole felt rather more sturdy than on different industrial stick clips.

In the end, I’ve positioned the Pongoose Climber 700+ Stick Clip in my sport climbing on a regular basis carry assortment. I’ve each industrial stick clip and a number of other confirmed DIY variations accessible. And that is the one I’ll keep it up my private climbing days.