Caving
101 Equipment
The equipment you
need very much depends on the cave you are exploring,
the difficulty of the
route, and the amount of time you intend to spend in the cave.
Absolute
Necessities:
A list of gear that you must
have on any trip underground.
Helmet:
A helmet is the most basic of essentials.
Hazards ranging from bumping your head on the ceiling to rocks falling
on you
can exist in the cave environment. For the majority of wild caving
experiences
a UIAA certified climbing or caving helmet is recommended. For very
basic trips
involving no vertical exposure, no overhead hazards, or any other
hazards
beyond stumbling or walking into a rock a good quality construction
hardhat
with a chinstrap is acceptable. On future trips a trip leader may turn
you down
if you do not have a climbing or caving helmet.
Headlamp:
At least one helmet mounted headlamp is needed
for caving. A good quality lamp is preferred (one that doesn't fall
apart when
dropped). Cheap headlamps that go through a set of batteries in 3-4
hours can
be had for under $10. Better quality such as the Petzl zoom can be had
for
$30-$40. Keep in mind that the light should be adjustable to point
where you
are looking.
Backup
lights:
At least two backup lights are required. These
lights must be able to guide you out of the cave if your primary light
fails.
Candles are not backups. Light sticks are nice for sitting but of
limited use
in moving in a cave. These lights must fit into your pack so avoid D
Cell
lights. A decent AA light can be purchased for under $5.00. Preferably
one of
the lights would be helmet mountable.
Batteries:
Bring at least 3 sets of batteries for your
primary light source. If you are using a MSS rental helmet you will
need 9 or
12 AA batteries. Also keep in mind that your backups may use different
batteries so spare batteries may need to be carried for those.
Footwear:
Sturdy shoes preferably with knobby bottoms
are a must. Work or hiking boots are best. Flat bottom tennis shoes are
not
appropriate in the cave environment.
Clothing:
The temperature in the caves of Southeastern Minnesota is 48
degrees. In general cotton is not
good in caves due to its ability to get and stay wet. However for the
Caving
101 trips we will stay fairly dry. Jeans and a sweatshirt over another
long
sleeve sweatshirt works fine. Coveralls are preferred by many cavers
due to
their ability to keep most of the clothing under them clean.
Gloves:
Gloves keep your hands happy. Happy hands are
working hands so a good pair of gloves is a must. Many cavers prefer
leather,
others like rubber. Canvas work gloves are ok but tend to get and stay
wet.
Absolutely no fuzzy gloves in the cave as these will leave fuzz on
everything
they touch.
Cave
Pack:
Some kind of cave pack is needed to carry
spare lights, batteries, water, and snacks. Fanny packs work and are
readily
available. Gas Mask bags and other over the shoulder military type bags
are
great. Most cavers end up with some kind of custom cave pack that they
like.
Day/School packs just get in the way don't bring them.
Large
Plastic Trash Bag:
This can be used as an emergency heat tent but
will most likely get used to bring home the dirty clothes. Many cavers
stuff it
into their helmet where it is out of the way and easily accessed.
Food
and Water:
Food is nice while caving but avoid anything
with crumbs. M&Ms are perfect cave food. We will be going out of
the cave
for lunch so you don't need to drag it around the cave with you. Water
is a
must. A 20 oz bottle is plenty for this beginner trip.
Going
Home Clothes:
Your caving clothes will get very dirty. Bring
a full change of clothes including shoes.
Nice
to Haves:
A list of gear that you might
want to
bring.
Knee
and Elbow Pads:
The rocks get hard on knees and elbows so both
kinds of pads are recommended. However you can get by just fine with a
few
minor bruises without them. Hard plastic kneepads will be more misery
than none
at all so avoid them.
Camera:
Caves are pretty and offer many opportunities
for pictures. A disposable 35mm flash camera is recommended. Your cave
pack
will take a beating and these don't really care much. Pack it in a
zipper
sandwich bag to keep it clean and dry.
First
Aid Kit:
Keep it small for this beginner trip. We are
never more than 20 minutes from the entrance and a full first aid kit.
Compass:
There is a map in this packet so a compass
make is fun to figure out where you are in the cave. On advanced trips
it is a
necessity.
Things to Avoid:
Anything that might be broken or lost.
Safe Caving
Practices
Although the following list of safe
caving practices is meant to help you, there is nothing
- And make no mistake about it - nothing that will replace
using good common sense. Some items listed below may have already been
covered,
but it wouldn't hurt to mention them again. We cannot cover every
conceivable situation
you may encounter while caving, and additional reading on the subject
will
benefit you.
- Never go caving alone (a minimum of
four people on a team).
- Wear a good-quality hard hat with a
chin strap and the primary light source attached. .Carry three sources
of light (should one source fail).
- Always leave word as to which cave you
will be visiting and your expected time of return, allowing a few hours
for any unexpected contingencies.
- Follow the lead of the more
experienced caver or the one who knows the cave well. .If all your
lights fail, sit down and wait on the spot for help to come.
- Avoid jumping. Cave floors are seldom
level, and a short jump may result in an injury.
- Practice ropework (vertical caving)
under the guidance of an expert before doing any vertical caving.
- Caving is extremely tiring: know your
limit, rest frequently, watch for fatigue in others.
- People with chronic medical conditions
need to take that into consideration when deciding to go caving.
- Carry a small first aid kit. A large
garbage bag or poncho will make a good heat tent using the heat from
one candle or carbide lamp.
- If an immobilizing injury occurs,
treat for shock (keep the injured caver warm) and contact the local
cave rescue organization.
- Sitting still can cause shivering
after a period of time, the first symptom of hypothermia. Get moving,
initiate activity.
- The slowest caver sets the pace. Go
only as fast as you can be followed, and check on the caver behind you.
- If lost in a cave, panic is your worst
enemy. Remain calm, conserve your light, and if you followed the rule
about leaving word, you have little to worry about.
** From A Guide To Responsible Caving. Compiled by Adrian (Ed)
Sira Distributed free by the National Speleological Society
Download from http://www.caves.or
brochure/res-cave.pdf
Take nothing
but pictures, leave nothing but
footprints, kill nothing but time.
The NSS web site
has a great list of down loadable PDF files also.
NSS Brochures, click here
