BG-Gear Store - up and running

[canyondevil]

Luke asked me to post this for him:

Ok so I have been yapping about this to a few of you for a while now. Wow, what a learning curve trying to figure this all out. So in a nut shell my store is finally operational. If you wanna check it out go to www.BG-Gear.com

BG-Gear is starting small and honestly I intend to keep it small. The aim is not to make another large retail resource for the canyoneering community. Instead the goal is to sell a few items I am proud of and would like to offer to the canyoneering community. What is listed so far is the Smooth Operator (AKA Smoothie), Rick Ianniello's book - Las Vegas Slots and some GPX files to accompany the beta over at www.BluuGnome.com

This is new territory for me so I hope it goes smooth.
Go easy on my everyone....... it's my first time!

Luke

[harness man]

Nice job, Luke!

[jman]

Cool, good job Luke. (And thanks for your write-ups this far too!)

Personally, I'm glad more and more people are seeing this unexploited market (in my opinion) and starting to offer canyoneers more choices. IE - Harness man/rapterman with Canyonwerks, Bootboy with Atwood canyoneering (I think that's what it's called), and now Luke's store.


On a sidenote - I think the one item that somebody needs to capitalize on and am quite surprised this hasn't been done yet (well, technically Rich C started it but is still waiting on something? or took a hiatus) is a pocket Canyoneering book. Highlighting on knots, contingency, equalizing, and rescue. Something thin like those FalconGuides.

[Iceaxe]

On a sidenote - I think the one item that somebody needs to capitalize on and am quite surprised this hasn't been done yet (well, technically Rich C started it but is still waiting on something? or took a hiatus) is a pocket Canyoneering book. Highlighting on knots, contingency, equalizing, and rescue. Something thin like those FalconGuides.

Yeah.... I'm thinking the one thing we don't need is people learning how to canyoneer from a book while actually in a slot canyon.

If you don't know the basics that would be contained in a pocket guide you shouldn't be leading slot canyons. And if you are being guided you should be paying attention to what is going on and not reading a dumbass book.

/rant



Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

[jman]

Yeah.... I'm thinking the one thing we don't need is people learning how to canyoneer from a book while actually in a slot canyon.

If you don't know the basics that would be contained in a pocket guide you shouldn't be leading slot canyons. And if you are being guided you should be paying attention to what is going on and not reading a dumbass book.

/rant



Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

I completely agree. I would agree that a handful people would use it as their only source of canyoneering info. There are thousands of canyoneers who have never paid for a guide or a lesson. Most of it is is online or hands-on (hopefully more so the latter than the former).

Sometimes I forget how to tie the Swiss seat for example. I'm sure if I attempted it a few times I could get where's right after a few attempts but having a reference is good.

I'm sure not everyone has memorized all the rigging options of the totem.

Just like EMTs (like myself) carry a small handbook for contraindications, side-effects, purposes of the insane amount if prescription and generic drugs...you would die if I didn't have the right information (and tools of course) available. And "I think this is right..." is far more damaging than "I don't know" mindsets. I really wish I had a perfect memory. It's good...I think ;) but not perfect.

Hence the purpose of a small canyoneering handbook. See the metaphor?

I won't argue as I see your point exactly. But as a conservative mindset yourself, people are gonna lead even if they are not ready. People are gonna take noobs through sandthrax for their first canyon experience. Noobs have the itching so bad to do heaps or Imlay or choprock, and always end up underprepared and a following rescue is launched. Etc. etc. I wish they wouldn't, we can tell them they are idiots, but their gunna do what their gunna do in the end.

I'm in favor of "the more information, the better", even if those said noobs only rely in it as their source.

/rant

Any

PS - Notice how I didn't say canyoneering 101 or canyoneering basics ;)

[ratagonia]

New Dave Black book is pretty good.

Tom