Quick Clips: 4 Quick Fixes for Common Climber Problems (Issue 371)

A green, heavy-duty dish-scrubbing pad is great for quickly cleaning your climbing shoes before starting up a route. I keep a couple in my pack, and always stick one in my pants pocket in case I encounter unexpected gunk midway up a pitch.
—Jason Moore

Use this “Rock and Roll Climber’s Hack” to restring a broken cam- trigger wire: Either solder a guitar string through the cam lobe or tie it off with an overhand knot (janky-looking but effective). As you can see here, the eye ring from the guitar string stays well anchored through the blue lobe. Sure, this isn’t as low profile as the traditional method, but it’s hard to beat the math: used guitar string + 5 minutes = fixed trigger.
—Weston Hamilton

When living in a panel van or dirtbagging out of your car, a cheap plant sprayer helps with cleaning, washing up, and even getting chalk off your hands—without using much water.
—Jamie Standbridge

I’ve started tucking a rectangular box-cutter blade inside my phone case or taping it to the inside of my helmet instead of carrying a belay knife. It doesn’t add weight or bulk, and slices through webbing, rope, and Dyneema with ease.
—Matt Hanrahan

Got an amazing Quick Clip for us?

Got a Quick Clip crag hack, quick fix, or mini-tech-tip you want to share with your fellow climbers? Then send it our way by March 5 to letters@climbing.com. The best Quick Clip, as determined by Climbing’s staff, will be published in our next issue—and better yet, the winner gets a 70-meter Quest 9.6 mm rope from Sterling!

Read more Quick Clips.