Passive Protection Buying Guide - How to Buy Passive Pros

Written by: anagonzales

Buying Passive Protection would require you to evaluate your own needs. Ask yourself what will be useful and convenient for your Climb. Aside from that, you may also use the following information as criteria to whatever you will be purchasing.

• In Climbing, you will need to place Protection on every 3 meters of your rope. Thus, the measurement of your rope will really determine how many pieces of Protection you’ll bring with you. Buy more than enough of it just to be sure.


• It is not necessary to purchase a whole set of nuts sizes from 1 to 10. There’ll be one size suitable for you, and some might not be of help at all. Buy more of the size of Passive Protection you use more often.


• For your small and medium nuts, it is better to have it wired for strength. For larger nuts, most people use home-tied cord instead of wire.


• You will need a lot of Protection in Climbing. The more you Climb the more gear you’ll be using. Make sure you have everything necessary with you to ensure a safe and fun Climb.

A lot of people are confused on why there is still the need to purchase a Passive Pro when you already have an Active Protection. Here are some of the reasons why Passive Pro is still necessary in your Climb:

• Passive Pro is cheaper than an Active Pro. There will be incidents where one will have to leave a Protection to be able to rappel or retreat a Climb. This unexpected occasion will force the Climber to leave behind a Pro. At least a Passive Protection is easier to leave behind, and it is also easier to purchase a replacement.


• Passive Pro are also lighter and less-bulky. In a Climb, it will be very convenient to have lesser load with you.


• Passive Pro are also less likely to be tangled compared to its counterpart.


• PassivePro, particularly the hexes, are more secure to use in cracks that get wider. Spring-Loaded Camming Device gets easily removed from these cracks. A well-placed hex can hold ten times as much as the SLCD. Decrease in friction lessens cams ability to hold.

But in spite of the following reasons stated above, Active Protection is still important. Choosing which of the two you will use will all depend on your needs and usability preference. Experiment on both anchors in your favorite Climbing destination to see which will be very helpful in its formations.

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