>>754274>also if you don't mind sharing, where are you climbing?Lately in Jackson County, AL mostly.
I haven't tried pitons yet, but I suspect that the longer, knife blade types might be good for caving. I can be a cheap SoB too, so I generally just use what will work rather than spending an extra $50 or something on new gear just to try out on a climb I know I could do with what I have (and a few dollars worth of redheads). For protection and aid other than bolts, I have about two and a half set of the medium-large sized nuts (I have small ones, but I haven't placed them caving yet, so I now rarely bring them along), 7 hexes that are medium-large sized, a shitton of slings, and a mixed set of cams that range from probably too small for caving up to a Black Diamond #3. Now since I have several leads that are not so easy, I'm seriously considering trying to branch out.
For hooking I usually use Black Diamond grappling hooks and just keep them on the top of my etriers during most climbs. If it is too small for one of those hooks to work, then it is probably too weak and I'll just bolt it and/or find another way around generally. I might try using different hooks to get up some of these other climbs though. The BD grappling hooks are pretty large. Maybe I suck at hooking though, haha.
As far as testing stuff in mud, I know of the PERFECT cave in GA to test stuff in (massive room with steep mud slopes that come out of deep pools, so little to no risk of injury in falls), but I haven't gotten my shit together to go out and do it yet. I want to try using crampons in mud, hooking through mud, and using small shovels and garden rakes in mud like one would with ice axes on ice. Also experimenting with what stuff I can drive into the mud that can hold a fall.
