Sling (climbing equipment)
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A sling or runner is an item of climbing equipment consisting of a tied or sewn loop of webbing that can be wrapped around sections of rock, hitched (tied) to other pieces of equipment or tied directly to a tensioned line using a prusik knot; for anchor extension (to reduce rope drag and for other purposes), equalisation, or climbing the rope.
Short slings are a component of quickdraws; sometimes known as 'dogbones'. Sewn slings are sold in a range of lengths, such as 10 cm, 30 cm, 60 cm, 120 cm or 400 cm, and in widths of 10 mm to 20 mm. Sling tape is also sold off the reel, usually per metre, so that climbers can assemble their own slings by cutting tape to length (with a hot knife to prevent fraying) and tying the ends, typically using a tape knot. Most slings have a rated breaking strength in the region of 22kN.
In recent years, slings made from Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene sold under the brand names Dyneema, Dynex and Spectra. It has a much lower melting point than nylon, making it a potentially poor choice for prusiks. However it is lighter, smaller and absorbs less water than the traditional nylon sling, and therefore has become popular.
A gear sling is used to organise or carry equipment - these can be pieces of custom equipment which are meant only to carry light gear and are therefore not load-bearing, or they can simply be a regular sling used to rack gear.
