What is textile equipment?
Textile equipment means ropes, slings, harnesses. But here we’ll leave ropes aside – although they are textiles, the technologies involved are somewhat different, and their strength giving fibres are protected by an outer sheath. What we’re looking at here is tape in all its uses; from simple slings, to sewn-in slings on cams, to belay loops on harnesses. How is tape made? The first slings used by climbers were no more than knotted loops of hawser-laid rope or cord, but like ropes, the introduction of nylon caused a revolution. This provided the much needed advance in technology, being stronger and lighter, and the first factory stitched slings began to appear. Modern stitched slings now fall into two camps, nylon and spectra (Dyneema). Nylon slings are manufactured of “flat” woven tape (cheap, light, flexible), or have a tubular construction (stronger, more durable, more expensive, bulky). Dyneema slings combine the best of both types of nylon tapes, being very light and strong, and i
