UKH

Off to sunny Bavaria next month for a walking trip, in the area are a series of via ferrata,(looking at grade II) apart from obvious ( helmet, harness , via feratta kit for clipping) would I need anything else and what footwear - (am trying to keep weight down as flying)- my thoughts are approach shoes (comfy but not designed for scrambling) or big boots with stiff sole

after advice and thoughts please

foggy

I’ve been on a couple of via ferrata trips to the Dolomites and always wore mountain boots (b1/2). Yesterday did the St Gervais via ferrata near Chamonix, which is apparently rated as one of the most extreme, and did it in approach shoes (La Sportiva tx4) and they were perfect for it. 

The only other thing I’d suggest you take is a sling and locking carabiner so you can clip in and rest if you want to. 
 

All my VF had been done in the dolomites. Approach shoes seen to be the most popular footwear choice, although personally I do prefer boots.

Kit wise it sounds like you're covered. Assuming the grades are comparable, as a climber you shouldn't need a safety rope on a grade 2. I think pretty much all VF sets can be weighted to rest, but a 60cm sling and large gate opening krab might be handy if they have lots of vertical sections.

Lots of people use gloves, if so gardening/builders ones are far far cheaper and arguably more durable than climbing specific. Personally when climbing on rock I prefer bare hands, but if cable hauling they do help to protect from burrs and add a little extra grip.

Personally I nearly always use approach shoes as they are just more comfortable and less heavy. Since I bust my ankle a couple of years ago I also use collapsible trekking poles, (folding ones rather  than telescopic ones which fit inside my pack rather than on the outside where they are prone to catching) for the descent. I picked up a pair in Decathelon which are 36 notes each and are really decent for the money, much better than Alpkit equivalent. Might not be your thing but worth considering. Some people like to wear gloves, personally I don't as I don't slide my hand on the cable. If your partner (or you for that matter) is less secure, take a light short rope for belaying any harder sections - a 10m length of 8mm would do the job in conjunction with a sling and autolocking HMS (just quicker than a screw lock) and a locking biner for the climber end.

I find it useful to use a daysack with a water bladder, it means you don't have to faff about getting your water bottle out of your sack and saves time.

My tuppence would be that approach shoes are probably fine if you're careful on the descents. Check likelihood of snow at the tops.

Length of rope, couple of slings/screwgates and a belay plate are useful if you get any awkward sections - we found one section buried in snow, for example, but occasionally there are broken/missing sections.

Warm and waterproof clothing - might need it if you get stuck behind a slow group and/or the weather changes, same as any other day on the mountains.

And you can't drop it

Previously I'd only done via ferrata in B2s (at they were all I had that holiday). Took B1s and approach shoes to the Dolomites in July and wore the shores more than the boots.

I second the suggestion of gloves. Fingerless is my preference.

Although when you snag the bite cap part way up a tricky move and it pulls off never too be seen again....

But you CAN rip the nozzle off and empty you're water supply down your front. I learned that the hard way on Aonach Mor one year... the other thing I hate about them (other than the hideous taste cheap ones give your water) is that when you're breathing really hard, it's actually really hard sucking water out of a tube. My preferred method of drinking on anything vertiginous is modifying a wide neck Nalgine bottle with a short length of cord or sling, gaffertaping it to the body with the tape going through the sling, and then clipping a biner into the sling and the keeper loop on the bottle top. The sling keeps it safe, the keeper loop orients the bottle. I then clip it into my rucksack shoulder strap so that it slides down to nestle between the rucksack and waist belt/my bum cheap. It doesn't move around, is easy to access and drink from and lasts for years before you need a new one...

I wondered as I typed my post above how likely that is to actually happen - but clearly I'm not the only one that has been unlucky.

Do love my platypus and never had just issues with a plasticy taste, but there is a lot to be said for splitting your water into two independent bottles (of any design) to prevent disasters in the event of failure. 

Main thing I dislike about hosers is that you have little idea of if you're over/under drinking, so run the risk of running out or being unnecessary dehydrated. Oh and I can't drink from them in winter as the chilled water gives me teeth freeze.

What ones are you thinking of doing (I regularly go to Bavaria)?  Anyhow, just wear what you're walking with, grade 2 won't be a problem in walking boots. Definitely wear gloves, the last thing you want to do is run your hand into a frayed cable end. Fingerless are probably best to retain dexterity for taking photos etc.

PS Bergsteigen.com for excellent topos.

Happened to me too, MSR dromedary, ripped off going through a narrow path between bushes. The problem is that the siphon effect very quickly empties the bladder on those.

Yep, never trust a single vessel.

^^this. One of my scouts drank all his drinking and making food water on expedition because of this - sipping all day and not knowing how much he was getting through.

The other good reason I don't use them is that if they leak, they leak in your bag.

Camelbak do an inline flow monitor that tells you how much you've drunk. I've also got the neoprene sleeve on one of mine to stop it getting cold. Osprey also have an insulated hose option.

I have an insulated hose, but also sensitive teeth. Don't like chilled drinks even out of a glass and having to bite to open the valve means the chilled water is directly hitting my teeth - I just swap to a screw top bottle in winter.

Good call on the flow monitor, I'm guessing they could be fitted to other brands of hose as well.

Footwear is personal, so long as it fits well enough that they won't fall off ! Gloves (site gloves or gardening gloves) are a must IMO.

A slight hijack, but I think it’s relevant…….

We were doing the Evettes via ferrata this morning (good fun and not difficult). On one section my mate got bollocked by an old Spanish guy behind us, because he clipped a step rung above his head with one of his crabs on a vertical/slightly overhanging section, the other crab was in the safety wire to the side.

The Spanish guy said it was very dangerous because the rung could come out. I’d always thought that it was safer practice to do this on steep/overhanging sections, as it would minimise your fall length, rather than falling up to 5m or so to the next safety wire  anchor below you (plus the length of the kit).

Thoughts?

I've done similar a few times where having a (might hold) clip gives me reassurance to make a move by reducing the likely distance I'd fall. What's vitally important is to make sure you always have one clip on the trusted protection, this is easy to get wrong so I guess best practice would be to only clip trusted protection.

TBH I think a staple pulling out is pretty unlikely, especially as in the situation you describe the fall factor would be relatively low.

I would catagorise that as very low level danger compared to the many other high level transgressions you witness on an hourly basis on virtually any via ferrata in the world. Is it as safe as putting both biners on the cable? No? Should spanish men spill their cerveza over it? No. Maybe. Yes. Depends. I would suggest he needs to take a chill pill. If you would like a list of slap-able offences, I would be happy to provide one. 

Fair enough. I've got sensitive teeth, but maybe not as much as you - Sensodyne helps a lot when I'm cycling in winter

If the hose is the same diameter, they should work fine.

agree with all these points  Bergsteigen is excellent for routes/topos. Alpinverlag is also worth referring to - app associated with books (German Austrian and Italian versions). The app has more than the books do, and a useful summary in English  

just be aware VF (Klettersteig in Germany/Austria) grading system is different to that in Italy and the French system!  Letter grading only  A being easiest

agree on gloves as a requirement 

and for this weekend anyway a rain coat and a plan b. The mountains here are looking pretty wet this weekend, next week much better!