UKH

Hi all,

I'm after some advice, I have a harness, shoes three carabiner, a petal grigri and chalk bag I bought 18 years ago, they were used twice then put away in a suitcase until I found them last week.

Are they worth anything?

They are all like brand new

Thanks Dean

Harness would be worth nowt.

Shoes, karabiners and chalk bag possibly worth a small amount.

Gri Gri probably worth a little bit more.

The shoes? I'll take em off your hands if they're Sportiva Rock Jocks, size 44...

Plenty of threads on here conclude that gear is usually ok to resuse if stored well.

j

I personally wouldn't buy an 18 year old harness, even if it had been stored in ideal conditions, but the other stuff is probably saleable/useable. I note that Petzl quote a 10 year maximum life for harnesses etc.

I get the impression you can sell more or less anything on the bay, whatever age or condition its in. The question of whether that is ethical or not is up to you to decide upon and the person buying to accept. What you would get for a harness that age, dunno. The rest of it should be perfectly saleable...

Probably more accurate to say that the Lawyers for the Insurers of Petzl quote a 10 year maximum life (after which they won't pay up). Harnesses, just like anything else, do not suddenly disintegrate when the clock ticks over at midnight.

With everything climbing related, it's all about how kit has been stored, how certain someone can be that said information is truthful, and how an individual then feels about using it.

Something you have kept yourself you can know how well you can trust. Something kept by another person (particularly someone you do not know) is something else.

Perhaps so. The organisation that I worked for prior to retiring had a rather extreme policy of scrapping all fabric PPE after only 5 years.

But I still wouldn't buy an 18 year old harness!

Likewise I would cheerfully pay maybe about £60 for a pair of slightly second-hand Mk1 or Mk2 Vapour V's the right size.  Depends what they are a bit obviously, but lots of people would like to get their hands on a pair of shoes that aren't made any more.

I'd guess the Grigri is worth up to about 1/2 the price of a new one to someone who might actually prefer a Mk1 to one of the newer models.  (Especially if they have a fat fluffy rope!)

Harness is basically worth shirt buttons - as above, lots of people wouldn't want to buy it, but even those who would know it's a buyer's market and you're unlikely to get a better offer.  The karabiners and chalk bag are probably worth about what new karabiners and chalk bags are second-hand, which is to say not much.  Couple of quid.

I might be talking cobblers here but I think there is a small market for retro gear. 

I've sold some very old pieces (explaining exactly how old and capability) and they always go. Not just hardware but I sold some 20 year old Moon pants and it seemed loads of people wanted them.  It could be film makers trying to source something for a re-enactment or some people genuinely like retro for some reason.

The film Everest seemed to have all the right 80's kit on display including harnesses. 

Just put it on ebay and explain clearly and honestly the age and recommended use.

I hate to break it to you but I'm afraid 18 years ago was 2005!  (Sorry.)

And your point is? 

I'm saying there's a market for "old" gear whereas most posters on here seem to think not.

Hence my comment about 20 year old trousers

a) I was trying to be humorous.  I often forget that the '90s weren't 20 years ago, let alone the '80s.  If you didn't think it was funny that's cool though obvs.

b) That gear from 2005 is not the same as gear from the '80s.  "Old" gear is of interest to many people, stuff just barely beyond it's 'sell-by'date not so much unless it is in some other way remarkable.

Congratulations on the success of your trousers, but by and large not everything that is old is a classic.  Depending on what the OP's shoes are he might be able to sell those instantly.  (If they're size 44 Rock Jocks or size 45 Vapour V's he already has an offer.)  They don't make the Mk1 Grigri any more and a lot of people still prefer that model to the newer ones.

Nobody is going to think the harness is worth as much as your old pants.

As others have said, don't sell on a harness that old. The best way to answer your own question about the value of the other items is to advertise them on the For Sale forum - state more exactly what you're selling, put a random total price, and say "open to reasonable offers". See what happens