UKH

So far most of my climbing has been single pitch grit, and I've taken to lugging all my gear up to the crag and then deciding what the climb needs. At Easter I'm planning to head to the Lakes for some mountain multipitch. Initially classic VDiffs, maybe working up to VS.

I imagine the UKC hivemind has some useful advice on what gear I should bother carrying up the fells.

Full set of wires? Double set? Offsets? Micros?

Lots of cams? Just a few, and so what sizes?

Hexes?!

Lots of slings, or just a couple?

Also I have a choice between 50m halves, which I was planning to use, or a 60m single if the extra length would be useful? I'm guessing an extra 10m isn't very helpful with the extra drag using a single entails.

Cheers!

My rack for that sort of thing would usually be as follows:

Whole set of wires plus offsets (Lakes climbing can be quite heavy on wires, although you won't need micros at VS really)

Five or so cams in the middle of the range, probably little silver to gold? (cams aren't as essential in the lakes compared to the grit)

Maybe a hex if I was feeling keen, but generally not

Plenty of slings, maybe three 120cm, a 240cm and four or five extenders that can be used as slings as well.

50m halves will be better than a 60m single, You'd really have to try hard to find a VS in the lakes where you HAVE to do a 60m pitch.

Hope that helps!

The rack is dependent on the route, the grade and your leading confidence, not the region.  Many climbers, with some justification, consider cams less useful/secure than they are on grit. On some grit routes it's possible to protect the whole pitch with cams. That is far less likely on a mountain route so I would personally carry fewer but try to cover a wide range of sizes. Again depending on the route double ropes are probably the better option. I have never found a route in the UK where 50 m double ropes were inadequate. I carry extendable 60cm dyneema slings which can be used as a sling. a short QD or a longer QD.  They are sometimes referred to as alpine draws.  You clip in two krabs, one into each end of a 60cm sling and then pass one krab through the other.  That makes the short draw. Just unclip one krab to extend.  They are very useful on trad.

Al

 Double ropes is the best bet - Lakes routes tend to meander. Lots of nuts it's a good idea, plus a load of slings. On easy routes, I love to take hexes, but cams are useful at most grades.

At least a full set of wires yes, doubling up is useful too.

I've found offsets particularly useful.

A few mid-sized cams as has already been mentioned.

3 or 4 x 120cm slings

Personally I don't bother with hexes here in the Lakes, only ever use them on Grit. But that's not to say they aren't useful.

Hope choice depends on route choice (as does the rack for that matter). But the 2x50's gives you more options and potentially less rope drag

Great, thanks for the advice everyone. I have 3 alpine draws made up for winter, I'll be sure to pack those, and lots of nuts. I'll probably leave my hexes at home. It's good to know cams are less useful/secure.

You need a full set or wires and double up on 1-6. Couple of hexes if you want but probably not necessary. Set of cams up to Friend 2.5, no bigger, for most routes.

Not sure why but no one seems to have mentioned quick draws. Given the longer pitches, and the possible need to use some at belays, I'd tend to carry more on mountain routes than on grit. I carry at least 50% more on multipitch routes than I do on grit (not counting Millstone!).

Definitely the 50m doubles.

Cams are always useful and perfectly secure in lakes rock.

8 Quickdraws generally on the long side, 4 'alpine' draws, 2x120cm slings, 2x240cm slings (to set up belays and make changeovers quicker, but even better if you get cordellette for that)

Double up on nuts above 5, couple of big hexes.

(As you can see though, I tend to lace routes!)

Most of my climbing is what you describe - VDiff to VS in the Lakes.

My typical rack - which is not small, but not huge:

1- 11 Wallnuts, plus an extra 4 -7, yellow - grey offsets, peenuts pink - silver.

7 cams, from green alien up to big blue DMM 4CU (i.e. 13mm - 22mm up to 51mm - 82mm).

6 alpine draws (i.e. 60cm slings w. 2 crabs) and four shorter quickdraws (i.e. 10 draws in total)

3 x 120 slings with a locker on (one or two of these usually end up in the belay)

2 extra lockers, one of which holds prussiks, and a big Boa HMS 

50m half ropes

If I was planning on climbing easier routes, I might drop the peenuts and the smallest cam and maybe go down to 8 draws.

Sometimes I finish a pitch and still have a fair bit of that, but if there's a really good, well-protected long pitch (e.g. North-West Arete on Gimmer) it might eat almost all of that gear. By the by, that's a good route recommendation!