Unlike something like hiking, spelunking isn’t an activity where you can go out and about without caring about what you’re carrying with you. In fact, carrying proper gear during a spelunking trip will not only be able to protect you against injuries, but also help you reach places that are otherwise unreachable due to elevation and/or distance.
It is for that reason that preparations before going on a caving trip is essential, whether you’re new to the scene or someone who knows their way around a good number of caves, and that you should never skip out on equipment if you can help it.
Here are some things that you should bring for a general caving trip:
Helmet
Watch your head! Caves aren’t like mountains because they cover the sky. Since they have ceilings, some of them can dip quite low. In fact, stalagmites might reach downwards even further and reach your head level, or even lower!
Obviously, you will easily see such an obvious protruding object in your way and move away accordingly, but what about ceilings that you think won’t reach head level but actually do when you try to cross them? It’s easy to think that you can avoid them, but those things can be missed especially in such close quarters like a cave.
This doesn’t even include other bumps that you can experience. While you’re climbing, you can’t look everywhere at once, especially if space is tight. If you accidentally hit the ceiling, your head won’t feel really good about it.
And of course, there’s the entire matter of objects randomly falling from the sky, whether it’s a small pebble from above, a stalagmite that came loose for some reason, or just a piece of equipment from one of your caving buddies from above.
To sum it all up, having a helmet will protect your head from severe injuries like concussions and bleeding. It might rock your vision and senses for a bit, should one of the scenarios mentioned above hit you, but it could be much worse.
Light sources
Caves are dark! And I mean, really dark! Depending on how deep the cave you’re exploring is, the light will eventually disappear because it’s too far from the surface and being blocked by the cave ceiling and walls to receive any light.
That means you won’t be able to count on any natural light sources to help you navigate the potentially complex caverns. You will need to rely on the ones you brought.
While packing, make sure that you have a minimum of at least three light sources. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, or in this case, light source, because if it goes out for whatever reason (breaking from blunt trauma, runs out of power, etc.), you will be left completely in the dark with no way to tell where you’re going.
Now, ideally, the light sources you have will be something like a headlamp, as it can be easily attached to your helmet, leaving your hands free to do other things like climb rocky walls. The lights should be bright enough to help you see where you’re going, as this light source will be the only one that you can rely on for what appears in your vision.
For an alternative, you can use flashlights. They are not as good as a headlamp, however, as you will need to carry them around, limiting your mobility. Climbing can be especially difficult and even potentially dangerous if you can’t shine a light to see where you’re headed. Make sure to pick a flashlight that can shine a large beam as well. A smaller flashlight can make your navigation around the caves more difficult.
Padding
If you intend on crawling around in caves, make sure you bring knee pads and elbow pads. Knee pads are essential in ensuring that you don’t scrape yourself while you crawl in tight spaces. Same thing with elbow pads.
It’s easy to get injured in an unstable environment like a cave, so take the proper precautions by equipping yourself with comfortable padding before going on any crawls to ensure that this doesn’t happen.
Proper footwear
Rock climbing sections aren’t uncommon in the underground, and the last thing you want is to slip on wet or muddy rocks because your shoes don’t have any gripping power while climbing.
Make sure that you’re wearing appropriate footwear. Hiking boots and heavy-duty rubber work boots will work.
Cave packs
Your pockets will unlikely be able to fit all the equipment you will be carrying like extra light sources, extra batteries, food, drinks, and possibly even a change of clothes. In this case, you will want to bring a pack that is tough enough to weather the stress of caves, as well as things inside it like water and mud.
Pack only what you need. If you know that the cave you’re going into is relatively safe and only involves a lot of walking and barely any climbing, you probably don’t need to bring a diving suit with you.
Wrapping up
You may have noticed that this article hasn’t touched upon certain equipment like harnesses or diving suits for cave explorations. This is because this article is meant to provide a more general look on what cavers need to bring when people go caving, novice or expert.
Vertical caving and cave diving are both activities that can be extreme in nature, of which many cavers who are only getting into probably won’t be able to do yet, so this guide exists to show which items a caver would generally need no matter what type of cave they will be setting off for.