RRSS - Caving Tips

• Never cave alone, always have three cavers minimum and let someone on the outside know where you'll be and when you should be out. If there's an accident one caver can go for help while the other tends to the injured
  
  
• Make sure one of the cavers knows the cave well; ie has permission from the land owner, has a map, knows the flooding characteristics, knows the difficulty level, etc.
  
  
• The colder and wetter the cave, the more demands for energy and heat it puts on your system (ie hypothermia) so eat and dress appropriately.
  
  
• Cotton absorbs perspiration and water, holding the cold moisture against your skin increasing the risk of hypothermia. Wool is great if you can stand the itching. Wetsuits are for constant deep water in addition to cave diving. For more information on cold water caving in Wet Suits read the excelent article:
  Wetsuits for Caving by John Ganter
  
• Carbide lamps may be getting old fashioned, but they're a great source of light that could last for hours and provide ample heat to warm up by during break. For an excellent source of information on Carbide Lamps go to The Carbide Caver by Mike Fraley
  
  
• During break, give your electric lights and batteries a rest and snack by warm glow of candle light. You can even heat up your beef jerky on it.
  
  
• Having a light attached to your helmet will free up both of your hands when climbing around. Duct tape will hold any flashlight on in an emergency.
  
  
• Heavy duty snaps or buckles work much better than zippers in the mud.
  
  
• A four point chin strap for your helmet will help keep it on even during a fall.
  
  
• A large plastic garbage bag can be used as a space blanket in addition to picking up cave litter and storing your clothes for the trip home.
  
  
• Garage sales, Army Surplus, the Salvation Army and Goodwill Thrift Shops are excelent places to stock up on cave clothing and accessories.
  
  
• The mud in caves tends to be a very fine clay so it's best to hose off your clothes before putting them in the washing machine.
  
  
• Coveralls tend to keep the mud out of your shorts on long crawls.
  
  
• A loose fitting shoulder pack can be held high in deep water crossings, moved around easily depending on whether you're climbing up or down and can be passed forward in tight crawls.
  
  
• Eat a good stick-to-your-ribs breakfast before cavings. It's good for energy, heat and the fact that there are no port-a-potties in the cave.
  
  
• Usually you sign up for several of the guided tours offered at a caving convention. Maybe ten people to a tour. The caves are described in detail and there difficulties and flooding characteristics are given. You choose the ones you want to go on based on your experience. They will not let anyone go without the proper clothing and gear. You may have to sign an liability insurance waver. A wild cave means no stairs, no lights, no railings. The caves are generally on private property and some may be gated and locked. The guides have already gotten owner permission to be on the premisses and if it is gated they have the key.