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- Moon milk is very rare.
- The vast majority of caves are in limestone which is rich in calcite which is easily dissolved.
- Almost every cave drips from the ceiling and walls. The water often contains calcite that has dissolved from the rock and can be precipitated to form stalagmites, stalactites and other cave formations.
- I have not. There’s some caves with bad air which can be dangerous but doesn’t have a smell. It’s usually found near sumps and can be tested with a lighter. If you strike a lighter and the flame is a few inches above and flickering you should get out.
- This one covers most of what you’re looking for.
https://www.amazon.com/Speleology-Study-Caves-George-Moore/dp/0939748002
Most of those underground pics are from the Shannon Cave in Fermanagh/Cavan. Its a really good sporting cave..great fun. Lots of SRT.
those both are safer and more expensive than a hardware store carabiner, being from reputable brands and properly rated/tested for rope access related stuff.
can get 10 yer gonna die locking carabiners for the price of one 'cheap' carabiner from CT
The band they come with is pretty solid but doesn't work well if you want to mount both at once. In my area what I see cavers using is pipe clamps such as this: https://www.amazon.com/Mike-Home-Connector-Double-Clamps/dp/B075ZSSTHL
They're pretty cheap and widely available and do a great job at holding 2 lights at once.
nice! i modified a little aluminum project box from digikey for my lamp housing. not nearly as professional looking as yours but it gets the job done
I was able to use this small dry-box cigarette case with some modifications as my battery case. in place of the sketchy electric lighter that comes inside the lid I put one of these handy little boards to keep tabs on battery life.
please do keep us updated! looking forward to seeing it all come together
I saw this post last night and saved it to see what came up. But since there's nothing here I'll post my limited experience.
The best source of knowledge is a local caving society who will have a survey and experienced people who know the caves.
But there is a cave guide book available from amazon:
It's 25 years old and fairly outdated, it only covers the most well known caves. It's a good place for a starter, but I haven't touched mine for a year as it was unnecessary once I joined a society. It does have some surveys/guides but mostly just tells you who owned the land/key/access (25 years old information, may not be accurate anymore) and gives a brief description of the type of cave and approximate level of difficulty.
I use some generic portable work lights, something like these:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07MG3WM74/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_dl_A0Q40ZN3SBWP007T0P67
They're cheap, but last hours, waterproof, come with a stand so you can point them where you want.
I have 5 so I can put them in different places and direct the light where I want it.
I bet the cave has been found before. You should try joining a local grotto. Never go alone and always bring multiple lights. I recommend the 4000k https://www.amazon.com/Rechargeable-Flashlight-Anduril-Camping-Included/dp/B08GG2BM72?th=1&psc=1
You might find this useful. Looks like Veiled lady cave is no longer accessible.
edit: Also it is on private property. https://books.google.com/books?id=dbf1O9XE5ZcC&pg=PA48&lpg=PA48&dq=the+veiled+lady+cave&source=bl&ots=tY5pCHTfJR&sig=-o3RKIjJ9q-QUByXo_FN9HY5lVI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ZJ6gVPbPMYuxyQTT24KgAw&ved=0CBwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage...
I’ve got an old DSLR and a Suptig diving light.
The DSLR was a second hand canon EOS 40, for about £200, the Suptig is a diving light for £30. You can use almost any digital camera though.
I highly recommend the Suptig, they’re diving lights so they’re waterproof and quite tough. It’s a fixed light rather than a flash, it’s a bank of 84 LEDs, they’re really bright with a rechargeable battery. The Suptig connects to the top of the DSLR, but it’s got a go-pro attachment too:
There are purpose built tripods that are designed for vertical ingress/egress. We use these in confined space all the time, entering and exiting wells, sewers, or other man made holes. Confined spaces may not have enough air flow, and many other dangers as do many naturally occurring caves. These type of tripods work very well for smaller openings where a winch entry or rappel system can connect to the anchored tripod. I have used a similar tripod to the one shown on Amazon to do a recovery of 2 amateur cavers who went into a hole that looks very similar to what you have pictured on this post. They were down there probably 3 days before SAR even got involved and it took us another 3 days to even find them. If it hadn't been for a bright red backpack lying right next to the hole we might not have found it as a large number of ferns were covering the entrance, AND it was in a thick area with thorny bushes. Not an area we would have assumed an injured hiker would have gotten into.
FYI, in their case, they had put a log across the top and tied a rope to it and used that to climb down. The log had apparently broken in the middle mid climb, or after they had climbed, as the two pieces were found at the bottom along with the bodies.
I second the comments regarding safety and knowing where something goes, and having proper equipment, support, training etc.
These bad boys last me about 2 years of weekly caving + expeditions which isn't bad for a tenner.
I did a bit of digging and I think /u/Cleverduck has mixed up the very-similar Fenix headlamps:
No worries.
For what it's worth, I think you're confusing the HM61R (which DOES say it has a magnet) with the HM65R, which does NOT state it has a magnet.
Here is another one I have been considering. https://www.amazon.com/Bundle-Nitecore-Rechargeable-Headlamp-Battery/dp/B01EICSDSQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8&th=1 What do you guys think of that one?
My primary headlamp is a H602 and my backup is an off brand I picked up on Amazon but it works surprisingly well. It's usually in my bag unless I think I'll need a headlamp with a narrow beam.
I carry a secondary BLF A6 on my harness and in my bag I have a olight s2(favorite moonlight) and Convoy c8 (my thrower). I have brighter lights but rarely take them with me because the extra light isn't worth the weight.
Most people I cave with use Sten, but you're looking at 300-400. I personally use a Fenix hp11 with eneloops. Total plus batteries & charger is around 150. Works great, you just have to be diligent about cleaning the battery box after the trip.
Zebra lights with the li-ion rechargeable is a popular light as well.