Gifts For Cavers: Tough, Small and Rope-Made

Cavers are a funny bunch. They crawl into wet holes in the dark, on purpose, and call it a good weekend. If you are stuck on gifts for cavers, you are in the right place.

Here is the thing I love about them. Their whole sport hangs off rope. Ladders, pitches, hauling bags, safety lines. And all of it gets worn out in the mud.

Why is it so hard to buy gifts for cavers?

Because their kit is wet, muddy and expensive, and they already have a favourite brand of everything. Nobody wants a fancy gift that ends up in a cave bag with a pasty.

So skip the kit. Buy something small they will actually carry every day. Something tough that does not mind a bit of grit.

What makes a good gift for a caver?

Three things: it is tough, it is small, and it has a story. Rope ticks all three. Every Forma piece is made from climbing rope that was retired from a real climbing wall. Same kind of nylon cavers trust with their lives, just given a second go.

What are the best gifts for cavers from Forma?

For a few quid, a rope keychain is the easy win. The hold keychain is £5 and looks like a climbing hold. The heart one is £2.90, good for a stocking.

Want to spend a bit more? The carabiner keychain is £15. It clips on the cave bag and takes a battering. A rope bracelet is £12, made to their wrist size.

Cavers also like a proper recycled climbing rope belt, from £25, made to their exact waist. Great for the long drive home. You can see everything on the gifts for climbers page, as most cavers happily share a rope habit with climbers.

Where does the rope come from?

Climbing walls around the UK. Ropes retire after 5 to 10 years, even if they look fine, because the core wears where you cannot see it. Most of it ends up in a bin. I am a certified waste man, so I take it, wash it and make it into something useful in my workshop in Aberdeen.

Nylon takes hundreds of years to break down. So every belt or keychain is a wee bit of rope that did not go to landfill. Less waste. More miles.

Stay classy and remember,
Make Waste Useful.

George