Replacing of gear after 5 years

[Jan Viljoen]

I'd like to know how many climbers replace their soft gear (harness, ropes, slings) strictly every 5 years. Also, I've got this \"spare\" 9mm that's hardly been used, but it's close to 5 years, should I replace it as well? Will this still be suitable for making slings to back up trad abseil points?

[eza]

The 5 years is just a something to go by you don’t necessarily have to change your gear every 5 years. You must look for wear and tear, cuts in the fabric, allot of fraying and so on. So if you look after your gear well it might not be necessary to change it every 5 years, but it works the other way as well if you have not looked after your gear then you might even have to change before the 5 year mark. To see if your gear needs replacing go to http://www.petzl.com/petzl/frontoffice/ ... tion=Sport
And click on checking for ppe, and then select the type of gear you want to check. I always say rather safe than sorry.

[phyrexicaid]

I thought a ropes life was 10 years max, going by my Beal 60m. Storage age + usage age <10 years. Maximum usage is then given in the rope's instructions, something like:
weekend use: 3 - 6 months etc