please help: which via ferrata lanyard do I buy??? and shoe suggestions

I will be backpacking through the Dolomites for a month. This means lots of via ferratas. What's the safest, easiest to use via ferrata lanyard? Do you prefer the ones with a built in rest sling or do you like attaching your own slings to rest. Also..I can only take one pair of trail shoes- some suggestions for those that performed well for you on via ferrata and trails would be great!

You can’t go wrong with the 5.10 Guide Tennies. 

It kind of depends on how hard you plan to climb.
There are basically two types of lanyards; those that are like a screamer and good from one fall,or the other which runs through a friction plate that can be use over and over.
The screamer types are more compact, and are easier to tuck away for the walking sections.
The friction plates ones tend to be cheaper.
The other difference is the type of biner used; some are just a quick locking type, the other looks more like a fall arrest biner.
I prefer the simpler quick locking, as you can re-use these elsewhere.
You can add a daisy, or PAS quite easily.
Also, the biggest problem you'll probably encounter is that via ferratas have become quite popular, and you'll end up being chased by French, Italians, Germans,etc.
Take a helmet.

A solid climber can get away with a couple meters of rope and a couple locking biners.  With this setup you'll occasionally find yourself in "no fall" territory.

Agree with being "chased" that why I want to go very early!!!

JaredG wrote: A solid climber can get away with a couple meters of rope and a couple locking biners.  With this setup you'll occasionally find yourself in "no fall" territory.

This is bad advice for someone looking for via ferrata lanyards.

Get the cheapest, retractable (bungee-style), screamer style lanyards you can find. You don't want to fall, but you want something that will work if you do. I've got the Camp Vortex Rewind... and they're fine.

JaredG wrote: A solid climber can get away with a couple meters of rope and a couple locking biners.

Recall that you can have fall factors in the 5 or 6 range, which can break biners even with a dynamic rope.

  With this setup you'll occasionally find yourself in "no fall" territory.

Like most of the time?

Learn to make a double landyard from a webolette and two biners, that way you could use it for other things and it lighter and cheeper. Then get some 5:10 camp four gtx high tops and go ape crazy

steveoxley oxley wrote: Learn to make a double landyard from a webolette and two biners, that way you could use it for other things and it lighter and cheeper.

No! A VF fall can be a fall factor 5 or more. The VF lanyards must be shock absorbing. 

Marc801 C wrote: Recall that you can have fall factors in the 5 or 6 range, which can break biners even with a dynamic rope.

I've heard this from reputable sources, so I believe it, but I've never seen an explanation of the physics. Any explanation or links?

I've used both the BD Easy Rider and Iron Cruiser and the Petzl Veritgo.

Main differences is how the biners open.  You might look at them or try them and see which works best for how you like to clip and unclip.  The Easy Rider has the unlock feature on the bottom back, while the other two are unlocked by fingering down the lock on the gate.  Might made a difference especially with gloves on (get gloves!).

The Petzl version has the middle arm you can use as a short tether (I think they have the patent on that).  I add a tether for the BD models.  

They are all very functional.  I own all three and trade amongst them, not having a favorite.

Don't fall.  Even with a shock absorber, a fall on some/most via ferratas would be severe.  Rest with a lanyard to avoid getting silly pumped.

Cheers!

David Kerkeslager wrote:

I've heard this from reputable sources, so I believe it, but I've never seen an explanation of the physics. Any explanation or links?

Link

David Kerkeslager wrote:

I've heard this from reputable sources, so I believe it, but I've never seen an explanation of the physics. Any explanation or links?

In typical roped climbing you can't go higher than a factor 2 fall - falling twice the distance of the amount of rope out, i.e. falling off with no gear in and all the weight going onto your belayer.  An example is if you have 20 feet of slack paid out and you fall 40 feet.  40/20 = 2

In VF, if you build a lanyard with 3 feet of dynamic rope and fall 15 feet before you are caught on the next anchor point, this is a factor 5 fall (15/3 = 5).  That is going to generate enough force to make your insides feel very not great.

Brent D wrote:

In typical roped climbing you can't go higher than a factor 2 fall - falling twice the distance of the amount of rope out, i.e. falling off with no gear in and all the weight going onto your belayer.  An example is if you have 20 feet of slack paid out and you fall 40 feet.  40/20 = 2

In VF, if you build a lanyard with 3 feet of dynamic rope and fall 15 feet before you are caught on the next anchor point, this is a factor 5 fall (15/3 = 5).  That is going to generate enough force to make your insides feel very not great.

I think the part I wasn't understanding about VF was that you fall to the last bolt--I've never done a VF so I thought you clipped to the rungs, not a cable. With this new info the physics are intuitive.

JaredG wrote: A solid climber can get away with a couple meters of rope and a couple locking biners.  With this setup you'll occasionally find yourself in "no fall" territory.

In via ferrata, it's possible to take fall factors in excess of FF5. Taking that on a rope will give you an early dirt nap. Via ferrata lanyards exist for a reason. Even the carabiners are different. The UIAA certification for a via ferrata carabiner is completely different than one used for roped climbing. Right tool for the right job.  If you're going to use fall protection equipment, dont ghetto rig it and use the correct gear or find you may yourself with an extended visit in the ICU (if you're lucky).

julio412 wrote: There are basically two types of lanyards; those that are like a screamer and good from one fall,or the other which runs through a friction plate that can be use over and over.

The latest certifications require a higher variation in weight, which means the screamer type are currently only made. The friction plate does not have a wide enough weight rating (you can't easily reset it and it does damage the rope).

I would just buy or rent a set from a store there. Plenty of places to get them. 

The fall factors on via ferratae can be enormous, I´ve been on ones where the cable is 20m between supports (I actually make some equipment for building them). It´s only the newer ones that have the stanchions around 5m apart. The friction lanyards are extinct, they can´t get through the new standard (I actually use one myself but that´s because I can test the friction myself). Any screamer one will do.
The karabiners have to withstand being levered over the stanchions so are far more robust than climbing ones, a stated above it´s just a question of how you like the unlocking action. The Cadillac of via ferrata gear is the Skylotec Rider 3 as one of the karabiners is actually a progress capture system that works on steel cables and all the rest the usual Skylotec impeccable quality. The price is matching!
You need gloves, those steel cables can be vicious!
Forget Guide tennies and other stupid ideas, buy a European made boot specifically made for the job, there are plenty available like La Sportiva Boulder X of similar. Low boots in the Dolomites are a pain unless you enjoy stones in your shoes and smashing your ankles on funny bits of metal sticking out of the rock, I use mid-height boots.

Jim Titt wrote: ... The Cadillac of via ferrata gear is the Skylotec Rider 3 as one of the karabiners is actually a progress capture system that works on steel cables and all the rest the usual Skylotec impeccable quality...

Unless this is a newer, improved version, it's really useful for difficult sections, for the rest, pushing the thing on the cable and moving past anchor points is a PITA. Also seen reports of not working too well on some of the thin wires in the Dolomites...

Your choice of footwear is unlikely to make a difference of life and death, most outdoor footwear will work. I've only done one Via Ferrata, and I used a pair of approach shoes on it which worked ok. But if I were to do it again, I'd probably go with a pair of hiking shoes with lugged soles. The reason is that sticky rubber does not stick to polished (from many hands and feet) metal rungs as well as some people think. While I was fine with my approach shoes, the shallow tread pattern of the approach shoes actually felt pretty slick on the metal rungs. Lugged soles like on some old-school hiking boots will likely feel more secure than smooth soles.

How important are via ferrata socks?

https://www.rei.com/product/114121/darn-tough-via-ferrata-micro-crew-cushion-hiking-socks-mens?CAWELAID=120217890003543010&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=18371946280&CATCI=aud-54816614184:pla-280929452343&cm_mmc=PLA_Google|404_31114|1141210001|none|fb1f88a9-d350-41e7-9671-fda38b045b24|aud-54816614184:pla-280929452343&lsft=cm_mmc:PLA_Google_LIA|404_31114|1141210001|none|fb1f88a9-d350-41e7-9671-fda38b045b24&kclid=fb1f88a9-d350-41e7-9671-fda38b045b24&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5cTtsJn32wIVGJ7ACh0RKAEVEAQYASABEgIWivD_BwE

Then just girth it to a screamer