Friendship is built on trust, on passion, on emotion. It’s hard to describe true friendship in words – you have good times and bad times together, but your friends are always there for you. To maintain a friendship and for it to grow stronger, sometimes you need to invest time and care.

With your Friends it’s a bit like with a normal friendship between human beings. They need care and attention. You go through ups and downs and share unforgettable memories. Remember that big whipper you took on the 0.5 – scared, falling, screaming and then the soft, smooth catch when you found yourself dangling on the rope and that massive, overwhelming rush of emotion.

Keep the friendship alive. Show that you care about your Friends and invest some quality time to give them a well-deserved inspection.

1. When to clean your Friends?

A dirty camming device or SCLD (spring-loaded camming device), with stiff lobes doesn’t function as well as a smooth-triggering Friend. Ensure that when the trigger is released from any position the cams instantly return to their fully expanded position.

In general, you should clean, inspect and lubricate your Friends every time you use them. We understand that cleaning your Friends after every climbing session is kind of time consuming, but we recommend cleaning and inspect the friends at least on a regular basis.

If you have been climbing on sea cliffs then its particularly important to clean your Friends properly afterwards. The salty environment can accelerate corrosion, something you definitely don’t want on your protection.

4. How to clean your Friends?

• Water temperature around 40°C
• Add a small amount of mild dishwashing detergent
• Take care not to get the textile slings wet
• Use your old toothbrush to clean all the dust and dirt from the springs, axles and cam lobes
• Trigger Friend several times under water
• Rinse off Friend with clean water
• Dry off excess water carefully, using a clean rag
• Leave your Friends to dry on some clean newspaper or cardboard
• Allow to dry thoroughly dry away from direct heat before lubrication

Which Friends we can re-sling
The sling can only be replaced if the camming device passes inspection.
Before you send them in, we recommend that you inspect your Friend in accordance to the user instructions and inspection criteria that was supplied when you purchased it. These are also available on our website.

Please note, we can only re-sling Wild Country products. Furthermore, this is a re-slinging service only and not a re-triggering service. If your triggers need replacing, see our Trigger Repair Kits.

Pricing & Shipping
Please send in your slings for re-slinging well in advance of your next climbing trip.
While we aim to complete your re-slinging as quickly as possible, during busy times this service may take up to 4 weeks from when we receive your units

Friend re-slinging service costs 16€ per sling, plus reverse shipment of 14€ (for orders with a maximum of 10 units. For more units we will calculate shipment and inform you).

At the moment, the service covers exclusively the geographic area of continental Europe – Schengen area. We are working to enlarging the service throughout Europe shortly.

Ready to have your best Friends’ slings replaced? Just fill out the form below!

2. When to inspect your Friends?

If you’ve taken a big fall on a piece, check it to ensure that the trigger still works, that there are no cracks or deformations on the cam lobe and that the stem is not bent.

Here are our full inspection guidelines.

3. Our full inspection guidelines 

Follow our step-by-step instructions. 

4. When should I retire my quickdraws?

To decide this, you need to divide your quickdraws into their different parts and inspect them separately.

Here you see three non-locking carabiners, one wire gate and two solid gate, three dogbone quickdraw slings (runner) and some rubber vices that prevent the lower biner from twisting.

11. How to check the extendable sling

• Check that all bar tacks are present and that there are no loose/open stitching threads
• Check for any cuts or abrasion
• If your Friends are in good condition, but the sling is damaged → send the friend back to us, and we’ll re-sling your friend for you
• The sling can only be replaced if the camming device passes inspection

12. How to apply lubricant

• Place your Friends on newspaper, paper towel or cardboard to prevent mess
• Use a Teflon, silicone or a wax-based lubricant
• Avoid oil based lubricants as they collect dirt faster
• Apply to the springs, axles, and between the side plates
• Squeeze the trigger to work the lubricant along the axle and into the cams
• Take care not to get any lubricant on the sling
• You can always cover the sling in a plastic bag
• Wipe off any excess

If your Friends' sling is damaged, send the Friend back to us, and we’ll substitute the sling so you can keep on trusting your best Friends.

Others from the Beta Talks series

1. When to clean your friends?
2. When to inspect your friends?
3. Our full inspection guidelines
4. How to clean your friends?
5. How old is your friend?
6. Main functions inspection

7. Cam lobes
8. Cam lobes – Axle connection
9. How to check the triggers on your friends?
10. How to check the stem?
11. How to check the extendable sling
12. How to apply lubricant

1. How to look after your quickdraws

Let’s start with some good practise: Don’t throw your quickdraws (quickies, extenders) down into the sand/dust/ dirt, this might affect gate function and or cause dust to collect dust on the spring.

Make sure to use always the same carabiner (from the German term ‘Karabinerhaken’ or ‘Karabiner’ for short) to clip bolt hangers. And stick with your system. If you lend your draws to a friend, make sure you tell them about it.

2. Why care is needed with clipping bolts

Bolt hangers, pitons and rock are far harder than the aluminium used to make carabiners. When a biner is loaded this can lead to gauging the inner surface of the carabiner, leaving small rough burrs and score-marks.

These small burrs, which you might barely feel, can damage the sheath of a rope relatively quickly. Especially if you are say, working a sequence on a sport climbing project.

3. What about fixed gear/ in-situ quickdraws?

Another critical point is fixed draws left in-situ on overhanging sport routes. They might have been hanging there for a while and you have no idea of the condition they are in. Quickdraws get worn over time, leaving sharp edges and burrs that could seriously damage a rope during a fall.

Treat any in situ gear with suspicion. Always check the carabiner for grooves or burr and the slings for faded colours, abrasion, or cuts. Remember, even a comprehensive visual check cannot provide definitive information about its structural integrity.

5. How old is your Friend?

• Check the batch number on the inner cam lobes and on the webbing label
• Important: lifespan always depends on individual usage
• Webbing also can be damaged by a bad whipper
• Whilst the maximum lifespan of metal products have no defined time limit (continued use is subject to satisfactory user inspection), the textile sling has a maximum lifespan of 10 years from date of manufacture (subject to satisfactory user inspection). Establish age of the sewn sling using the sling’s serial number as above. The sling can only be replaced if the cam passes inspection.

11. How to check the extendable sling

• Check that all bar tacks are present and that there are no loose/open stitching threads
• Check for any cuts or abrasion
• If your Friends are in good condition, but the sling is damaged → send the friend back to us, and we’ll re-sling your friend for you
• The sling can only be replaced if the camming device passes inspection

12. How to apply lubricant

• Place your Friends on newspaper, paper towel or cardboard to prevent mess
• Use a Teflon, silicone or a wax-based lubricant
• Avoid oil based lubricants as they collect dirt faster
• Apply to the springs, axles, and between the side plates
• Squeeze the trigger to work the lubricant along the axle and into the cams
• Take care not to get any lubricant on the sling
• You can always cover the sling in a plastic bag
• Wipe off any excess

Keep an eye on your Friends – and get your (other) friends to check theirs too.

Spread the love. Share the beta.

Others from the Beta Talks series

Others from the Beta Talks series

Keep an eye on your Friends – and get your (other) friends to check theirs too.

Spread the love. Share the beta.

2. When to inspect your Friends?

If you’ve taken a big fall on a piece, check it to ensure that the trigger still works, that there are no cracks or deformations on the cam lobe and that the stem is not bent.

Here are our full inspection guidelines.

3. Our full inspection guidelines 

Follow our step-by-step instructions. 

5. How old is your Friend?

• Check the batch number on the inner cam lobes and on the webbing label
• Important: lifespan always depends on individual usage
• Webbing also can be damaged by a bad whipper
• Whilst the maximum lifespan of metal products have no defined time limit (continued use is subject to satisfactory user inspection), the textile sling has a maximum lifespan of 10 years from date of manufacture (subject to satisfactory user inspection). Establish age of the sewn sling using the sling’s serial number as above. The sling can only be replaced if the cam passes inspection.

 To the re-sling form