A looped harness of tanned strap and iron rings, from which hangs a climber’s working gear: a short climbing hammer with a pick end for driving pitons and cleaning cracks, a pouch of Fine Talc for the hands, a braided line for lashing the kit into place, a pair of padded leather gloves, and a set of knee and elbow pads of rawhide. Steeplejacks, tower watchmen, mountain scouts, and the occasional burglar of well-appointed houses all carry some version of the kit; climbing rope proper is bulky enough to be a separate load and is usually carried coiled over the shoulder rather than on the harness.
The kit does not include pitons or a Grappling Hook — both are bought separately as the work requires. Pitons are consumables purchased by the handful, budgeted at roughly one per ten feet of vertical ascent; a grappling hook is a reusable tool but is commonly lost on descent when the line cannot be retrieved from above. Silk rope and a grappling hook together are enough for most urban or low-wall work, while a serious face-climb calls for pitons and the hammer from the kit. What the kit itself buys is the climber’s body-gear and tools: the straps, chalk, padding, and the hammer that drives the anchors, all carried together and ready to hand.