Rules Of Climbing Booty

I’ve never understood the debates about whether or not gear you find on climbing routes is booty. I’ve always figured that anything I leave behind will probably be taken/picked up/cleaned up by someone else. So my expectation is anything I leave will be gone the next time I get there.

That’s a view not held by many climbers. Here’s a set of rules for booty discussed in a climbing forum. Some of them are:

“If you leave it for any reason other than assisting in a rescue it is booty as soon as you leave the parking lot unless you make it known that you will be back the next day to retrieve it.
if you plan on getting it the next day BE THERE BY 6:00AM! Don’t show up at 4:00pm and start crying when you can’t find your shwagg.

Stuff you find in the parking lot is Not booty. It is lost and found material.
Any and All gear that is left or misplaced in the course of a rescue including the victims gear is NOT booty and will be collected and returned to rightful owners.

Asking for your gear back is bad form and shows a lack of self respect.
If the finder of your shwag offers to return it you may accept but if you do you will lose face. Buying them a six pack or case will help but in some cases still not completely erase the honor debt. If they offer , you refuse and they offer again and you accept it’s much better but you should still buy them a drink and you still lost face just not as much face.”