(Part 2) Top products from r/caving

What is your budget?

<$20: a good book on caving, or some batteries. Lithium AA/AAA if they don't like rechargeables, AA/AAA NiMH if they do. I've had good luck with the brand Tenergy, which is sold in bulk by AllBattery.com. They're basically cheap Chinese imports but their QA is decent. (Source: I'm a professional photographer who's used them for years.) Go for the 2,500 mAh capacity. You might also consider a decent charger. More on that shortly.

<$50: One of the best chargers on the market is this bad boy, but it's somewhat expensive and only charges 4 cells at once. However, it charges them safely (not overcharging, not charging too fast, etc, which limits long-term life), can identify bad cells, and can charge almost any cylindrical battery out there, including the far superior 18650 cell, which is important for a good headlamp or flashlight. For a good headlamp, consider the ThruNite TH10 in neutral white for $40, or the same headlamp with a battery for $15 more. Note: this light doesn't use AA/AAA batteries; it uses the 18650 battery, which is slightly larger but 4 times the capacity of an AA battery and is able to discharge power fast enough to support amazingly bright lights. Every light I'm linking here supports multiple brightness modes, with a maximum brightness around 1,000 lumens, i.e. as bright as your car's headlights. They also drop to between 0.4 lumens and 1 lumen at their lowest setting, which will last for up to 70-ish days. Yes, really. That's a nice feature to have in a cave.

<$100: A good headlamp/flashlight. Most cavers I know are old-school when it comes to flashlights because they aren't aware of some of the incredible LED and battery innovations that have occured. Most of their headlamps are either small and underpowered or huge and bulky and... still underpowered sometimes. I'd recommend a ThruNite TC-12 v2 in neutral white. It also uses an 18650 battery. The light bundle I linked includes one battery and the light is USB chargable, though that charger I linked earlier will charge the battery faster.

You can add a helmet strap if you know they use a helmet. If you're looking for a headlamp instead of a flashlight, consider the ThruNite TH10 I linked earlier or the Nitecore HC30 in neutral white which is slightly more expensive. Nitecore and ThruNite are fairly similar, though in my opinion Nitecore looks more "tactical" while ThruNite's electronics are slightly better. Both are good companies, however.

<$150: If you decide to get a light and extra batteries, don't get any battery with a brand containing the word "fire". (Those brands are known for lying about the capacities and being fire risks.) I'd recommend a 4-pack of KeepPower 3,400 mAh 18650 batteries if you're going for that kind of batteries as they're a good brand and I own them myself.

Some other considerations: a nice base layer, i.e. thermal underwear. I'd strongly recommend merino wool as it's thin, light, and warm even when it's wet. Cost: $50-$100 per item for a top or bottom/long johns. And they'll always have a warm, fuzzy feeling when they think of you. ;-)

I'm not sure why they would tell you to throw away shoes and clothing when there are proven decon procedures.

I don't have any experience with MO caves but as far as wellies go I can recommend the Servus XTP that you can commonly find at places like Tractor Supply Co for around $30. It's very popular with cavers. Or if you're looking for a cheaper and lighter option, Tingley makes a boot (31151 model) that costs $15-20 and is also very good and easy to clean because it has no cloth liner.

EDELRID - Ultralight Hardshell Helmet: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00295Z73E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_KvSkDbH471GXR
I work as a wilderness cavern guide and spend even more time caving for fun or doing various caving assignments. This helmet is great. Good suspension, good ventilation, and easy to mount higher end gear later on down the line. Been using mine for 4-5 years.

I have not been there, but my grotto all decided that we want to go within the next year. Before going, I recommend reading The Longest Cave by Roger Brucker. ( http://www.amazon.com/The-Longest-Cave-Roger-Brucker/dp/0809313227 ). Roger came out to NC and had dinner with a few of us recently and he was a really great guy.

All that being said, I now love to visit commercial caverns and visit each one I can. Yes, the tours and tourists are annoying. Cavers hate hearing the same schitck again and again. We hate hearing what the formations "look like", and all of the wrong facts they spew. But we respectfully hang out at the back and keep our mouths shut. Sometimes on smaller tours you can chat with the guides, some of which are really cool. Anything with the park service should be cool.

I would definitely drive 4 hours to do it, because I'm going to drive even further!

If your in Ontario

https://www.amazon.ca/Rockwatching-Adventures-Above-Below-Ontario/dp/1550464493

https://www.amazon.ca/Caving-Ontario-Exploring-Buried-Karst/dp/1105453634

Info for Canadian groups that can lead/teach caving experiences

http://www.cancaver.ca/canadian.htm

Main light: Princeton Tec Apex

Backup light: Olight S2A Baton

Backup backup light: Petzl e+Lite

The first two are up helmet mounted, and the third lives in my oversuit pocket.

Here in the uk I cave in a thermal undersuit and a tough cordura oversuit. I wear a Warmbac fleece and a Meander oversuit. http://www.caveclimb.com/oversuits---undersuits.html

On my feet I wear wetsuit socks (neoprene) and wellington boots, along with knee pads and sometimes elbow pads. http://www.caveclimb.com/socks,-pads,-hoods---belts.html

I have a petzl helmet and a Rude Nora 2 lamp - http://www.littlemonkeycaving.co.uk/Pages/RudeNoraII.aspx I wear gloves too.
Forget the rope for now. Find a buddy and use callout times. Take a spare light source. Read this book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alpine-Caving-Techniques-Complete-Efficient/dp/3908495105