protection/gear

Question
Yes, I was wondering what RP's are? I know they are some kind of pro of some sort, but I can't say I've every seen any or used any before.(or have they just slipped past me?)
I'd appreciate it if you could fill me in.
Thanks.

Answer
RP's are a brand name for artificial chock stones. Like Stoppers, Rocks, Walnuts, Offsets, etc, it is the name given by the manufacturer, Pacific Crossing.

Typically RP's were small to micro sized brass alloy nuts, similar to the BlackDiamond copper/steel nut made today.
RP's were used, almost to the exclusion of any other micro nut, in Yosemite to push the frontier of what was possible with clean aid climbing in the late '70s, '80s, and early '90s.  

With the huge growth of the sport of climbing in the 1990's, many other companies began producing micro nuts similar to the RP.

The initialls R.P. actually stand for something, but I do not recall what at this point.

Frank