Moac Second Generation

Original Vintage John Brailsford Moac Nuts

Moac – Created by Sheffield blacksmith, John Brailsford, the M.O.A.C. was one of the first ever purpose designed nuts for rock climbing,(the first being the Acorn – also invented by Brailsford.) Chockstones and machined nuts were the norm up to the point when MOAC’s first appeared in 1962.

The first batch were cast in Manchester and finished by Peter Gentil. At the time a guy called Ellis Brigham owned a chain of outdoor shops in the UK which had an import section called Mountain Activities and the first two letters of each word were used to create the name of this new nut – the MOAC – as Brigham had backed the first production run as a financial gamble which seemed to have paid off because millions must have been sold and fifty years later

Some of the older climbers are still using them. Remember to change the rope in the very early Moacs. The first versions were more rounded at the four corners and there were smaller production versions later on. They could also be filed down to fit smaller cracks.

In U.K. in the early 1960s John Brailsford designed the first MOAC style nuts. Ellis Brigham Sporting Goods began producing and selling the nuts naming them MOAC for “Mountain Activities”. Originally the nut was made in one size with the idea that climbers could modify the taper and width as needed. In the early 1970s Ellis Brigham began offering sizes #1 through #4 both wired and slung.

Condition: Used