I pre-tied all of my stuff because I feel like the time it'd take to tie those knots might make all the difference.[/QUOTE said:
I disagree. A water knot, clove hitch, or an overhand knot should take well under a minute for anyone competent enough to use the equipment suggested. The versatility of untied slings in the sorts of anchors that you build in river environments outweighs the moment that it takes to tie a water knot (or overhand Yosemite Death Knot with 12" tails if you want to save a few seconds). So often that sling needs to be tied around a tree, and girth hitching slings together uses twice the material and just as much time. Prussiks that are intended to only serve as Prussiks is a situation where I can see some convenience with pre-tying knots, but I still use that cord as anchors, to tie boats together, to fix things, etc. so I still prefer it untied for convenience.
Most people I know tend to pre-tie their slings and such, and I guess it's a matter of preference, but I think rescue is generally more efficient with anchor webbing left untied and quickly accessible.
I don't carry pulleys, just 5-6 big pears with locks that are easy to operate with cold hands or gloves. Plenty o' webbing (1" tubular"), 2 prussik cords (small enough to grip the throw rope on my body - there is a proper ratio for this), my knife, and a second small knife in a different location. Remember, some types of cordage fail at relatively low temperatures - a problem for a frictious device like a prussik - so sacrifice some breaking strength for the right material. I usually don't use prussiks on my first attempt at a z or c to z system. Fast is simple and you can always add a prussik to the tight line and build from there if it won't move the pin enough.
One other suggestion; be able to tie the following FAST and DRESSED: overhand, figure eight, directional figure eight, water knot, double fisherman's knot, butterfly knot, Yosemite Death knot, Prussik hitch, clove hitch, Munter hitch, trucker's hitch, and girth hitch. If you can tie any of these without thinking about it with ice-cold hands in the dark, then you are prepared to build the systems that all of these pieces of equipment are intended for.