I do pullups and chin ups on a loose pipe that I laid between two main floor truss joists in my basement mechanical room. It takes extra grip to keep it from rolling out of my hands. Works well to build grip strength.

I concur - grip is a game changer, certainly; farmer's carry is what comes to mind (ammo carry is what we used to call it). my point is in repetition and stamina over mass - was a salient point in ranger training - being able to pick up weight is important, but more important is being able to effectively carry it over distance, and this is not something typically seen with body building; power lifting can be a bit of a different thing for certain if used in addition to conditioning, that's all im saying.