Basic climbing gears for beginner
Ok, so you’ve been to the local gym a couple of times, renting equipment each time you go, but the stench of the rental shoes are starting to get to you. Time to start investing in some of your own gear! But where to start? Rock climbing equipment isn’t cheap and purchasing everything you need in one go would cost a bomb. So what most people do is buy their gear piece-by-piece in accordance to importance.
The most essential and personalized equipment used in rock climbing are climbing shoes. Therefore, this should be your first piece of gear that you buy. Secondly, you should get a chalkbag. They don’t cost much and buying one saves you from being labeled a chalk leech by your buddies. With these two pieces of equipment, you can go bouldering in gyms without needing to rent any gear.
The most essential and personalized equipment used in rock climbing are climbing shoes. Therefore, this should be your first piece of gear that you buy. Secondly, you should get a chalkbag. They don’t cost much and buying one saves you from being labeled a chalk leech by your buddies. With these two pieces of equipment, you can go bouldering in gyms without needing to rent any gear.
Equipments for Top-rope climbing
If you’re interested in top-rope sport climbing, the next pieces of equipment that you should invest in are a harness, a belay device, and a locking carabiner to be used with the belay device.
When choosing a harness, make sure that you test it by getting in it and being in a hanging position, as a harness that might be comfortable while you’re standing might not necessarily be comfortable when you’re hanging from it for long periods of time.
As for belay devices, a non auto-locking one like Black Diamond’s ATC or a figure-8 is would be a good choice for a first belay device. Major safety concerns exist with auto-locking belay devices such as the Petzl Gri-Gri or the Trango Cinch especially when used by inexperienced hands. Furthermore, an ATC or figure-8 will serve as an abseiling device should you decide to venture into the world of multi-pitches in the future. That’s all the equipment you will need to boulder and toprope in an indoor gym.
When choosing a harness, make sure that you test it by getting in it and being in a hanging position, as a harness that might be comfortable while you’re standing might not necessarily be comfortable when you’re hanging from it for long periods of time.
As for belay devices, a non auto-locking one like Black Diamond’s ATC or a figure-8 is would be a good choice for a first belay device. Major safety concerns exist with auto-locking belay devices such as the Petzl Gri-Gri or the Trango Cinch especially when used by inexperienced hands. Furthermore, an ATC or figure-8 will serve as an abseiling device should you decide to venture into the world of multi-pitches in the future. That’s all the equipment you will need to boulder and toprope in an indoor gym.
Equipments for sport climbing/outdoor rock climbing
If you wish to explore the world of lead sport climbing and outdoor climbing on actual rock, you will need to invest in a dynamic rope, a set of quickdraws, a daisy chain, and two locking carabiners.
When buying your first dynamic rope, go for the thickest one that your belay device can handle, as thicker ropes last longer than thinner ones. Though thinner ropes are lighter, the longer lifespan of a thick rope will be more important for most of your climbing life. As for quickdraws, a set of twelve will suffice for most routes, and be sure to get a few long ones to reduce rope drag.
There you have it! With this full sport set, you will be able to climb most routes indoor and outdoor, needing only an extra daisy chain, a few more locking carabiners and a prusik cord to climb multi-pitch sport routes.
Author: Adrian Lee
When buying your first dynamic rope, go for the thickest one that your belay device can handle, as thicker ropes last longer than thinner ones. Though thinner ropes are lighter, the longer lifespan of a thick rope will be more important for most of your climbing life. As for quickdraws, a set of twelve will suffice for most routes, and be sure to get a few long ones to reduce rope drag.
There you have it! With this full sport set, you will be able to climb most routes indoor and outdoor, needing only an extra daisy chain, a few more locking carabiners and a prusik cord to climb multi-pitch sport routes.
Author: Adrian Lee