What Gear is Required to Rock Climb?
What kind of rock climbing gear for beginners do you need? The simple answer to that question is: None! If you want to get started as a climber, all you need to do is head down to your local climbing gym, fill out a waiver, take a bouldering orientation, and hop on your first climb in your street shoes- all in under thirty minutes. Simple, right?
Well… the fact is while you can start climbing indoors without any equipment, it wouldn’t be something I’d recommend. If you want to get the most out of your climbing time, there are a few key pieces of gear that will make your first experience more successful – and a lot more fun!
And if you want to keep climbing, there are a number of upgrades along the way that will enhance your experience and give you access to the near limitless adventures this amazing activity has to offer. Let’s us discuss all the basic equipment you’ll want to get the most from climbing at your local gym.
Climbing Shoes
The first piece of rock climbing gear for beginners I recommend for new climbers is a pair of climbing shoes. While it is possible to climb in street shoes, the experience is rarely pleasant and your performance will suffer. The reason is simple – street shoes aren’t designed for climbing. When used on the wall, or a cliff, they are slippery and unsupportive, which makes standing on smaller, oddly-shaped footholds tricky at best. This, in turn, forces you to over-rely on your grip strength, rather than your balance, to make progress. That means you’ll tire out much faster than you should.
Form-Fitting
Climbing shoes, on the other hand, have two key features that will immediately improve your ability to stand on those footholds: First, they are form-fitting. This means that, properly sized, a climbing shoe will be almost exactly the length and width of your foot, with no additional material around the edges. As a result, when you stand on a foothold, you can precisely control how and where you place your weight for the greatest advantage.
If you were to climb in a running shoe, or a sneaker, for instance, the extra padding on the sole (the cushion) makes it difficult to impossible to feel the hold you’re standing on. Worse, all that extra material is flexible, meaning that, as you try to weight the hold, the sole of your shoe bends or folds, leading to slips and falls off of all but the largest footholds.
In contrast, a climbing shoe has a thin, stiff sole which allows you to feel the best part of a foothold to stand on and the best position of your foot. What’s more, the stiffer sole helps to keep your shoe in place, providing proper support and weight-distribution to comfortably stand on even the smallest holds.
Rubber
Second, and perhaps more important, climbing shoes offer something that few other shoes have – sticky rubber. Invented in the 1970s, this game-changing technology allows climbers to stand comfortably on even the smallest footholds and divots, increasing the friction between shoe and hold and dramatically reducing the risk of slippage. They are a must-have for anyone looking to climb their best.
Of course, at this point, you are probably wondering how much you’ll have to shell out for a pair of these marvelous inventions? Luckily, as with the rest of the basic gear we’ll discuss, climbing gyms offer rental shoes for a few dollars per visit. So, you can test them out with minimal investment.
That being said, if you decide that climbing is your new thing, upgrading your shoes would be my first recommended purchase. Rental shoes are designed to be comfortable and durable for the widest variety of people. As a result, they frequently compromise performance – both in fit and friction – in favor of longevity and mass appeal. For more information on how to choose your first pair of climbing shoes, click here.
Now, we can move on to the second recommended piece of rock climbing gear for beginners I’d recommend.
A Chalk Bag
The use of chalk in rock climbing dates back to the 1950s when it was introduced by the world-class gymnast, and godfather of modern bouldering, John Gill. Gymnasts had long used chalk to keep their hands dry during their routines – John figured, it might help climbers too.
And, of course, it does just that. Climbers, though, need to bring their chalk with them, especially on longer routes. So, the chalk bag was invented. Chalk bags come in various shapes and sizes – from tiny little bags you can just fit your fingers in, to large “buckets” that you can dig into up to your elbows.
But the basic concept is the same for all of them: you get a soft, fleece-lined bag to store your chalk in, complete with a drawstring to prevent spillage and (usually) a belt or carabiner to hook the back onto your rear for easy access while you’re climbing. Most climbing gyms will rent you a chalk bag along with your shoes. But if they don’t, don’t worry. A basic chalk bag will run you $20-30 and will last you a lifetime if you take care of it. Even though chalk is not a requirement, sweaty hands are slippery hands. You’ll be grateful for every bit of extra friction that magic drying powder brings.
Now, if you’re happy just bouldering in your local gym, you’ve got all the gear you need for years of fun. But if you are interested in exploring the taller walls, you’ll need at least one more thing.
Climbing Harness
If you want to rope up and get “off the ground”, as we say, you will need a climbing harness of some sort to attach to. Modern harnesses serve two purposes: first, they provide an attachment point for a rope (or belay device) which will keep you off the ground when you fall; second, they make hanging around on the rope more comfortable than the old-school alternative – simply tying the rope around your waist!
Like shoes, and a chalk bag, you can rent a harness at your local gym for the price of a cup of coffee. However, if you intend to spend any significant time on the ropes, I strongly recommend you upgrade from a rental harness at your earliest opportunity, The reason for this is, in a word, comfort.
Comfort
Rental harnesses are designed with safety and cost-effectiveness in mind – and comfort is a distant third priority. All safety equipment in climbing has to pass rigorous testing requirements before it can be sold. As such, all harnesses- rentals or otherwise- have to meet the same standards of durability and load. But what will set apart your first personal harness from a rental is … padding.
Gym harnesses typically have little to no padding, being made exclusively of webbing. They will- when used properly- have no trouble keeping you off the ground. But, over time, sitting in most rental harnesses can get uncomfortable as both the waistbelt and the leg loops can cause hot spots on the waist and thighs, respectively.
Your first upgrade to a personal harness, however, will give you access to padding in both those areas. In addition, the waistbelt itself will be wider and contoured to fit your back. This distributes your weight more evenly, providing better support and reducing potential pain-points when sitting on the rope for longer periods of time.
Other Perks
There are other perks to a personal harness – from quick-release buckles to extra belay loops – which are beyond the scope of this article. But one additional benefit worth mentioning are “gear loops.” These are little, extra loops (usually made of cord or plastic) that hang off the sides of the harness around the waistbelt. Their function is to give you a place to hang other useful pieces of gear – like a belay device or some quick draws – so that they are easily accessible when you need them, and don’t fall to the ground when you don’t.
Of course, if you are ready to give roped climbing a try, you’ll need someone to hold the rope for you (known as “belaying”). And since you don’t want to be selfish, you should probably learn to belay yourself so you can return the favor. Let’s get to the last piece of gear you’ll need for top-roping.
Belay Device (with a Carabiner!)
Back in the early days of climbing, belaying was a much more challenging activity than it is today. Back then, holding the rope, literally meant “holding the rope.” And belaying was done by wrapping the rope around your waist and using brute strength and body-weight to hold your climber.
Then, in the early 1970s, the first mechanical belay device- called the Sticht plate – came on the market, making belaying much simpler and less stressful. The Sticht plate functioned like a simple pulley, utilizing the principle of mechanical advantage to allow belayers to hold their climbers with relative ease.
Evolving
Over the years, the basic design of the belay device has evolved into two broad categories: passive belay devices (like the ATC-XP) and brake-assisted belay devices (like the Gri-Gri). Like all the other gear we’ve discussed, your local climbing gym will rent you an appropriate device (with a locking carabiner to attach it with) if you want to try the ropes – after you’ve been trained to belay, of course! Which device you get will depend on the gym’s policies. And you will be required to demonstrate you’re competent on that device in order to use it.
When you are ready to upgrade, and purchase your own device, there are a few things to keep in mind:
Cost
Passive devices, like an ATC-style device, will run you anywhere from $25 – 50, and are significantly less expensive than their brake-assisted alternatives, which can cost over $100.
Features
Passive devices all use a version of the game principle that the original Sticht-plates used. They are functional and relatively simple to learn, and have the added advantage of being usable for rappelling if you decide to give outdoor climbing a try.
Brake-assisted devices, on the other hand, have a slightly steeper learning curve. This is, in part, because they have moving parts which pinch the rope during a fall, holding it (mostly) in place to relieve the strain on the belayer while holding the rope (hence the “assist” in brake-assist). This feature is quite nice, though, for when your climbers want to hang out for an extended period to sort out how to climb their newest project.
For most new climbers, I recommend your first belay device be the same as the one you were trained on – if you learned on an ATC, then that’s the one to buy; if you learned on a Gri-gri, start with that. Nearly all accidents involving belaying are a result of operator error – i.e. the belayer fails to use their device properly. Sticking with one that you are familiar with reduces the risk of making a mistake that could put your climber in jeopardy.
Proper Training
A final word on belay devices: There is a perception amongst some in the indoor climbing community that brake-assisted devices are somehow less risky than passive ones. This, however, is not borne out by the facts. Accidents involving belay devices of any kind are relatively rare, and there’s little evidence that they occur more frequently on one style vs. the other. When accidents do occur, they are, as we have said, the result of a belayer failing to use the device properly as intended. The best way to prevent accidents is proper training on the device you are using. So, whichever device you choose, get professional instruction on how to use it!
Now you know all the basic gear you need to get started climbing. With the gear we’ve so far discussed you’ll be ready to tackle any boulder problem, or route, at your local gym for years to come.
But, for the sake of completeness, if you want to get the most out of your local climbing gym, there is one more piece of equipment you should know about.
Lead Rope (Optional Gear)
Many new climbers are unaware that there are two ways to climb the tall walls at your favorite gym: top-roping and lead climbing. Top-roping is by far the most common option for new climbers. In this case, the middle of the rope goes through an anchor at the top of the climb, with each end hanging down to the floor – one for the climber to attach to, the other for the belayer.
But there is another way to get the rope up there – take it with you! Lead climbing is a style of ascent where the rope starts in a pile on the floor. The climber ties into one end, with the belayer attached nearby. The climber then starts up the wall, dragging the rope behind them, clipping into anchors (called quickdraws) periodically along the way, until they reach the anchor at the top.
Skilled Climbers
Lead climbing is one of the most exciting styles of climbing; but it is an advanced skill, requiring additional training and experience to do responsibly. Luckily, once again, your neighborhood climbing gym will likely be able to provide that training – along with the equipment – you need to complete it. Unlike the basic equipment we’ve already discussed, however, not all gyms will rent you a climbing rope. Some do, some don’t, depending on their internal policies.
But, regardless, should you decide to get into leading, I strongly recommend you purchase your own lead rope. Like all the other gear we’ve discussed, climbing ropes all must meet extremely high-quality standards to even be sold in the U.S. What differentiates one rope from another, therefore, comes down to the following three things: length, diameter and “hand.”
Specs
The length of a rope (measured in meters) determines where you can use it: a rope needs to be at least twice as long as the tallest wall you plan to climb, otherwise you won’t reach the ground when you lower off the top! The diameter of a rope (measured in millimeters) determines which belay devices are appropriate to use with it and plays a role in how durable it is. There is a trade-off here: “thicker” ropes are a bit more abrasion-resistant, but will often move less smoothly through your belay device, which can be more tiring for the belayer and more annoying for your climber.
Hand
The hand of a rope refers to its suppleness, which also affects the smoothness of the belay. Ropes with a better hand are less stiff and, therefore, move more smoothly through the belay device, reducing the work a belayer must do to take in or feed out rope.
This may make it sound like choosing the right rope is a complicated process. But, in reality, the differences have a relatively minor impact on performance. And, if you’re starting to lead in a gym, there’s only one truly important factor – the length.
Length
In the U.S., indoor climbing gyms are generally between 30-55 feet tall. As a result, the standard length for a “gym” rope is 40M (~120 feet). Most gyms only carry one type of gym rope. So, you’re unlikely to have much choice about diameters or hand. Buy the one your gym offers and you are off to the races!
Of course, if you are looking for a rope that will work for the outdoors – or both – you will need to make a few more decisions.
Outdoors
One final word of caution, on that note: a gym lead rope is unsuitable for most outdoor applications. The main reason is that 40m is too short to be safely used at most cliffs. So, please don’t purchase or use a gym lead rope for outdoor climbing.
And that’s it for the gear you’ll want to make your indoor climbing experience the best it can be. Stay tuned for our next article in this series: What Gear Do You Need to climb Outdoors.
Remember: Climbing is Dangerous! Always seek professional instruction before using any of the equipment or advice referenced in this blog.
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