What equipment do I need for rock climbing?
Equipment list for all styles of climbing:
| Shoes | La Sportiva Finale TC Pro |
| Belay Device | Petzl GriGri |
| Climbing Harness | Black Diamond Momentum Harness |
| Bouldering Gear For Beginners | Mad Rock Mad Pad |
| Rope | Sterling Evolution Velocity Dynamic |
| Rock Climbing Helmet | Black Diamond Vapor Helmet |
| Sport Climbing Equipment Quickdraws | CAMP USA Dyon Express KS Quickdraw – 6-Pack |
| Trad Rack | Black Diamond Camalot Package DMM Alloy Offset Nuts |
I was taking some friends rock climbing for the first time and the most common thing they asked me was “what is ALL the rock climbing equipment I need”?
Some of my friends had seen some of the best rock climbing movies like Free Solo, Cliffhanger, and The Dawn Wall. So they had a much different perception of what rock climbing was like.
But depending on the style of climbing you’re doing, you’re probably going to need your gear.
Luckily we have tested a ton of gear including the best climbing ropes, the best climbing nuts, a the best climbing cams, and maybe even the best crash pads.
The rock climbing equipment needed to climb varies from day-to-day, depending on the style of climbing. The climbing gear I bring to the gym for a day of hard bouldering is entirely different than my rack of climbing gear for an AMGA Exam.
What gear do I need for the climbing gym?
- Climbing shoes
- Belay device
- Climbing harness
- Chalk bag
- Rope (for lead climbing)
Climbing at the gym means we’ll either boulder or climb with climbing ropes. If we’re bouldering, we only need shoes and a chalk bag! The La Sportiva Finale is our favorite pair of shoes for the gym.
But if you watch any professional climbing competition, you will see competitors wear the La Sportiva Solution. The solutions could be the answer to the bouldering problems. Grab a chalk bucket for your bouldering sesh and a bag for enduro training days.
What is the best belay device for rock climbing?
I’m a huge fan of the Petzl GriGri. It is expensive and heavy, but all of the positive features outweigh those two negatives. It is an assisted braking belay device, which means that there is a mechanical component to the device that cinches the rope in the event of a fall.
I use mine all the time whenever I’m climbing and I continue to find new uses for it. However, beginners should use a tube-style device like the Black Diamond ATC. These devices instill proper belay technique.
Do I need a rope for the climbing gym?
Many gyms are now requiring you to bring your own rope for lead climbing. One of my newest additions has been the Edelrid Eco Boa 9.8mm 40 m rope. And so far I’m loving it. The Boa is a bit stretchier than other climbing ropes I’ve used in the past, but thankfully there aren’t too many ledges to fall on in the climbing gym.
What’s unique about the Eco Boa is that the sheath on every edition of this rope is different. Edelrid takes leftover yarn and creates the sheath with no splices. Every Eco Boa that is produced is a limited edition and one of a kind!
Having a rope bag is very convenient if you are lugging a rope to and from the gym. The bag helps keep the rope organized, clean, and safe. Easy transportation is a huge plus too. Many sport climbers take their outdoor rope in a rope bag because the bag can double as a tarp.
In the outdoors, I always rest my climbing rope on a tarp or rope bag to help keep it clean and increase its longevity.
Rock Climbing in the Great Outdoors
In the Great Outdoors, we need more gear to get us up the wall. We don’t have the luxury of pre-hung ropes and anchors built for us. Roped climbing means climbing ropes, carabiners, quickdraws, camming devices, and snacks are required to keep us sending all day long!
Do I need a helmet when rock climbing?
Wear a rock climbing helmet and not a bike helmet! It can save your life. The Black Diamond Vapor helmet has covered my cranium for more dings than I can count.
Next, our list is going to vary depending on the style of climbing we’re doing. If we’re sport climbin’, craggin’ and chillin’, we’ll need quickdraws, a hammock, and a cooler… but if we signed up for dawn patrol to bag peaks, our rock climbing kit is going to need a few extra cliff bars.
What gear do I need for sport climbing?
- Helmet
- Harness
- Quickdraws
- Rope
For craggin’, we like the Five Ten Anasazi VCS or the La Sportiva Katanas. Both shoes unlock a wide variety of rock terrain. The Petzl S
What shoes should I wear for sport climbing?
For sport, we like the Five Ten Anasazi VCS or the La Sportiva Katanas for our climbing shoes. Both shoes unlock a wide variety of rock terrain. The Anasazis are comfortable and we wear them for long periods of time. Our Katanas are sized more aggressively and are perfect for putting them on while projecting a route or making a redpoint attempt.
Sport Climbing Belay Device
I always use the Petzl GriGri. It’s perfect for sport climbing because of its assisted braking capabilities. Having an additional backup on the belay device always makes me sweat a bit less while I’m on the wall!
How many carabiners do I need for sport climbing?
I like to carry three locking carabiners when climbing. Two for cleaning the route and one to bail off of if I cant complete the route. The Petzl Spirit Express is the perfect quickdraw for clippin’ bolts. The Spirit Express is ultralight and ergonomic. You won’t notice a rack of these hanging off your harness.
What harness should I wear for sport climbing?
And we also love how comfortable the leg loops are on this harness. One thing to note is that these loops do not have any buckles to adjust the size. This simplifies your rock climbing equipment but can make it tough to get a good fit.
This climbing harness also features four gear loops that have been pressure treated. That’s enough to carry your quickdraws up and transition to trad in the future.
What makes this harness so comfortable is that there are three bands in the waist and loops. That helps distribute the weight load for maximum comfort.
What types of rope are there for sport climbing?
Choosing a rock climbing rope can be tricky. First, you want to make sure that you’ve selected the correct length rope for the climb. Always tie a stopper knot to close the system!
Once you have the length, you can take a look at the different diameters. A 9.8mm rope will be perfect for a workhorse that you can use all the time. But you can also keep a 9.5mm rope for send attempts. Most climbers will have different diameter ropes depending on their objectives for the day.
What gear do I need for trad climbing?
- Climbing shoes
- Harness
- Helmet
- Rope
- Cams
- Nuts
- Rappel device
What climbing shoes should I wear for trad climbing?
Tommy Caldwell climbs big wall pitch after big wall pitch, in the TC Pro. They are expensive, but they are premium traditional rock climbing shoe. If you want an affordable option, any comfortable and neutral profile shoe will work perfectly. The 5.10 Moccasym is a more affordable option.
Wearing your climbing helmet is crucial for traditional climbing. You’re at a higher risk from rockfall or dropped gear hitting you from above.
How much does trad gear cost?
Trad climbing protection will cost around $500-600. But this is a one-time and upfront cost. Compared to ski lift tickets or mountain biking, this is much more affordable.
Trad gear gets a bit trickier, your rack will depend on the route you’re climbing and personal preferences for gear. If your jam is pluggin’ cams, pick up a rack of Black Diamond C4 Camalot. These cams are used by Alex Honnold and Adam Ondra for good reason. But a lot of our Instagram followers are friendly to the Wild Country Friend.
DMM Wallnuts and Alloy Offsets are the best choices for nuts. Grab these and you’re set for life. Trango offers a pack of their ultralight Phase Alpine Draw. The pack of phase alpine draws is an incredible value, saving you money for an extra box of doughnuts to share in the parking lot.
What harness should I use for trad climbing?
For climbing harnesses, your options vary a bit. You’ll be carrying all of your cams, nuts, and slings on the gear loops on your climbing harness. I love the Petzl Sama for this, it has five loops and is extremely comfortable at hanging belays. My only dislike is that the leg loops do not have adjustable buckles.
Locking carabiners are a must-have. I like to have some bigger locking carabiners, like the Petzl Attache or Black Diamond Rocklock, in addition to some smaller ones like the Trango Superfly.
What gear do I need for belaying and rappelling?
I still like to take my Petzl GriGri. Even though that means I have to bring another tube-style device for rappelling. I think that carrying the extra weight is worth it.
For rappelling, I use a Black Diamond ATC, a four-foot nylon sling, and a Sterling Hollowblock. The four-foot nylon sling is so I can
What is a multi pitch chalk bag?
Carrying a multi-pitch-specific chalk bag can have some advantages. There are a few companies that make chalk bags that are designed for alpine missions. They’ll have bigger pockets so you can fit a few snacks and even a small jacket in there. I still normally use my regular daily driver, but the multi-pitch bag can come in handy!
Rock Climbing Accessories
There are a few rock climbing and bouldering accessories that will make your life a lot easier.
I love using a pair of belay gloves to keep my hands fresh. Letting the rope rub on your hands over and over can cause a few blisters after a while. The Petzl Belay Gloves are a great option. While Truck Gloves are another brand that is on the up & up. All of the major climbing gear brands offer belay gloves, but these are two of my favorite options.
For bouldering, having a brush and a flood light are great accessories. The flood light is very helpful if you’re often climbing at night. Using a headlamp just doesn’t provide as much light as a solid battery powered flood light.
Frequently Asked Questions
At a minimum, you will need climbing shoes, climbing rope, and climbing protection. Free climbing has a few different disciplines within the sport so it is very dependent on what style you’re getting into that day. Sport climbers and trad climbers will have different racks just because of the differences in the two disciplines.
A rack in rock climbing just means your climbing gear! Calling your gear your rack is just an easy way to refer to all of your climbing gear for the day. Whenever I’m climbing with a friend, I could easily say, “Hey could you pass the rack my way?” and they would know to hand off all the gear to me. The term rack is traditionally used to refer to your cams and nuts, but can refer to your sport gear as well.
At a minimum, you’ll need climbing rope, climbing shoes, and locking carabiners. Rock climbing in a single pitch environment can mean you need a full trad rack or a climbing rope and a static rope to set up a top-rope anchor. The rock climbing equipment you need totally depends on the context you’ll be climbing in. If you aren’t sure what you’ll need, we highly recommend reaching out to a qualified instructor to figure things out.
At a minimum you’ll need shoes and a chalk bag. Head to your nearest indoor rock gym and they have the rest for you! Thanks to the popularity of gyms, you can rent everything you need to start climbing. As you grow in your career, you’ll try new climbs and realize that you need new gear. That’s a perfect way to learn and expand your climbing rack!
One of the great things about climbing is that the gear you accumulate can be used consistently throughout your career. For multi-pitch climbing, you’ll need a belay device, climbing shoes, a harness, quickdraws or alpine draws, and climbing protection if you’re on a trad climb. There are multi pitch sport climbs and multi pitch trad climbs. A multi pitch sport climb will already be protected with bolts, so you won’t need much or any trad gear to protect the climb.
Harness, shoes, climbing chalk, and a helmet are crucial items for beginner climbers. The main objective for beginner climbers is to have fun with the sport. Make sure you have fun, push yourself out of your comfort zone, and reward yourself with a good meal after climbing. As you progress in your climbing career you can add more gear to your climbing rack.
Climbers counteract the sweat on their hands with magnesium carbonate, otherwise known as chalk! Climbing chalk is used as a drying agent for our sweaty hands. But gym chalk is still “slippery”, it is just less slippery than the sweat on our hands. If you see a brush at the climbing gym, it’s for removing chalk from the holds to increase friction.
If you’ve seen The Dawn Wall, then you saw Kevin Jorgensen putting super glue on his fingertips. Super glue can help keep tape attached to your skin and help heal wounds.
Go forth and send! You now know the complete list of rock climbing equipment needed. Give us a follow on Instagram to see what equipment other climbers are using.
