Searching for rock climbing gifts for the climber in your life? It’s easy to smile and nod when you listen to rock climbers talk about their latest escapades, but what are we supposed to do now that we have to actually find gifts for climbers!? Yea, we could just get them an REI gift card, but sometimes it’s nice to give them something they can use right away!
Have no fear. Outdoor Rack Builder is here to help you find the perfect gift for your rock climber to unwrap. Wrap their gift extra tight and put their finger strength to the test!
Rock climbers have a TON of gear. Each style of climbing is going to require a different carabiner, shoe, or even rope! But my favorite thing about climbing gear is that it lasts for a long time and it’s verrsatile. Any gift you get for a climber will be put to good use. No matter what.
We’ve been sport climbing, trad climbing, and bouldering for a looooong time. That’s how we came up with this list of climbing gifts ideas. We love this list of unique gifts for rock climbers because every gift would be loved by any climber.
And if you’re feeling extra cheeky, include a note that you want to go on your first climb with them! Even non climbers can give the gift of climbing! A day spent climbing with your family member is one of the best gifts you can give.
Let’s check out our gift guide for the list of best gifts for rock climbers!
Rock Climbing Gifts under $25
1. Boot Bananas Deodorizer for Climbing Shoes
These shoe deodorizers are a must-have. Spending a day climbing shouldn’t mean your gear bag will smell like a hockey bag. But wear that same pair of climbing shoes a few days in a row? The whole house is going to smell!
How many practical gifts are there that also benefit the climber, but also their roommates! The obvious benefits of non-stinky climbing shoes are why boot bananas are one of our favorite gifts for rock climbers.
2. Friction Labs High Quality Climbing Chalk
Whether you’re at the climbing gym or Yosemite National Park, our chalk bag needs to be filled with chalk! We don’t want slippery hands on our minds while we’re trying to make it to the next hold.
This climbing chalk bundle comes with chalk that is long-lasting and additive-free. Some chalk brands use additives and other drying agents that can have a negative impact on your skin. This bundle also includes a refillable chalk sock that you can reuse when your chalk runs dry. Friction Labs makes high-quality premium chalk. It’s seriously one of the top rock climbing gifts you can give!
2.5 City Bonfires
The City Bonfire is an awesome gift. It’s a little portable fire that you can enjoy outside at the crag or in the city. I’m addicted to smores and the best thing about having one of these handy, is that if I’m at my house or done climbing for the day, I’m only a few minutes away from having melty gooey smores.
They’re environmentally friendly and best of all there aren’t any woods, embers, or soot. Light and small enough to fit in your backpack and they won’t take up any extra room.
There are tons of special editions available: Easter, Smores Night, and the Happy Birthday. And they are hand made in Maryland, USA. There is bound to be a perfect little bonfire that the rock climber in your life will love.
3. Nice Climbs Rock Climbing Shot Glass
This is one of the best gifts for climbers I have ever seen. Knowing that I can train my crimp strength AND celebrate for auld lang syne? Two words for that. Game. Changer.
Nice Climbs built this shot glass with training in mind. Keep your grip strength strong while you cheers to the climbs of yesteryear and the climbs to come!
3.5 Nice Climbs Pulley Pal
We’re a big fan of the folks at Nice Climbs and of their Nice Climbs Pulley Pal! The pulley pal is just the friend my fingers need to get the blood flowing after a day of heavy crimping.
4. Climbskin Double Sided Hand & Finger File
The rough textured holds in climbing gyms have wreaked havoc on the hands of rock climbers since the dawn of time. That’s why this is one of the best gifts for rock climbers. This file is perfectly contoured to easily reach finger pads and palms. The most common places where skin abrasions and flappers show up.
Nothing else compares to this file. It’s small and travels to the crag easily. It has two different textured sides. And the contour makes it simple to file your callouses down.
5. The ABCs of Rock Climbing
This is one of the cutest picture books on our bookshelf. It’s always a fun gift to give to fellow climbers. And it also serves as a reminder of what the 26 letters of the alphabet are!
We may or may not have had to consult this book to remember the letter ‘R’ a few times while writing this article. This book is an essential piece for any budding adventure writer.
6. Joshua Tree Climbing Salve
Climbing salve is a miracle worker when our hands have been chewed up from granite and gym climbing holds. Unlike hand cream which softens your skin and makes your abrasions worse, this salve provides the perfect amount of moisture to keep your callouses intact and help them heal.
A little bit of this salve goes a long way. Massage this salve, made from 100% organic ingredients, into your hands before bed and wake up refreshed.
7. The Rock Warriors Way: Mental Training for Climbers
The Rock Warriors Way by Arno Ilgner has provided rock climbers with a mental framework for training. This is a great gift for climbers because it benefits rock climbing and any other challenge that life can throw at us. It reminded us of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Providing the perfect balance between self-help theory and actionable advice
Gift Ideas for Sport Climbers
8. Black Diamond Vector Helmet
Helmets save lives and I always wear mine while I’m roped climbing. Unfortunately, not every climber wears one while they’re climbing. Why is that?
The most common reason is that the helmets can be uncomfortable and distracting! The Vector helmet is lightweight, padded, and comfortable so it can be worn for long periods of time. You won’t even notice it’s there… until you just needed it.
9. Trango Antidote Rope Bag
The Trango Antidote Rope bag can fit a 70 meter rope and provides convenient straps for carrying the rope to and from the crag. A spacious floor mat and rope tie-off points are built into the pack to keep the rope off the ground.
We like this pack because it fits the 70 meter rope (that’s 230 feet!) but also has enough room to fit our extra rock climbing gear and carabiners.
10. Rock Climbing Belay Glasses
Has your climber been complaining about a sore neck from long days belaying? Belay glasses Hour after hour, day after day of looking up at your climber while you’re belaying really starts to hurt your neck. We didn’t know about belay glasses until we saw them being gifted and we had to get a pair.
These glasses are an awesome gift because you’re giving the gift of a pain free neck!
11. Petzl Djinn Axess Quickdraw 6 Pack
Climbers love the sound of clipping rope into the quickdraw and no other quickdraw snaps like the Petzl Djinn. These quickdraws come in a pack of six and most climbers will use 12 on a climb.
Getting them started on a rack of the best quickdraws in the game would make any climbers day!
12. Petzl Connect Adjust
We polled our Instagram community about what gear they were excited about and many climbers responded with the Petzl Connect Adjust! We were surprised, but after researching further and trying it out, the Connect Adjust is an awesome dynamic tether for securing yourself to the anchor. Just like the name implies, you can even adjust yourself to your desired distance!
13. Black Diamond Mojo Chalk Bag
Most sport climbers have two addictions: rock and chalk. We need a bag to hold our precious Friction Lab chalk in! This mojo bag comes with a buckled strap so you can attach the bag to your waist. The bag also has a zipper compartment that fits smaller cell phones. This is smaller than the chalk buckets used for bouldering. If you’re looking for something bigger, check out our bouldering gifts below!
14. RXBAR Variety Pack
Sport climbers need quick and packable food to help them fuel up for their next climb. The RXBAR is not your typical granola bar and packs a big punch in a small amount of space. If you aren’t sure about a gear gift, healthy fuel makes great gifts for rock climbers.
Great Bouldering Gifts
15. Mammut Micro Boulder Brush
This brush is a practical gift to help climbers get rid of all the excess chalk on climbing holds! Too much chalk on a hold is too much of a good thing. The hold gets slippery. They’re hard to grip and hard to stand on (even with our sticky rubber!)
These brushes have impressive durability and will fit in the strap of the Black Diamond Mojo chalk bag. These brushes make a great bouldering gift!
16. Bouldering Crash Pad
A crash pad is 100% necessary for bouldering, but we recommend running this gift by your climber first. They may already have their eyes on a few crash pads. The type of crash pad you select will vary based on your objectives and the terrain you climb on.
17. Black Diamond Mondo Chalk Pot
The chalk pot is a great gift to give to a boulderer. Chalk bags are useful, but boulderers have the luxury of leaving all their equipment on the pads while they try the next climb. The large chalk pot full of chalk is convenient and wide enough to fit two hands at the same time. It comes with a magnetic closure and two large pockets for phones and keys.
18. Lightweight and Heavy Duty Extendable Phone Tripod
This bouldering gift might seem out of left field, but climbers love being able to share beta and study on their form! Many gyms actually provide these phone tripods for climbers to use, but it’s hard to prop up your phone when your climbing outdoors! This tripod is a practical gift and can be shared among friends.
19. Denim Climbing Pants
When I think of climbing pants, I think of stretchy and durable materials. Denim jeans is not the first item that comes to my mind. But there is something about climbing in jeans that is irresistible.
Not only are the pants comfortable for climbing, but they are sleek enough to wear out in public. They’re more stylish than sweatpants and feel better than a pair of Levi’s. These pants are all you need to look good, climb good.
Perfect Gifts for Trad Climbers
20. DMM Alloy Offset Nuts Package
These nuts envoke envy from any trad climber. The grooved offset designs of these nuts securely slot them in the trickiest of cracks. The DMM Alloy offset nuts can fit in any crack, any time, any crag.
21. Black Diamond Crack Gloves
Trad climbers are addicted to two things: telling everyone they trad climb and crack climbing. These crack gloves are a perfect gift for a trad climber. Using these gloves means wasting less climbing tape and more protection on our palms from the rough rock. I love the fit of these gloves, the velcro design, and the white fabric used. They look just like tape gloves and are perfect for jamming to my heart’s content.
22. Black Diamond Alpenglow Sun Hoody
Back to back BD items, I know, I know. We aren’t sponsored by them to promote their products. But they are the top climbing brand and with items like the Alpenglow hoody it’s easy to see why.
The hoody has a technical fit, and the hood is designed to fit over a helmet. The fabric has UPF 50+ sun protection, but I’ve still worn it on hot and humid sunny days trad climbing on the East coast. I love the protection of this hoody and will continue to buy it as needed!
23. La Sportiva TX2 Approach Shoes
I received these approach shoes as a birthday gift and they have been one of the best gifts ever! I was so stoked I put them on immediately and went for a walk around the neighborhood. They felt incredible and the sticky rubber on the bottom made me feel invincible.
Trad climbers have to deal with long approaches and can encounter rocks along the way! The approach to half dome can take almost four hours! I would want a good pair of shoes on my feet for that! The Tx2 has comfort for hiking and the rubber for gripping rocks. They also come with elastic straps to pack them down and clip directly onto your harness!
24. Outdoor Research Helium II Lightweight Rain Jacket
The Helium II rain jacket from Outdoor Research is an ultralight waterproof and windproof shell. I love this jacket because it doubles for protection from rain and the cold. But what makes this the perfect jacket for climbing is that it stuffs down into its own pocket and has a reinforced loop to clip directly to your harness!
25. Totem Camming Device
Trad climbers have a weird obsession with Totem Cams. I didn’t understand it until placing one of these, but since then my life has never been the same. These are the Holy Grail of camming devices.
Rumor has it, rock climbers in Yosemite Valley tuck Totem cams, these camming devices have a huge cult following, into bed and read them a bedtime story before turning off the light in their Sprinter van. Every trad climber loves these cams and would make an incredible gift!
Great Gifts for Indoor Rock Climbers
25. Petzl GriGri+
The Petzl GriGri+ is one of the most widely used belay devices in the sport. We love using it because of the added security of assisted braking. The GriGri comes with a mechanical cam that cinches the rope and helps prevent a fall from being uncontrollable.
We love this device and will continue using it for years to come. The GriGri is one of the best gifts for rock climbers because it is perfect for both indoor and outdoor climbing. Any time we are belaying while rope climbing, we’re using the Petzl GriGri.
26. Wrist Strengthener Trainer Ball
Indoor climbing is putting more strain on the wrists of rock climbers all over the world. This strengthening training ball has become our go to piece of equipment for training. It’s small and sits next to our desk. Within a few minutes, we can get a wrist workout in without getting up from our chair.
27. Rock Climbing Mug
Who wouldn’t want to wake up and sip their morning coffee in a mug that helps them train as well? Simply put, the rock climbing mug is famous. It is the only way to get caffeinated before you start climbing. Wake up your mind and train your fingers at the same time!
28. The Rock Climbers Training Manual
This book is one of those practical gifts that will yield compounding benefits for a lifetime. When we first started climbing, we got our gym membership and then messed around on the climbs with no training plan in place. What’s so good about this book is that it comes with seasonal training plans that can be tailored to any climber. This book helps you build up your finger and core strength and will help you climb to new heights. Check out our list of our favorite books on climbing to learn more information on climbing training and climbing history..
29. The Push by Tommy Caldwell
Tommy Caldwell’s biography The Push takes us through his incredible life story. From big wall first ascents to personal life trouble, this book is inspiring and relatable.
There are so many analogies and metaphors you can make between rock climbing and life. Challenges seem like insurmountable mountains. But we can overcome these obstacles and The Push shows us how we can be a climber even when we’re not in the mountains.
Guaranteed Great Gifts for Any Climber
30. Petzl Attache Locking Carabiner
Any rock climber will be able to find a use for the Attache locking carabiner. We love this screw-lock carabiner because of its durability, strength, and orange color! This carabiner is a no brainer gift that will constantly be used by any climber.
31. Deep Tissue Massage Gun
The FlyBy massage gun feels incredible on our forearms after a long day of climbing. I love using this massage gun because of the deep tissue capabilities and how easy it is to transport to the climbing gym or to the crag. If you’re running out of gift ideas, this deep tissue massage gun will be MUCH appreciated by a rock climber
32. Alone on the Wall by Alex Honnold
The Free Solo man himself is also an author! This book details his incredible ropeless ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. You’ll need a few chalk bags at the ready while reading this book. I could barely turn the pages my hands were sweating so much!
33. Epic Nalgene OG Access Fund Edition
The Access Fund has been protecting America’s outdoor rock climbing since 1991. We love this water bottle because it comes with a built-in filter and has a beautiful design of the cliff at Lover’s Leap. This water bottle also benefits the Access Fund to help keep Americans climbing.
34. Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills
Freedom of the Hills is also referred to as the mountaineer’s bible. Even non climbers alike can appreciate this book because of the rigorous planning and preparation the book focuses on. The best way to deal with an accident is to avoid getting in one. Freedom of the Hills helps you plan better and teach you what to do if stuff goes wrong. Open this book and you’re guaranteed to learn something new every time.
35. Climbing Gym Punch Pass
Contact your local climbing gym and gift your climber punch passes or a gift card! And while you’re at it, ask them to take you along with them! The gift of climbing is one of the best gifts for climbers.
Climber Training and Recovery Gifts
36. The Wave Tool: Soft Tissue Release Massage Tool
We love the wave tool because it is the ONLY tool you will need for any soft tissue injury. This massage tool must have been built with climbers in mind. The curves of the tool work on your finger pulleys, wrist tendinitis, and even work on your IT bands.
This tool comes with us on any climbing trip. But be sure to include some massage oil as well, it can be a bit rough using this tool dry.
37. Trango Rock Prodigy Elite Training Center
The Trango Rock Prodigy is the best hangboard on the market. You can train longer and more often because the hangboard material doesn’t tear your skin up. The hangboard can easily mount to a pull up bar and fit in any doorway in your house.
38. KT Tape
Every climbing competition I watch I’ll see climbers covered in KT tape on their shoulders, knees, or forearms. This tape reduces pressure on your tissue, muscles, and joints. This would make a great gift for any climber struggling with recurring pain or injuries.
That covers all of the top rock climbing gifts! We hope this helps you find a few gift ideas that make put a smile on your climbers face.
Did we miss any other gifts for rock climbers? Leave a comment below with what gifts for climbers you love giving!
Am definitely interested in that picture book!