Climbing gear what do i need

This system is your protection if you were to fall. We started with seven Metolius Bravo quickdraws and added four Black Diamond FreeWire quickdraws to our set, which enabled us to climb longer routes. Slings are most often used in conjunction with a locking carabiner when cleaning an anchor at the top of a climbing route. My wife and I each have a cm sling, which we attach to our harness and clip directly into chains or a bolt. This allows us to remove our quickdraws from the anchor and thread our rope through the rings before rappelling down a route.

We like the cm length, as it gives a longer reach yet can be doubled-back or knotted if shorter length is required. In total, my wife and I have five locking carabiners. Though you could technically make do with a standard hiking backpack, we really like the Metolius Freerider crag climbing pack.

Its main opening is huge and easily fits all sorts of climbing gear. The chest and hip belts make for a comfy carry and we especially like the zippered lid pocket for keys, phones, wallets, and other valuable items. Instead of attaching our gear all around a hiking backpack, we can simply toss everything into the Freerider and head to the crag. They provide toe protection and are easy to slip into, lightweight, and breathable. Interested in learning the ropes of sport climbing, but not sure where to start?

Learn how to sport climb with our guide. Read on for how we learned the basics of lead climbing, clipping bolts, anchor building, and eventually sport climbing outside on real rock. Say goodbye to auto-belays and top-rope! Read more…. The next major gear purchases you will need to make arise if you look into lead climbing or if you want to transition to outdoor climbing that you set up yourself. You now have a typical Sport Climbing setup.

Please be aware that this is an absolute minimum for a typical setup. Rope Your rope is the main piece of climbing gear. It connects you, via your harness, to the quickdraws on the wall and to your climbing partner. Ropes have an inner core and an outer sheath. Harness Your harness keeps you safely attached to the rope. It is made of really strong, flat webbing, with buckles to fasten it tight and padding to make it comfortable.

Screwgate Carabiner There are two main types of carabiner : screwgates and snapgates. A screwgate has a rotating tube which can be fastened over the 'nose' of the carabiner. This stops it from being opened accidentally. Belay Device A belay device is a metal tube that you use together with a screwgate carabiner. The rope is fed through the belay device and carabiner, and the belayer holds the rope underneath.

If weight is applied to the rope e. Quickdraws A quickdraw is the 'clippy thing' that attaches your rope to the wall. They're made up of two snapgate carabiners which are joined together with a fabric sling. Shoes Special climbing shoes make standing on small bits of rock a lot easier!

They are designed to be tight fitting like a sock and have a rubber sole that sticks to rock really easily. Chalk Chalk is kept in a small bag with a draw-cord closure at the top that you can dip your hands into to 'chalk up'. The chalk is used to stop your hands getting too sweaty to hold on to the rock. Gear Loops These low strength loops are for clipping climbing gear to, such as carabiners and quickdraws. This way, you can take gear with you as you climb.

Buckle These can be used to adjust the size of your harness for a comfortable and tight fit. It's important that they are fastened correctly. Waist Belt This fastens around the smallest part of your waist.

Elastic These low-strength stretchy pieces of fabric help to stop your leg loops from sliding down at the back. They can be adjusted too. Leg Loops These fasten around the top of your thighs. Belay Loop This super strong loop connects the waist belt to the leg loops. You use it to belay from more on this later.

It's important not to get this confused with gear loops or any other part of the harness. Trying a Harness On Climbing harnesses are made in different sizes and shapes with different amounts of padding.

It's worth going to your local shop and trying some on rather than ordering online. Select a few harnesses that fit correctly, then hang in them. Good shops will have a facility for you to do this. Leg Loops Harnesses either have fixed size or adjustable leg loops. They should fit closely around your thighs without hindering movement. Adjustable leg loops are useful if you plan to climb in cold environments where you'll need to wear thicker pants, or if the fixed size options just don't quite fit.

Waist Belt The waist belt should fit around the smallest part of your waist, above your hips. It needs to adjust small enough to fit tight over a t-shirt, with enough adjustment to get it on easily or wear a jacket underneath too. The Rise The rise is the distance between the waist belt and leg loops.

Think of it as the measurement between your belly button and crotch. Women's harnesses tend to have a bigger rise, to fit women's body shapes better.