Your essential climbing companions
Welcome to the gear guide! Whether you're just starting your bouldering journey or looking to refine your kit, we're here to help you navigate the world of climbing equipment. Discover the must-haves, safety essentials, and expert tips to enhance your climbing experience.
Bouldering essentials for beginners
As a beginner, you don't necessarily need many fancy accessories. However, as you spend more time on the rock, equipment and gear definitely help elevate the experience. For bouldering, some absolute must-haves are rock climbing shoes, a chalk bag, and chalk. These foundational items will significantly improve your grip, footwork, and overall performance.
Gear for safe outdoor adventures
If you are venturing into outdoor climbing, prioritizing safety is crucial. We recommend acquiring a crash mat to cushion falls, gloves for hand protection, and an attachable chalk bag for easy access while you're climbing. These basic gear items will help ensure you stay safe and have fun while exploring the great outdoors.
Taking care of your Gear:
It's super exciting to get new gear for a hobby but it's important to remember that if you take care of your gear, you can keep your gear in great shape and not having to spend extra like an expert. Proper maintenance ensures longevity and optimal performance, helping you build confidence and skill on the rock. Some basic care advice is to keep equipment free of chalk and water, and don't let it sit in the sun for too long to help prevent quality fading. Most gear have a guide on how to optimally take care of it on the equipment's website or instructions.
What we recommend:
When first starting out, we recommend actually starting in a gym since equipment is given to you if you simply ask for it. This way you can figure out what type of equipment works best for you without having to spend too much on a bunch of different things,
- For example, when testing out bouldering shoes, often you want your shoes to literally squash your feet, so usually 1-3 sizes smaller than your normal shoe size. This may feel super uncomfortable at first, but this ensures your feet have the best grip on the rock and wont slip. You can test out various sizes as you go to see which size gives the best grip and feel.
- Chalk bags. Any bag that holds chalk efficiently is a great chalk bag. However, if your bag has a drawstring close, this makes sure no chalk falls out of the bag. You can also get a bag that clips to your belt or pants if you like your bag to be on you at all times, but both are not high priority.
- Crash mats for outdoors. When you're climbing outside it's essential to have a crash mat/pad to catch your fall. Injury is high on its own even with a crash mat, so it's important to not take any risks and bring one out.
- What to wear. When going rock climbing, you're going to be stretching and reaching with your body. Baggy and loose fit clothing is a great choice, so your body has room to go where needed.
Most climbing gyms will have shoes, chalk bags, and various clothing that they recommend. But as a beginner, you don't need anything fancy. I recommend checking out your local thrift shops that are near climbing gyms, looking at Facebook Market Place, Etsy.com, or even what the climbing gym staff uses.
Photos used above are from Pinterest.com.
Chalk bag image from Etsy.com.
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