Rock Climbing Equipment
Sport climbing involves rock climbing on walls with bolts drilled into the rock along the route. There are two bolts at the top, generally with chains for rappelling when you are done. You will need to lead climb up the route, using the bolts as protection for falling along the way. A quickdraw is two carabiners connected with a short sling. You clip one carabiner of the quickdraw into the bolt and then clip the rope through the other carabiner. Lead climbing can be dangerous if you climb something too difficult so start easy and learn from an expert.
Sport climbing at Red Rocks, Nevada, USA
If you are starting to lead sport climbs, here’s what you’ll need:
- Climbing Harness - Your climbing harness connects you to the rope and is also where you clip your quickdraws and other gear. Look for harnesses with adjustable leg loops, 4 gear loops and comfy padding.
- Belay Device with Locking Carabiner - You will need to have a belay device to belay your climbing partner as well as for rappelling. GriGri’s can be great auto-locking belay devices if you use them well, but you will also need a basic ATC for rappelling.
- Rock Climbing Shoes - Get some good shoes that fit well. If you need some pointers, check out my guide to rock climbing shoes.
- Climbing Rope - You will need either a 60-meter or 70-meter dynamic climbing rope. Being able to find the middle of the rope easily is important for safety as well as useful when coiling your rope, so I recommend bi-pattern ropes, which simplify that greatly. Before you get on a climb, check the guidebook to make sure your rope is long enough and always tie a knot in the end in case it is too short.
- 15-20 Quickdraws - Before you get on a climb, make sure that you have enough quickdraws, including two for the top of the climb. It’s also a good idea to carry a few extra with you in case you drop one. I recommend quickdraws with wire gates. They are the lightest and easiest to clip, without sacrificing strength.
- Helmet - protect your head while climbing. Helmets are also good to wear while you are belaying in case the climber dislodges loose rock.
- Chalk Bag with Carabiner - keep your hands dry so your hands don’t slip. Many bags come with a waist belt, which is great for bouldering, but I prefer clipping my chalk bag to my harness for sport climbing.
That gear will be enough for most sport climbs out there. For more info on other climbing gear, check out my other guides to rock climbing equipment.
Rock climbing shoes are one of the most important purchases you can make. If you don’t get the right style or fit of shoe you can end up hurting and not climbing your best. There are a few different styles of climbing shoes and I’ll go over the basics of each type along with my shoe recommendations for each style. When trying to figure out a good shoe, it’s useful to take a look at what the pros use. Currently, Tommy Caldwell uses La Sportiva and Chris Sharma uses Evolv (however, his Pontas shoes use a different kind of rubber than other Evolv shoes).
Basic Climbing Shoe Features
- Support - Climbing shoes can have varying amounts of bottom foot support built in. Shoes with more support are generally more comfortable, but can have trouble gripping small edges.
- Laceup/Velcro/Slipper - Laceups are very adjustable and comfy but take longer to put on and take off. Velcros are moderately adjustable and quick to get on and off. Slippers are the least adjustable, but are very quick to get on and off. With slippers you need to be the most careful about fit because if the shoes stretch too much they can become too loose and there’s not much you can do about it. However, some resolers can add/subtract 1/2 a shoes size if necessary.
- Synthetic/Leather - Synthetic shoes are less expensive, but tend to breathe less than leather shoes. Watch out for very stinky synthetics!
- Rubber Type - There are a number of different types of rubber on the market. My favorite is the Five Ten C4 rubber; it’s really sticky. I find that budget climbing shoes often come with inferior rubber and the type of rubber is generally the same for a given brand.
- Camber - This is the angle the shoe makes your toe point. Shoes that point your toe down are more aggressive for small edges, while shoes that keep your toes flat are more comfortable and suited towards crack climbing.
Entry Level Shoes
If you are just getting into climbing, then you should save your money and buy a cheaper all around climbing shoes. At that level, you won’t necessarily know what style of climbing you will like the most. Once you are committed to climbing more, then another pair of shoes specialized for the kind of climbing you will be doing will be a good investment.
Entry level shoes are generally comfortable laceup shoes with a flat bottom and good support. They can be either leather or synthetic.
Here are a few recommended entry level shoes to get you into the sport:
Bouldering/Sport Climbing Shoes
Bouldering and sport climbing demand aggressive shoes that allow edging on extremely small footholds. These shoes are usually down-cambered and come with little or no support below your feet. They are often slippers or velcro so you can easily take them on and off. Generally, they fit tighter than other types of shoes so your feet won’t move around in the shoes (for precision), which is why you will want to be able to take them off easily after a boulder problem or climb. Don’t kill yourself with tight shoes though, it’s not worth it and can be distracting.
A few of my favorite bouldering/sport shoes, the 5.10 Anasazi’s and La Sportiva Miura’s being my favorites:
Trad Climbing Shoes
Trad climbing often involves long multi-pitch routes with crack climbing techniques required. For this you will want a comfortable shoe with a nice toe for crack jamming. Make sure the shoes fit well since you will often have to wear them for long periods of time. I prefer leather shoes in this case since they breathe better. They will also often have support under your foot and keep your toes pointing flat against the sole.
My all-time favorite trad climbing shoes are the La Sportiva Mythos, but there are plenty of other good ones out there.
Approach Shoes
Approach shoes are a newer phenomenon in rock climbing, but a great one if you can take advantage of them. Basically, these are shoes that you wear while hiking to the base of a climb and then climb in them too! They have a decent sole on the bottom of the shoe for hiking, but the bottoms are made of that awesome sticky climbing rubber with a nice grip. These shoes are perfect for experience climbers doing easy multipitch trad routes outside. You don’t want to get on anything hard with these unless you know what you’re doing, but used well they can lighten your load by a pound or two.
These shoes are also great on slabby approaches or descents where you want to cover some ground and want to be extra surefooted.
Here are a few great ones:
Big Wall Boots
If you are headed up El Capitan, Half Dome or another big wall, then you may want to invest in big wall boots. These hybrid boots are similar to approach shoes in that they come with sticky rubber soles for climbing, but they are stiff boots that will keep your feet comfortable during long aid climbing leads. Aid climbing pitches can often have short sections of free climbing, so they can be really useful for those moves without sacrificing comfort.
Check out a bunch of different big wall shoes at Mountain Tools.
Conclusion
Choosing the right rock climbing shoes can both improve your climbing and make the experience much more enjoyable. If start climbing a lot, then you will probably end up with a few pairs of shoes. To reduce costs when the rubber on your shoes wear through, make sure you resole your shoes. I prefer Yosemite Bum. Once you’ve bought your shoes, make sure to check out the other best rock climbing equipment.
