Rock Climbing Gear for Beginners: What You Need & What You Don’t

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the jargon and gear in climbing, especially when you’re just starting out. There’s a lot to learn and there’s a lot of equipment, but we’re going to keep it simple by focusing on the best climbing gear for beginners. We’re going to talk about the gear you absolutely need, especially at first, then we’ll cover some extras that you may purchase as you grow into your passion for climbing.

There’s a logical progression of purchasing climbing gear so that you get the most bang for your buck without wasting money on unnecessary things. We’ll start with climbing shoes, which is the first thing you’ll purchase for any type of rock climbing. Then we’ll continue on through chalk and a harness, which is the most basic necessary gear for beginners. After that, we’ll progress into more specialized gear that is best for outdoor climbing or certain specialties like sport climbing, trad climbing, and bouldering.

Keep in mind that everyone’s climbing journey is different, so get the gear that’s right for you and your budget. You should focus on products that are right for your climbing style and personal goals, so don’t get too caught up in what’s popular.

The items on the list below are organized generally in order, where the top items are a need and the lower down the list you go, the less ‘required’ they become. This may vary slightly depending on the type of climbing you’re doing or if you’re climbing with a mentor/friends that can help provide gear at first.

Climbing Gear for Beginners: The Ultimate List

Climbing Shoes

Importance: Necessary
Price: $80-$150

No matter which discipline you’re practicing (e.g., bouldering, lead climbing, top rope climbing, etc.), the first piece of essential gear is shoes. When you first start indoor climbing, you can get away with renting the provided equipment, but once you’re committed to sticking with it more than a few times, you’ll want to get out of those smelly rental shoes.

Purchasing your own shoes will make the biggest difference in your performance, especially if you get ones that fit correctly. You shouldn’t wear socks with them (so don’t try them on with socks) and you should start with a half size or full size down from your regular shoe size. Even though they should fit snug, they shouldn’t be uncomfortable or painful. Look for shoes with a more flat sole (“neutral” and not moderate or aggressive) and a medium level of stiffness that’s not too flexible or too hard.

Best Rock Climbing Shoes for Beginner Climbers

• La Sportiva Tarantulace (see: Men’s and Women’s)
• Black Diamond Momentum (Men’s and Women’s)
• Men’s Evolv Defy Lace
• Women’s Scarpa Helix

Where to Find Climbing Shoes for Cheap

If you’re looking to save money on climbing shoes, you can look for used pairs on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Mountain Project, or local climbing stores. Another great resource is REI Outlet and Used Gear, as well as Steep and Cheap. If you live near an area with great outdoor climbing, you could also have good luck at your local thrift and consignment stores. Read more about buying used climbing shoes.

Climbing Chalk and Chalk Bag

Importance: Pretty Necessary
Price: $15-35+ for bag, $5-15+ for chalk

Climbing chalk and a chalk bag is another item that can be rented the first few times, then you should purchase your own once you decide to stick with climbing for more than a few sessions. Chalk absorbs perspiration and moisture and keeps your hands dry, which improves your grip. Both chalk and bags are relatively cheap, so it’s worth getting your own instead of constantly renting.

Chalk bags are simple and inexpensive, and most have the same basic features. Because of this, choosing a chalk bag mainly is based on aesthetics, so pick something that you like. If you’re spending most of your time bouldering, you may opt for a chalk bucket that stays on the ground.

As for chalk, don’t go crazy buying the expensive stuff – you won’t be able to tell the difference besides the price tag. Instead, purchase some at your local climbing gym or one of our favorites listed below. Some climbing gyms may require the use of chalk balls (aka chalk socks) over loose chalk, so ask before making any purchases. There’s also some liquid chalk that’s currently on the market, but we would recommend avoiding that for now – it’s worth trying it out at some point but stick with classic chalk at first.

Best Chalk Bags for Beginners

• PrAna Chalk Bag
• Organic Climbing Chalk Bag
• Metolius Chalk Bag

Best Chalk for Beginners

• Metolius Super Chalk
• Friction Labs Gorilla Grip Chalk
• Black Diamond Black Gold Pure Chalk

Climbing Harness

Importance: Pretty Necessary
Price: $60-80

While a climbing harness won’t significantly impact your performance like other pieces of gear, they do offer an improved comfort factor over rented gym harnesses. Look for ones with wide leg loops and a waist loop that have thick padding for comfort. If you’re exclusively climbing indoors, you can rent a harness until you’re a little more committed, but we recommend it for one of the first pieces of gear you buy yourself once you start climbing consistently.

Note that a harness is only necessary for sport climbing and isn’t required for bouldering, but it can be used both indoors and out. Before purchasing a harness, explore these two disciplines to get an idea of which you are going to pursue most of the time. If you are leaning towards trad climbing, you may want a more gear loops than if you were sport climbing.

Best Beginner Rock Climbing Harness

• Petzl Corax Harness Men’s and Women’s
• Black Diamond Momentum Harness Men’s and Women’s

Belay Device and Locking Carabiner

Importance: Highly Recommended
Price: $35-100 for belay device, $15-25 for locking carabiner

A locking carabiner and belay device are next in line for pieces of gear you would need to purchase if you’re becoming more committed to rock climbing, especially if you want to start adventuring outside the gym. A belay device will allow you to rope climb and a locking carabiner attaches your belay device to your harness. Keep in mind that in order to belay, you’ll need to take the appropriate course at your local gym so make sure you ask about that before purchasing your own equipment.

For belay devices, there’s an eternal debate about ATC vs GriGri. A Black Diamond ATC is the most common and is one of the best belay devices on the market. Do your research before picking between the two, but know that an ATC is significantly cheaper than a Petzl GriGri.

Best Belay Devices for Beginners

• Black Diamond Big Air XP Belay Device Package (contains both the belay device and carabiner)
• Black Diamond ATC
• Petzl GriGri Belay Device

Best Locking Carabiners

• Black Diamond RockLock Screwgate Carabiner
• Petzl Am’D Twistlock Carabiner

Helmet

Importance: Highly recommended
Price: $60-$170

A climbing helmet is particularly highly recommended for climbing outdoors on tall walls (especially trad climbing ), not for bouldering, indoor roped climbing, or indoor bouldering. Wearing a helmet isn’t going to help you climb better, but instead it comes down to risk management. Head injuries are rare, but they do happen and you will be glad you’re wearing your helmet if you get hit by some falling rock or debris from above. Some areas are known for their loose rock and these places will require more caution than others.

Best Rock Climbing Helmets for Beginners

• Black Diamond Half Dome Helmet
• Mammut Wall Rider MIPS Climbing Helmet

Climbing Pack

Importance: Extra equipment after you’ve been climbing for a while
Price: $30-60

When you start tackling outdoor sports climbs and boulders, you’ll need a backpack that’s perfect for hauling all your stuff out to the crag. Your pack should be made of a more durable material that will withstand being exposed to abrasive rock, and it should have a hip belt and sternum strap to make carrying the weight easier.

How many liters should you aim for? That depends on how long your trips are going to be. Something smaller like 20-30 liters would be enough for short hikes to easily accessible climbs, but the longer the hike or climb, the more space you’ll need for more gear, food/snacks, and water. A larger pack like 35-40 liters will leave you plenty of room for climbing rope and all the gear you could possibly need. On the other hand, if you’re just going back and forth to the gym, an old, small duffel bag will do the trick.

Best Climbing Packs for Beginners

• Black Diamond Crag 40 Pack
• Patagonia Cragsmith 32 Pack
• So iLL 25L Dirt Bag

Climbing Accessories

These climbing accessories aren’t require, but may help you feel more comfortable in some way or another.

Hand Salve

Importance: Fairly necessary
Price: $10-15

Between the drying chalk and the rough rock, your hands take a beating when rock climbing. Use a hand salve to moisturize your skin between sessions so you can lower your risk of splitting.

Best Hand Salves for Rock Climbing

• ClimbSkin Hand Cream
• Burt’s Bees Hand Salve

Climbing Tape

Importance: Extra equipment after you’ve been climbing for a while
Price: $5-15

If you’re learning to crack climb or if you find that you need some extra protection on your fingers, you can utilize climbing finger tape.

Best Climbing Tape for Beginners

• Metolius Climbing Tape
• Hampton Adams Finger Tape

Chalk Brush

Importance: Extra equipment after you’ve been climbing for a while
Price: $5

A chalk brush will help maintain ideal conditions for your project, whether that’s indoors or outdoors. They’re quite affordable – no need to splurge on this accessory.

Best Chalk Brush for Beginners

• Metolius Boar Brush

Belay Glasses

While it may seem ridiculous at first, belay glasses can make a huge difference in the comfort of your neck, especially when your partner is spending longer periods of time working a project. That being said, you shouldn’t use these when you first start belaying. Instead, build up your neck muscles slowly while getting used to the responsibility of handling the rope, then you can look at getting glasses.

Best Belay Glasses

• BG Climbing Belay Glasses
• Metolius Upshot Belay Glasses

Rope

At some point in your climbing career, you’ll need to bite the bullet and purchase your own rope. It’s essential for any kind of top roping or roped climbing. Having your own rope is basically a rite of passage, and it means you can take charge of your safety line – you’ll known where it’s been, what it’s done, and how old it is. Ropes can last a really long time when properly cared for, but it will be the single biggest investment you’ve made so far.

Best Climbing Rope for Beginners

• Black Diamond 9.9mm Rope
• Edelrid Boa Eco 9.8mm Rope

Other Accessories

As you grow into your climbing passion as an intermediate and advanced climber, your gear closet will grow larger and larger. You’ll have more gear in general, but it will also be more specialized towards the discipline you practice the most. You may upgrade your climbing shoes to a more moderate or aggressive sole, or perhaps you’ll get a bigger backpack for longer days. Some other examples of gear include quickdraws, trad gear like cams, crash pads for bouldering, and so much more.

Conclusion

Until you grow into more advanced climbing, you can stick with the basics: climbing shoes, a harness, chalk, and a chalk bag. With that gear, you no longer have to rent equipment at the gym and are well on your way. Once you add a crash pad (for bouldering) or a harness, rope, and belay device plus carabiner (for roped climbing), you’ll be able to expand to climbing outdoors at your local crag without constantly using other people’s stuff.

We’ve included some great gear suggestions under each category above, but sometimes the best advice can come from a respected mentor or climbing buddy. Take note of what gear they have, where they got it from, and what they deem necessary for the type of climbing they do.

FAQ’s