Pick the Right Rock Climbing Gear

Video Transcript

"Alright, so one of the things you're going to want to think about bringing on any rock climbing excursion. First, you've got a chalk bag which holds chalk in it. What you're basically going to use is any gymnastic chalk. Some manufacturers have come out with climbing chalk. It's hard to tell if there's any real improvement in the chalk. But, basically use this for your hands when you're climbing up so that when you get sweaty you're not going to slip off the rock. And that goes in the chalk bag. You can just clip this around your waist. I'll show you that later. Another thing you might want is a guide book. This is going to tell you where the climbs are, how to get to them, which are, which climbs, how difficult they are. So, you can kind of get a sense of what you're getting yourself into. It's also fun bedtime reading. Another thing to think about is a small backpack if you're going all day but you don't want to carry a lot of stuff, a small backpack is a good idea. This is a camel back. It's got a water bladder in there to carry water and a long straw so you can just suck at any time you want even when you're climbing you can be drinking water. It's very important to stay hydrated. The thing that these are all laid out on is called a crash pad. This is going to be if you're not using a rope. What this is used for if you're climbing a rock that's short enough that you don't need a rope, it's kind of a mattress to sit down below it. So that if you fall off you're cushioned a little bit. It's made of dual density foam so that the top part is kind of stiff and the bottom's kind of soft. And the combination gives you a nice firm landing that still cushions and absorbs all the shock that you're going to generate. Another thing to think about is you're going to want to bring a big backpack to carry everything from the car to the crag. This is going to carry your rope, all of your gear, your shoes, your food, any water that you might bring, as well as, extra layers in case it gets cold or wet. "