Buying Guide

What should you buy

The first pieces of gear most climbers will get for themselves are climbing shoes and their own harness. These pieces of gear will see the biggest impact on your climbing experience for the least investment. From there, the options for what people buy vary, but the most common pieces of gear include a helmet, a belay plate and a chalk bag.

After these bits of gear are aquired, people tend to start looking at gear such as ropes, caribenas, quickdraws and trad climbing gear. This gear won't be covered in this buying guide but if you are in the market and need some help choosing feel free to speak to members of the committee or other society members.

Stoats should also look into getting their own backpacks, walking boots and suitable outdoor clothing for going on trips however this article only covers climbing equipment. If you need help choosing any of this gear also feel free to talk to committee members of other stoats for guidance.

How and where to buy gear

The best way to buy gear is online as you can ususally find flash sales or good deals to get items cheaper than at retail however some gear you do need to try on in store to ensure a good fit (specifically climbing shoes and harnesses.) For these bits of gear, you can try on in-store then simply order online when you get home.

Climbing gear can be expensive and some people may want to look at buying gear second hand from ebay or facebook marketplace which has varied opinions throughout the whole climbing community. It is suggested for the bits of gear covered in this article to buy new as this ensures quality and safety of the products you buy however this is completely at the discretion of the buyer.

Lastly, it should be noted that when purchasing items online, it should be done from company stores such as DMM, Wild Country, Black Diamond, Petzl, Mammut, Edelrid etc or from specific climbing gear retailers. A good one to try is Banana Fingers, it has a wide range of gear to choose from and is based in Bristol just one hour away. Please do NOT buy gear from Amazon or other similar sites as most gear sold through Amazon is unbranded and not safety tested.

Climbing Shoes

Climbing shoes should be the first thing you buy if you want to climb more, as very often, climbing gyms charge for shoe hire and this can add up quickly. The main piece of advice you will be given when buying climbing shoes is to TRY LOTS ON! We recommend you go to Depot or Creation, and before your climbing session, speak to a member of staff and try lots of diffrent pairs of shoes on.

Climbing shoes have varied foot shape and there are lots of different factors to consider such as how 'aggressive' the shoe is and how hard the rubber used in the shoe is. A lot of shoes also have a low volume or female version but don't let this stop you trying all the versions on to find the shoe that best fits.

You might hear of people downsizing their climbing shoes for various reasons but for a first pair of climbing shoes, we recommend that you stick to your normal shoe size. Your toes should reach the end of your climbing shoes and the shoe should feel snug but not painful. The shoe will expand and stretch over time as well so just keep that in mind.

Popular first climbing shoes include the La Sportiva Tarantuala and the Boreal Joker. These shoes are less aggressive and have a comfier fit which is popular however feel free to have a look at some more aggressive shoes and see what you like the feel of. Scarpa, Evolv, Tenaya, 5.10 and Unparallel all make some fantastic shoes.

Harnesses

There is less to think about when getting a harnesses but it is still important. A personal harness will have nicer padding than club 'alpine' style harnesses and they will have gear loops making your life a whole lot easier when seconding routes and especially if you want to lead routes in the future.

All the companies mentioned in the 'Where to buy gear' section make great harnesses at a varying price range (~£45 - £100+ RRP.) The process for choosing a harness is similar to that of choosing climbing shoes, try them on at Creation or ask to try a friends on and decide which you like. The more money you spend, the comfier the harness will be as a rough rule of thumb but you shouldn't need to spend more than £50 on a new harness if you are only doing single pitch sport or trad routes.

Helmets

The process remains the same for helmets, try some on either by borrowing a friends or at stores like Go Outdoors and see which one fits you the best. Similar to harnesses, there is a wide price range (~£50 - £100+) but you shouldnt need to spend any more that £55 or £60.

The best budget options are the Black Diamond half dome or the Petzl Boreo however these helmets are highly popular within the club so make sure to mark your helmet so you know which is yours.

If you are looking to splash the cash on a nicer helmet, all the companies mentioned in the 'where to buy gear' section make some quality helmets. The main differences will be how 'bulky' and how heavy the helmet is but differences won't be all that much. Theres a huge choice in terms of colour and style in the market so find a helmet that matches your vibe.

Belay Plates

There are many different types of belay device, from a standard ATC (what you will use when learning to belay in Redpoint) to assisted tubular devices like the Edelrid Mega Jul II all the way to camming devices such as the Petzl Gri Gri.

Most UK climbers tend to just use an ATC and for a first belay plate that is what we recommend, to get an ATC, ideally with teeth for added security and guide mode (the loop on the back) to future proof yourself. The best options available at the minute are the DMM Pivot or the Petzl Reverso. Please do research about guide mode before attempting to use it as incorrect use can be incredibly dangerous.

Assisted tubular devices and camming devices lock the brake rope of a falling climbing making them safer in the event that the belayer lets go of the brake strand of the rope - NEVER INTENTIONALLY DO THIS!

Camming devices can also be used for abseiling which may be useful further in the future, however camming devices are a lot more expensive (up to £100 rather than £20 - £40 for an ATC) and can only belay one rope at a time which is fine for indoor lead and sport climbing however trad climbing very often uses two ropes known as doubles.

The buyer can weigh up what they think will be most beneficial to them however in 99% of cases an ATC with guide mode and teeth for extra security will do the trick just fine.

Chalk Bags (and Chalk)

We recommend that you get a sport chalk bag as first chalk bag as this can be attached to your harness or go around your waist and be taken up with the climber on a climbing route. This is helpful to allow you to chalk up mid-route.

These are smaller and carry less chalk than chalk buckets but the benefits outweigh the costs, especially if you plan on doing a lot of rope climbing. A lot of climbers have both a bag and a bucket for bouldering and rope climbing respectively.

There are many forms of chalk, most climbers use loose chalk for bouldering and this can be chunky or fine. Some climbers prefer to use chalk balls and some gyms only allow liquid chalk but this doesn't apply to any gym in Birmingham. Which chalk someone decides to use is personal preferance and there isn't a 'better' or a 'worse' chalk, just whichever you prefer.

Most companies listed in the 'where to buy gear' section sell chalk bags and buckets, you can buy chalk online or at Depot or Creation, there won't be much price difference.