A New Kind of Chalkbag

Hey guys,

My friend is a bag designer and he's come up with new chalkbag design

The idea is simple -- a chalksock integrated in the chalkbag, but it's the execution that makes it work. It's cleaner, saves chalk and is actually nicer to use than regular chalkbags or even chalkballs.

I've been using a prototype bag for months now and now it's my only chalkbag - it's excellent. We've tested with climbers all over the world and refined the bags based on their feedback. Now we're confident it's ready to go.

New Chalkbag

If you've used a chalkball before and liked it, or even if you didn't -- check it out! It's a different design that we feels works a lot better.

Here is our Kickstarter -- launched Tuesday!

Some answers to popular questions:
-It is an upstart climbing company in Taiwan, but it has been established for a year now(check out "About Hanchor"). The purpose of the kickstarter is to fund new design production and also try to break into the international market.
-Yes, international shipping around the world is included. Chalkbags are thankfully light.

Obligatory devil's advocate:

Does the Hula give you something to actually grab onto in the bag? From the diagram it seems like when you reach in you get chalk on the outside of your hand.

The Kangaroo's chalksock seems one-sided, in that your hand needs to be in a particular orientation to grab the sock. Is the sock stitched into the far side of the bag or the climber side?

Also, what about a bag like the kangaroo but with a bottom-loading feature that would allow a chalksock easily grabbed at any angle from the top?

Cool ideas though!

I dont really get it. i (and most people i think)just want a big bag to jam my hand into. i dont know anyone who uses chalk balls.

It could be of use in high wind. Of course, my hands are usually pretty dry in high wind.

The sock opens up so you can switch from ball to loose on the fly.

You can send one to me for field testing...

vadk wrote:Does the Hula give you something to actually grab onto in the bag? From the diagram it seems like when you reach in you get chalk on the outside of your hand.

the HULA's chalkball is shaped like a ring or a donut circling the inside of the bag. When it's filled with chalk there is plenty to grab.

"
The Kangaroo's chalksock seems one-sided, in that your hand needs to be in a particular orientation to grab the sock. Is the sock stitched into the far side of the bag or the climber side?
"

When I first heard the idea that was my first concern as well. The Kangaroo's chalkpouch is stitched to the far side of the bag when you are wearing it. That may seem unintuitive but extensive testing and my own experience showed that is actually the most natural position and it works perfectly. You can test this yourself if you have a chalkbag handy -- stick your hand in and see which side your palm face -- away from you or towards you?

"what about a bag like the kangaroo but with a bottom-loading feature that would allow a chalksock easily grabbed at any angle from the top? "

I thought of this bottomloading idea too -- briefly. The problem is that chalkballs need to puff up for you to have something to grab. The existence of gravity means a bottom loading chalksock would be pulled downwards and would pretty much suck ergonomically.

Also it just isn't necessary and I don't think it would chalk up better either. Like I said the kangaroo's chalkpouch seems unintuitive visually but having tested it for 7 months I can say without a doubt it chalks up easily and well . I have 2 types of chalkballs at home and 3 chalkbags but for the last 7 months I've only used the Kangaroo.

andyelliott wrote:I dont really get it. i (and most people i think)just want a big bag to jam my hand into. i dont know anyone who uses chalk balls.

Most people don't use chalkballs because - they cost dollars, take an effort to fill, and they give you LESS chalk per dip -- that seems like a ripoff!

In reality chalkballs work better for most people. They give the right amount of chalk for most people, and they can get chalk on your palms. They also save you chalk and cut down on dust

They arent perfect though - with loose chalk you dip and you have chalk. with a ball you need to find the ball and pick it up and grab it. They can fall out too.

With these new bags the problems - effort to fill, effort to chalk up, and spilling are addressed. The fabric is also chosen to dispense a lot of chalk.

These seem like silly issues until you think about how often you are chalking up on a climb. It makes a difference.

Thanks John, I have mentioned pricing to the team.

Having used the bags I know they are better made and with better materials than anything I see on the shelf, but I think perception is the biggest barrier, with some people having no idea what Taiwan is or where it is. (Hint - we're not a sweatshop!)

For the kickstarter though, shipping is included, so hopefully that helps!

Your user name says it all...danger...yer gonna die.

best chalk bag ziplock, best chalk borax.

"When I first heard the idea that was my first concern as well. The Kangaroo's chalkpouch is stitched to the far side of the bag when you are wearing it. That may seem unintuitive but extensive testing and my own experience showed that is actually the most natural position and it works perfectly. You can test this yourself if you have a chalkbag handy -- stick your hand in and see which side your palm face -- away from you or towards you?"

"Towards" for me. I wear my chalkbag in front, so this wouldn't work well for me. But I might be the only guy who wears it in front.

How about using two interior balls? It may be a hit with the galls!

Lol we'll consider that, Kangaru.
You should check one out though, after all they're named after you! ;-)

Congrats. You've reached the $5000 goal. I look forward to receiving my bag. Hopefully I'll get the opportunity to use it in the fight against the swampy of a Taiwan summer again soon...
Can you get these bags in neon colors by any chance?

Seriously, this is a great idea. Gyms (and the janitorial staff) would love for these bags to proliferate, given the reduced mess. Clever idea.

And yeah. For anyone with doubts about the quality of Taiwanese made products, don't worry.
1) It's not China (despite what China would like to argue). Taiwanese goods have a high baseline of quality these days.
2) These are very expensive by local standards, and I would expect excellent materials, workmanship, etc.

andyelliott wrote:I dont really get it. i (and most people i think)just want a big bag to jam my hand into. i dont know anyone who uses chalk balls.

I actually prefer chalk balls over others. I might be biased because the loose chalk at the local places is always so much greater than the chalk balls, but generally, I can get chalk when I squeeze and it's perfect.

I use a chalk ball.

Some days it feels like it's the only ball I've got with me.

Thanks for all the support guys! Stay ballin' ;-)

I am not sure one needs a special chalk bag to reap the benefits of loose chalk and a ball. I use a ball and loose chalk in my standard eBay express chalk bag, and it works fine. I have never had an issue using just the ball, just the loose chalk or both.

Ha! I've been trying to convince various manufacturers to make a chalk bag with integrated chalk sock for thirty years. No one I spoke to was interested. Hope this effort works out. I just pledged for a Hula.

The doughnut-shaped sock holds out the possibility of chalking the backs of the hands for hand-jamming, something that was always a drawback of the ordinary sock.

The fact that you get less chalk from a sock is a benefit, not a drawback. A heavy coating seems to decrease friction between skin and rock, which is why you see people loading up with chalk, blowing most of it away, and still ending up with too much.

The environmental benefits would be substantial if enough people adopted the sock. You leave almost no residue on the rock when using a chalk sock. The gyms that require socks figured this out long ago. I wish all gyms would require socks, because it would habituate new climbers to using them.

andyelliott wrote: i dont know anyone who uses chalk balls.

I don't know anyone who doesn't.