Good time to buy more advanced equipment?

Hey guys I'm new to this forum and would like some advice. I've been climbing for about 5 months in the gym and just transitioned from plastic to real rock this past weekend in Sandrock and led my first 5.8 and 5.9. I had a blast and now I'm more addicted to climbing than ever.

I work for the outdoor rec department at my university and we took some of the equipment that they supply to our trip. Just looking at the gear before we went climbing, it's a little old and worn. Now that I've made the transition from plastic to rock, is now the right time to start investing in my own draws? I have the basics, i.e. shoes, harness, ATC, chalk, but now that I plan on leading and climbing outside I can't help but wonder if this is the right time to start thinking about draws and possibly a rope in the near future.

Any advice is welcome!

I know that many beginners buy draws before a rope, but I don't understand why. You can't use them without a rope, so you had better have a good reason. I can think of a couple:

Your buddies have a rope or two but not enough quickdraws for the routes you want to do.

Their draws suck, and you prefer clipping something else.

I think you would be better off buying rope (your partner's ropes will thank you), shoes (can't have too many), or beer (your partners will thank you).

+1 for beer. it's way easier to make friends when you have alcohol.

a rope could come in handy too

"it's way easier to make friends when you have alcohol."

True dat.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll be looking for a rope in the near future then. Any recommendations on rope diameter? I wouldn't be doing super long sport routes so a 60m rope would be plenty I would think.

I'd recommend an inexpensive, durable rope in the 10-10.5 range. Ropes are something of a consumable, so there's no point getting something fancy before you need it.

Get some inexpensive draws, nylon dogbones preferred for durability, and a big 10.x rope. The Mammut Classic express seems like a great deal for the price - the bolt biner is similar to the famed Petzl Spirit, and it has a matching wire gate on the rope end. If I was buying new sport draws for cragging this is what I would get.

I usually by the cheapest draws I can find and they seem to work great. I think there black diamond and go for $10, wire gates.

You might also want to get a few slings and some lockers if you plan on leaving the rope up for your buddies to top rope. Also good for anchoring at the top of a route if you have to thread the rope through the anchors.

Oh and maybe some manpris, and a summertime beanie, no shirt necessary.

In priority order

1. Rope
2. Draws
3. better shoes
4. Helmet for leading
5. Nuts
6. Cams
7. Ice Axes
8--> 100. Now you're f#cked

Mark Pilate wrote:In priority order 1. Rope 2. Draws 3. better shoes 4. Helmet for leading 5. Nuts 6. Cams 7. Ice Axes 8--> 100. Now you're f#cked

Pretty good list, but I would put helmet at #1. Anytime someone breaks into the outdoor world that's the first thing I recommend they buy.

Black diamond makes the Posiwire quickdraw, which has a keylock bolt end and a wiregate rope end. It is quite cheap and a fairly nice draw. I would look for a dozen of them on sale.

pjheinz83 wrote: Pretty good list, but I would put helmet at #1. Anytime someone breaks into the outdoor world that's the first thing I recommend they buy.

I second the helmet being an important purchase. On really overhanging sport stuff with clean falls then you don't really need them... but on anything else they can save your life. Rockfall is especially dangerous.

You'll also want a sling or a PAS (or similar full-strength looped device) for cleaning the anchor. Just remember that when using a PAS (or similar) it should be taut (or have minimal slack) at all times.

Also... a stick clip is not a bad idea for a beginner. This is especially helpful if the first bolt is really high up and there's a possibility of decking.

My recommendation, in order of importance:

(1) One double-length sling, two shoulder-length slings, or PAS with two lockers.
(2) Rope: 60m, 10mm-10.5mm, non-dry
(3) Three-four lockers and a 6-7mm cordelete for anchor setups
(4) Helmet (before or with the draws...maybe buy this sooner if you are going to be leading on others' gear before buying your own draws)
(5) 8-12 sport draws (get some good ones, you won't be buying often). Maybe swap out some sport draws for extendable draws.

If the trad bug bites...well, that's a whole different topic. ;-)

made these last year for some people ...

its a list of what most of what youll want for the various stages of climbing

and the difference between spending on good, but safe gear ... and the "best" stuff that wont make you climb any harder as a newb

;)

smart purchase beginner costs

clueless "top of the line" beginner costs

wow thanks for all the replies guys, I'll be looking at ropes and a helmet soon then. I feel funny about buying draws and rope on sale but I guess that's just because I actually realize the dangers involved in this sport when you buy shit equipment now that i've climbed outside. any recommendations on reputable websites? or should i just buy gear straight from the retailer (ex, buying BD draws from BD)?

DavisMeschke wrote:wow thanks for all the replies guys, I'll be looking at ropes and a helmet soon then. I feel funny about buying draws and rope on sale but I guess that's just because I actually realize the dangers involved in this sport when you buy shit equipment now that i've climbed outside. any recommendations on reputable websites? or should i just buy gear straight from the retailer (ex, buying BD draws from BD)?

Check out the deals section of this website: deals.mountainproject.com/d…

There are lots of reputable online retailers, Backcountry.com and mountaingear.com stick out as two of the big ones, but there are tons of others.

Just curious because you mentioned new to climbing outdoors. Have you been taught proper technique for cleaning anchors? See lots of guys get excited and switch from gym to outdoors real quick and without a mentor, guide or experienced partner things can go from fun to bad real quick. +1 on the helmet on lead especially trad. Put a dent in my helmet Saturday on a super easy 5.6 trad which would have definitely been a head buster other wise

Jon Powell wrote:Just curious because you mentioned new to climbing outdoors. Have you been taught proper technique for cleaning anchors? See lots of guys get excited and switch from gym to outdoors real quick and without a mentor, guide or experienced partner things can go from fun to bad real quick. +1 on the helmet on lead especially trad. Put a dent in my helmet Saturday on a super easy 5.6 trad which would have definitely been a head buster other wise

^^
I'd agree with this over everything else here.

Not at all that the suggestions above are in any way wrong, but I would heartily recommend focusing your energy on finding as many experienced partners as you can, and not buy any more gear except the helmet, because:
-you're going to develop your own tastes in gear and techniques, and if you buy a lot of gear now, you're probably going to discover later that you don't like a lot of what you buy now.
-if I'm reading your initial post correctly, there is a good chance that you don't know how to safely use what you're buying
-experienced partners will have 5 times more gear than either of you can use when you climb with them, for free (as far as you're concerned!)
-cultivating the habit of seeking out the strongest partners you can find is a really good thing to do, and will serve you far, far better than a set of draws. If I'd done more of that at your stage, I'd be a much better climber now.

No real disagreement with Optimistic except to note that the helmet is the one piece of gear that I have yet to find satisfaction with. Take your time and look around and Pick one you will actually use, don't just get the one that is on the shelf at the local shop