Inexpensive/Reasonably priced Holds for Garage Climbing Wall

Hello and good morning;

I've decided to bite the bullet and build an 8'X8' woody in my garage. That said, I'm now looking for holds. Realizing they are pricey, I'm wondering if anyone could please pass along information on where the ShaneMeister could purchase holds for a good price.

I know absolutely nothing about climbing holds but need enough to fill my new climbing wall.

Thank You!

-Shane

Rocky Mountain Climbing Gear makes good inexpensive holds and have a retail website and are an Amazon seller.

Pm'd you

Atomik is pretty good. I often see Metolious foot chips at rei relatively cheap.

You guys are great, thanks for the advice!!

One more thought for me to consider. How many holds do I need to get started with an overhanging 8X8FT garage woody? 40? 100?

Again, I know nothing about this...

Shane Zentner wrote: How many holds do I need to get started with an overhanging 8X8FT garage woody? 40? 100? Again, I know nothing about this...

It depends somewhat on what type of woody you are setting up. I have an 8x8FT system board with a 2FT high kicker board and my hold count is 100 handholds and about 30 small/foot holds. I used the Moon Board drilling pattern and have holds in most positions. You could do with less if you are not trying to set-up a training system board and just need something to do a bit of bouldering.

My holds are mostly Atomik and Core (UK) system training holds. The Core are particularly nice as they are mirror/symmetric left and right (I have the crimps and mini jugs sets). The Atomik website is quite good for selecting holds by size and shape. Their training holds are not mirror holds but the shapes are uniform enough to be used left or right.

Regarding cost, holds are not cheap but they last for a very long time. Go into informed as to what you want to accomplish with your woody and invest on the best holds that address your needs. My past experience is that cheap holds are usually lacking in surface quality and design that result in either finger injuries or ripped skin. If you are on a really tight budget then pick up a box of children's wooden blocks at a second hand store (look for the ones made out of hardwood and with rounded edges) and they will provide you with a starter kit of holds (edges, pinches, rounds, etc.)

+1 for Atomik and Synrock

Atomik makes comfortable roof jugs and affordable kid jugs. I also like their pinches and crimps. About 1/3 of my holds are Atomik. A lot of their technical sets are good and cheap. Their mini-volumes are super.

Synrock Holds are quite affordable and very comfortable to climb on for extended periods. Their cobbles are nice, so are the roof jugs. 1/3 of my holds are Synrock. I like their bigger holds better, great slopers at good value.

The rest of my holds are more specialty pieces. Check Projectholds, Teknik, 3ball, Escape, Detroit Rock Climbing Holds, etc.

I have 72 t-nuts per 4x8 sheet, and keep them pretty full--probably 90%.

For 8x8, plan for at least 100. You'll want more.
40 will feel empty and repetitive.

+1 for Atomik.

Don't forget to pick up a couple of these, highly recommend the screw on jibs for at least all of your lower footholds.

Also it may be worth contacting a few hold companies and asking if they have any factory seconds/cosmetic blends that you could buy. I got a bunch from Project Holds last year and the cost difference is huge. They might have a bolt hole that wasn't drilled correctly (easy fix), but most of them are just a messed up color pour. After I ran the numbers I ended up with ~$500 (retail) worth of holds for $80.

Another question. What kind of grid pattern do you recommend?

Shane Zentner wrote:Another question. What kind of grid pattern do you recommend?

it is simple to go with the Moon Board pattern and if you ever want to re-purpose your woody as a Moon Board, you just need to find the head room and add another 4x8 FT2 panel.

John, Rui, Nathan, BCarlson;
I recieved a huge selection of holds from Atomik, mostly small to medium sized holds, plus three big pieces that require 4"-4 1/2" bolts. What size bolts did you get with your Atomik holds?

-Thank you!

Shane,
I usually order bolts along with the holds and they magically send the correct sizes. Mostly I think I have 2" and 3" bolts. If you didn't order bolts with the holds, then you might try to find an assortment pack, or just order a few dozen bolts in a few sizes: 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5.

I am traveling so I do not have the exact details, but I ordered all my bolts at the same time as the holds from Atomik. My recollection is that the bolts that came with the Atomik "system" holds that I purchased were all socket head type.

If the bolt head seat area on the hold is a flat 90-degree then you need socket, it is on a 45-degree incline, you need a flat head bolt.

In the past I have found Element to offer the best deal on bolts, far cheaper than purchasing from Home Depot as someone else recommended (both for single and bulk counts).

As a guideline, leave about 3/4-in or more bolt thread beyond the bottom face of the hold to screw into the T-nut, in case you are wondering what length to purchase.

Try affordableclimbing.com/inde… really good prices.

I have purchased 100's of bolts here.. cool thing is that they have bulk prices on mix and match, so you can get what you need at great price

ebay.com/usr/americanintegr…

Thank you!

i have some holds...great deal..i will send a pic ...pm me your #

My gym sells their old holds for $1 a piece. Because of liability, anything with even the slightest chip has to go. Buy them for $20 at a time, grab some sandpaper, and smooth the sharp edges. Sometimes they are very dirty, and there are ways to clean them. There are some solutions (which I haven't yet tried) and scrubbing with one of those metal toothbrush things generally works for the ones that aren't too bad. I've got everything from micro crimps (not really micro) to jugs the size of my head. I think I've spent about $50-$60 total over the past year-ish

Cleaning holds, do like the gyms do, dishwasher. Works well. Fast

Make you're own, it's really easy, cheap and pretty fulfilling.