What trad gear should I buy

Just getting into trad climbing what kind of stuff should I get for my first rack?

I won't make any specific gear/brand suggestions.  There are plenty of first rack guides available on the internet. Here's some general pointers that address some common misconceptions:

- Unlike many other sports, in trad climbing there's no difference between beginner gear and advanced gear.  It's all the same.  

- Advanced trad climbers can often manage with less gear.  As a beginner you don't want that extra challenge.  A small, incomplete rack is not a beginner rack.  You really have to get everything before your first trad lead.  It's a big investment but you don't want to cut corners.

With that in mind, the ideal approach is to borrow a rack or climb with someone experienced who has one.  Then you'll know what you need.

Quadruple rack of totems and 12 pink tri cams.
There's a search function in the top right you know.

The best thing you can get for starting out in trad is a good partner/mentor.  If you already had one of those you wouldn't be asking your question here.  

To avoid being too snarky here's what I have on my rack that I use most often:
~8 standard length alpine draws, all with BD Oz or Hoodwire carabiners
~4 double length alpine draws
Double cams from .3 to 3 with a single 4.  My first set of cams is a set of C4s with X4s to make the doubles in .3-.5 and C4s to double the larger sizes all single-racked on color matched carabiners.  I have doubles in the X4s in .1 and .2 but I hardly ever use them and they aren't a good option for a new leader since they have no margin for error and are hard to evaluate the quality of the placement.
DMM Wallnuts, full set
DMM offset nuts
240cm sewn sling for building a 3-piece anchor

This plus personal gear should get you up a lot of fun stuff.  As Mae Rae said, the better you get the smaller your rack can be, carrying more gear gives you more options which is what you need when you're starting out.  Look for routes that eat up gear in the .75-2 range, they'll be the most forgiving for getting solid gear in for a new leader.

Good luck and climb safe.

Climb on some other people's racks in your area (find a mentor) and pick your favorites for certain size ranges. Eventually you'll figure out what you need for sizes and how many of each you need.

Doubles from 0.3-3 and a set of nuts is a good start.

BD camalots are my favorite. 

Troy Silber wrote: You do NOT need doubles in cams to start trad climbing lol

When do you need doubles?

When you’re climbing routes that require triples or quadruples.

Troy Silber wrote: You do NOT need doubles in cams to start trad climbing lol

If you don't need them in the beginning when you don't really know how to place gear, why would you need them later?

I think it's foolish when I see beginners heading out with a single set of .5 to 4. That's just not a lot of options on a pitch. 

Ted Pinson wrote: When you’re climbing routes that require triples or quadruples.

I guess that's a joke.

Look, the OP's profile says he's 17 years old, has some sport experience and seems to be stoked on getting into trad.

Why don't we try not to be jerks and give a young climber some sound advice without him having to parse out the nonsense?

I started with a single rack of camalots. They are a good solid straightforward cam, pretty confidence inspiring... although certainly not my favorite cam nowadays.  I then supplemented them with more specific gear as I gained experience and got to know my personal preferences. A single rack is fine for starting out I think, especially considering the grade of the routes a beginning trad leader is likely to be getting on. Set of nuts, set of cams,  alpine draws, and a cordelette should get you going just fine, and you can add to it as you go. I'd look on Ebay or here in the for sale section, and get a complete used rack for cheap. 

A single rack is fine starting out IF you have a partner who also has a rack. I wouldn’t recommend carrying such a lean rack if you’re the only one with gear. 

Mae Rae wrote:

I guess that's a joke.

Look, the OP's profile says he's 17 years old, has some sport experience and seems to be stoked on getting into trad.

Why don't we try not to be jerks and give a young climber some sound advice without him having to parse out the nonsense?

You have been on the internet before, right?

Grey Sud wrote: Just getting into trad climbing what kind of stuff should I get for my first rack?

Starter rack:

Doubles of cams BD .3 to #3
One set of nuts 1-10.
10 Alpine Draws (slings with biners)
2 Longer Alpine Draws.
2 locking biners.

Any brand works, yes tou can get away with less but really this is a minimum for climbing trad.

Godspeed.

Thanks for all the help I think I will get a bd cams .4 to 3 and a set of dmm walnuts  and a couple slings I have been learning by paying a guide service but how would I find a mentor I would rather support a climber then a big company

hexes

Mason Stone wrote I recommend RGold, Em Cos, Frank PS and Lena Chita.

Why not recommend Mason Stone?

Mae Rae wrote:

I guess that's a joke.

Look, the OP's profile says he's 17 years old, has some sport experience and seems to be stoked on getting into trad.

Why don't we try not to be jerks and give a young climber some sound advice without him having to parse out the nonsense?

Yes and no.  A single rack is “fine” starting out because you’re probably (hopefully!) climbing with people more experienced than you who also have a rack and can share, so between the two of you you should have at least a double rack and can safely get up.  Eventually, you will start either A) climbing with less experienced people who might not own gear and/or B) climbing splitters/long routes that require more than doubles of a particular size, at which point owning a double rack yourself makes sense.

Ted Pinson wrote:

Yes and no.  A single rack is “fine” starting out because you’re probably (hopefully!) climbing with people more experienced than you who also have a rack and can share, so between the two of you you should have at least a double rack and can safely get up.  Eventually, you will start either A) climbing with less experienced people who might not own gear and/or B) climbing splitters/long routes that require more than doubles of a particular size, at which point owning a double rack yourself makes sense.

In other words a beginner should have a complete rack, which includes a double set of cams, on their person before making that first move on the sharp end. Maybe borrow the gear, maybe combine gear with partners - you don't have to own the gear - but there is a sensible minimum needed before safely getting on any trad route that is longer than half a rope or so.  

Some of the posts here are suggesting that climbing with one set of cams is adequate. Sure it can and has been done, but I believe it is unnecessarily risky.  It's usually not hard to get a double set. Buy/beg/borrow the second set of cams and eliminate a lot of complication and risk. A new climber has enough to sort out, they don't need to be rationing gear placements.

-Set of nuts
-.3-4 cams
-set of hexes
-alpine draws
-nut tool
-regular climbing equipment you need

You seriously don't need a double set of cams for starting off. Learn to use passive protection and use the cams when you have to. Depending on where you climb you can actually climb some decent stuff with just passive protection. Ex. At Seneca rocks in WV you can climb at-least 5.7 with all passive pro (A 5.7 at Seneca probably translates to 5.8 or 5.9 at other crags). Sure, you can do more routes with a double set of cams but you can do a lot of 5.7 and under trad climbs with a single set of cams and the other protection I listed. If you find out you really love trad after climbing for a little while you can buy the second set of cams but if you figure out it's not for you then you won't be out as much money.