Beginner trad rack recommendations

Hello, I’ve been climbing sport for about 4 years indoor with a few months of outdoor here and there.I’ve been training my anchors and studying what I need to start trad climbing.  I’m looking to climb in the foster falls, Chattanooga area and looking to start trad climbing. Just looking for gear recommendations (sizes of cams, how many draws I should have and what lengths)for the trad around these areas. Don’t worry I won’t go out there without some type of guidance. But I would like to know a recommendation so I can start building my own rack. Thanks 

Well, I don't know the area well, but I'd say a rack of cams from BD 0.4 to #2 and a set of 5 to 8 nuts is a solid start. For slings, I'd recommend a set of 4 alpine draws (dyneema type, 60mm length, 2 carabineers each), and either a 240mm dyneema sling for an anchor or similar length 6 or 7mm cord if you don't already have one. That'll get you started. BUT! Honestly, it sounds like you are already planning to go out with a more experienced mentor of sorts (smart!), so my best piece of advice is to climb on his or her gear for awhile to get a better feel for the gear you like before you go all in. I've known more than one person who's bought a big old double rack to "get started" only to post it on FB marketplace or the MP For Sale forum when they decided they were happy enough clipping bolts or TRing. Good luck. Oh! And (trigger warning) don't let anyone fool you into buying tricams ;)

PortlandRob wrote:

Well, I don't know the area well, but I'd say a rack of cams from BD 0.4 to #2 and a set of 5 to 8 nuts is a solid start. For slings, I'd recommend a set of 4 alpine draws (dyneema type, 60mm length, 2 carabineers each), and either a 240mm dyneema sling for an anchor or similar length 6 or 7mm cord if you don't already have one. That'll get you started. BUT! Honestly, it sounds like you are already planning to go out with a more experienced mentor of sorts (smart!), so my best piece of advice is to climb on his or her gear for awhile to get a better feel for the gear you like before you go all in. I've known more than one person who's bought a big old double rack to "get started" only to post it on FB marketplace or the MP For Sale forum when they decided they were happy enough clipping bolts or TRing. Good luck. Oh! And (trigger warning) don't let anyone fool you into buying tricams ;)

I don't remember the last trad climb that I did where I didn't place at least 1 tricam...The people that follow me hate me for that reason.

Definitely agree with finding a mentor to even see if you like trad climbing because it certainly isn't for everyone.

Rob and Chris have pretty solid beginner rack recommendations in the first few pages of Chattrad and the Dixie craggers atlas. They’re specific to the southern region. 

A lot of it will depend on how you climb and what your partner carries, but I'd recommend expanding the rack to BD #0.2 to 4. The 0.3 and 4 especially have saved me countless times in the Chatty and NC areas

I started with a set of 4-13 nuts, metoluius ultralight mastercams 00-3, and bd c4 .5-3. If I was going to do it over, I’d do wildcountry instead of bd.

With alpine draws, you’ll probably end up with about 8, but you can get away with less depending on the route. And tricams are great for routes with horizontal cracks. I wouldn’t go to looking glass without them. 

When you’re ready to buy a rack, you’ll know what you need to buy. I read that years ago and use it as advice for anyone that starts asking about specifics of a rack. If you spend a sufficient amount time following a seasoned trad leader, you’ll pick up the basic arrangement of active&passive gear, various slings, draws, etc that you’ll need for your area. And in that same time of following, you’ll also pick up the realities of gear placement which you cannot pick up on YouTube or a book. Not to mention basic safety and lead strategy, among other things.

So, if you don’t know what to buy yet, then don’t. Because if you are already going out with someone that can provide proficient guidance, they’ll have a rack. In the unlikely scenario they need their rack supplemented by you for some reason, they can tell you exactly what gear to buy. If by guidance you mean a day with a guide, please find a mentor that you can climb with for awhile. Traditional climbing isn’t rocket science, but there’s a lot of information and sometimes less than obvious subtly which a lot of beginners don’t see until they spend time with someone who knows what they are doing. Two times already, I’ve seen novice trad leaders rip out multiple pieces of gear and nearly get really life altering injuries because they probably didn’t have enough mentorship under their belt. 

I built my rack climbing in that exact area.  Pretty standard rack, tricams are fun but not required, the guidebook was my guide.  Enjoy.  

Brandon has some solid advice above.  I did it on my own and still have a #6 BD with a tag on it...