Sport Climbing Essentials

Sport Climbing Gear

What’s not to love about sport climbing? It’s everything we adore about bouldering—flowy, gymnastic movement; the drive to prove ourselves on the toughest sequences the rock can throw at us—combined with the countdown clock known as forearm pump. Toss in trustworthy protection and a relatively low barrier to entry and you can call us hooked. Ready to test your mettle against the toughest sequences the rock can through at you? Read on for harnesses, ropes, quickdraws, belay devices, and chalk bags to complete your sport climbing kit. And if you’re on the hunt for shoes, check out our Climbing Shoe Guide.

By the way—if you’re new to the sport and haven’t climbed outside before, getting the gear is only the first step to outdoor climbing. Sport climbing has many parallels to indoor lead climbing, but it requires you to hang your own draws and clean your gear after climbing. Proper knowledge of how to set up an anchor, clean a route, and make safety decisions independently is crucial. Many gyms offer intro courses for outdoor climbing that cover the basics, or a trusted mentor with plenty of experience can show you the ropes. Hiring a guide is also an option for getting a taste of outdoor climbing. Remember, outdoor climbing is inherently risky, and even experienced climbers can make mistakes. Your best bet is to learn the safety protocols well and vigilantly practice them every time you climb.

Choosing A Climbing Helmet

Climbing helmets were originally developed to protect you from falling rocks, ice, and other overhead hazards. The majority of climbing helmets on the market feature lightweight EPP or EPS foam to diffuse force in the case of a major impact. Newer designs now feature additional coverage for the sides and back of your head to account for potential fall injury. Some helmets now feature Mips as well, but this is far from standard.

When considering overhead hazards, you’re most in danger while belaying—should your climber dislodge some loose rock, for example—or while multi-pitch climbing, where less-trafficked routes are often less clean than the typical road-side classic. While climbing, rock fall is far less of a concern than unexpected impacts while taking a fall. No climber intentionally steps behind the rope, but panicked footwork while pumping out has yielded mistakes for many an experienced leader. Wearing a helmet while climbing protects your beta-interpreter in case you flip upside down while falling or take a particularly pendulous and unwieldy whip.

If you’ve seen videos of professional climbers performing stunning feats sans brain bucket, you might wonder if you need a helmet for climbing. There isn’t a one size fits all answer—just as there isn’t a one size fits all approach to helmet sizing! Some sport climbers, especially those who primarily climb on overhung terrain where falling choss and backstepping are equally as unlikely, elect not to wear a helmet when climbing. This is a calculated risk, and most of these climbers have a helmet ready for other occasions.

Our take is that this safety gear only does you good if it’s on your head. Choosing a lightweight helmet that fits snugly and does not impede your vision or range of motion ensures you get vital protection without sacrificing performance.

How We Choose A Harness

When selecting a harness for sport climbing, we prefer the minimalist approach. The low-profile models ranking at the top of our list all keep our focus locked on the crux, not a fiddly strap that needs adjusting. These harnesses generally have thinner waist belts and leg loops, lighter weights, and fewer adjustable features and gear loops than trad or multi-sport harnesses. Extra features we look for include breathable materials (getting sweaty is pretty much guaranteed) and an auto-locking waist belt. Check out our full harness guide for more tips on selecting your next partner in climb.

As a quick note on sizing, our top pick below is a unisex harness that fits waist sizes between 25.5–36.25 inches. However, some of our other harness picks are specifically designed for men or women. Gendered harnesses have identical safety features but differ in their proportions. When compared to unisex and men’s harnesses, which generally fit the same, women’s-specific harnesses tend to have smaller waist belts and larger leg loops. They also tend to have waist belt tapering and a longer rise for increased comfort when worn at the true waist. Similar to with climbing shoes, your gear’s gender need not match your own. We recommend comparing your waist and thigh measurements with harness size charts to find your best fit.

Looking For Climbing Shoes?

See our top picks + tips on how to choose in our Climbing Shoe Guide.

How We Choose Climbing Hardware

In sport climbing, quickdraws are the primary type of hardware used to protect climbers from falls. A quickdraw consists of a pair of carabiners connected by a sling (sometimes called a dogbone). Generally, the upper carabiner has a loose joint with the sling, allowing plenty of side to side movement to reduce rope drag. Meanwhile, the lower carabiner is secured to the dogbone rigidly to improve clipping efficiency. When progressing up a route, the climber attaches the upper carabiner of the quickdraw to a fixed bolt, then clips the rope to the lower carabiner. The upper and lower carabiners are generally different colors to help climbers easily identify correct orientation.

Unless you’re climbing at a crag that’s perma-drawed, you’ll need a set of quickdraws—a dozen is a good place to start. The main differentiators between sport climbing quickdraws are in carabiner shapes, gates, and slings, which can all impact weight.

There are two main carabiner shapes that are found on quickdraws.

1. Carabiner Shapes

• Straight gate carabiners are extremely common, and like the name suggests, the gate forms a straight line from the pivot point to the locking nose.

• Bent gate biners are concave in the gate—this feature allows gravity to direct the rope into the carabiner, making clips easier.

2. Gate Construction

• Solid gate carabiners are durable and often have a keylock design. This makes the nose of the carabiner smooth, rather than notched, which prevents the carabiner from snagging or catching—this is extra important for cleaning a route, especially if it’s overhanging.

• Lighter wiregate carabiners feature a loop of steel rather than a solid gate. The reduced weight is a boon to keep your harness light—after all, that’s less weight to pull when you’re clinging to small holds—but this design can get bent out of shape and lose its auto-closing springiness more easily.

3. Slings & Dogbones

• Chunky, more ergonomic dogbones like those found on the Petzl Spirit Express, are easier to grab while cleaning or projecting.

• Thinner slings save on weight but aren’t exactly comfortable if you need to hang on to one.

Choosing a quickdraw configuration ultimately comes down to preference. Some of our favorites are hybrid quickdraws with keylocking solid-gate upper carabiners and wide-mouthed wire-gate lowers, but any quickdraw that’s reasonably light and extremely easy to clip gets our seal of approval.

While quickdraws are the main gear you’ll carry on your harness, you’ll also need multiple locking carabiners, runners, and a personal anchor system. Check out our Sport Climbing Checklist for a full rundown.

How We Choose A Sport Climbing Rope

Choosing a rope can be tricky—and selecting one by pretty color or sheath design won’t always set you up for success. For sport climbing, we exclusively choose dynamic, single ropes. These ropes are tested and rated specifically for top roping and lead climbing, whereas static ropes or double ropes that require more complicated belaying, aren’t appropriate for sport climbing. All the other features, however, depend on when and how you’ll use your rope.

1. Length: We hope you like the metric system because ropes are measured in meters. (One meter is about 3.28 feet if you want to do the math.) Ropes range in length from 30–100 meters.

• A 60m rope is adequate for most outdoor climbing, but it never hurts to check cliff heights before pulling on to a climb. Dynamic ropes will stretch a little when weighted, but your rope should be at least two times as long as your route to ensure you get back to ground without needing to downclimb.


• For indoor climbing, wall heights vary from gym to gym. Some climbers will split a 70m rope into two dedicated 35m gym ropes. But with more gyms building taller and taller walls, you may need a 40 or even 45m rope.

2. Diameter: A rope’s diameter affects its overall weight and how it interacts with your belay devices. One of the most common belay devices, the Grigri, is compatible with ropes between 8.5–11mm in diameter.

• Many Gearheads appreciate the light pack weight and quick, almost slippery handling of a rope under 9.4mm; however, these ropes slide rapidly in a belay device, requiring a confident and competent belayer. 


• Ropes above 10mm offer unparalleled durability, making them top-notch for top rope only crags or rehearsing moves on a project.

• Goldilocks ropes between 9.5–9.9mm fall between these two extremes, making them an excellent choice if you want one rope to do it all.
  

3. Weight: Generally, skinnier, shorter ropes will weigh less than fatter, longer ropes. Weight doesn’t matter much while you’re climbing (though we can’t deny that the combo of heavy rope plus rope drag is up there on the sucking scale). Where it really comes into play is in your pack. Most ropes will have a grams per meter measurement to simplify comparisons.

4. Extra Features: For sport climbing, you can save money on your rope by skipping the dry treatment. This is particularly true if you avoid climbing in the rain or belaying from streams. If you plan to use your rope to ice climb, ski mountaineer, or any other activity where moisture is a problem, go for the dry-treated option. Other features we look for include prominent half-way marks (bi-weaves, where each half of the rope have a different appearance, are great options for some extra coin) and end warning marks to aid with rappelling.

When To Retire Your Rope
A bright new rope won’t last forever—and we don’t just mean it’s lovely just-flaked-for-the-first-time color. Every rope has a maximum lifespan determined by the manufacturer (typically 10 years), but few ropes will go that long before retirement. The more often you use your rope, the shorter it’s lifespan. Inspect your rope regularly for signs of excessive wear such as a frayed sheath (a little fuzz is normal), flat sections, core shots, or stiff handling. When a rope exhibits any of these signs, it’s time to phase it out. If it’s been a while since you bought your line, here’s a loose guideline of when to replace your rope:

• Major fall or acute damage: retire immediately
• Frequent use (weekly, year-round): 1 year
• Regular use (a few times per month): 1–3 years
• Occasional use (10 times a year): 4–5 years
• Rare use (once or twice a year): 7 years
• Never been used: 10 years

How We Choose A Belay Device

Belay devices are essential for all types of rope climbing. When a climber falls, the rope starts to move rapidly, and hands alone aren’t exactly great at holding on (just think of the last time you played tug of war). Attached to the belayer’s harness, belay devices act as a braking system for the rope, making it easier to stop a fall and lower a climber. Assisted belay devices, also known as auto-locking devices, are preferred for sport climbing, where falls can be numerous when projecting. Auto-locking devices reduce belayer fatigue and are especially ideal when a climber outweighs their belayer.

Since its invention in 1991 and improvement in 2011, Petzl’s signature GriGri, is as close to ubiquitous as it gets. However, there are plenty of other belay devices out there that are great options, especially if you’re multi-pitch climbing, rappelling, or already have solid muscle memory with another assisted braking device. Ultimately, the best belay device for you is one that you feel comfortable and confident in using. If you don’t understand its mechanism, you’re more likely to make a potentially fatal error. Most of our Gearheads learned to belay with a GriGri, and unsurprisingly it’s what we turn to for an average day at the crag. For more info about the different types of belay devices, check out our Belay Device Guide.

Sport Climbing Clothing

The difference between holding the crux and whipping off your proj can come down to precise body positioning and micro beta, so our apparel picks are perfectly dialed, too. Our apparel picks for sport climbing offer the best moves-with-you feelings, and they’re all perfectly harness compatible.

Tops: Optional! (Kidding of course—but only kind of). We aren’t opposed to pulling off a tank or sweatshirt when it’s time to tie in for our send go. After all, nothing sounds worse when you’re about to grease off a hold than a baggy shirt obstructing your chalk bag. But for warming up, belaying, or waiting to take a turn on a crowded route, we’re always grateful for a layer to keep us comfortable. Fleece and wind layers are favorites for days when temps are perfect for the send (aka chilly!), while a sun layer, tee, tank, or sports bra is our choice when we’re piecing together beta on warm weekends.

Bottoms: Rigid pants that restrict hip mobility just aren’t for us on sport days. Our pants and shorts picks are low profile where they interact with a harness (such as smooth waist bands with pressure-point free closures), and they offer plenty of stretch for the most gymnastic body positions.