r/ClimbingGear

I'm not climbing much these days since I got married and have kids. I have an older set of BD camalots that are~25 years old now that I'm just not using. They need to be reslung again, but otherwise I'd have no issues climbing on them, but I know their history.

Unsure of potential value. I was assuming to get anything for them, I'd need to resling them, and before I pay the money to resling them, any input on how much demand there is for that older gear or how much they might be worth? Just want to make sure I'm not putting money into a wall ornament I won't get back.

My 6-year-old daughter is hooked on climbing. We started with bouldering, but after trying top rope today, she's obsessed and I want to pick up a dedicated belay device.

I climbed heavily about 20 years ago (back when our gym banned original GriGris), so I know gear has evolved a ton. I see modern GriGris everywhere now, but I came across discussions saying the GriGri+ can be problematic for very light kids (~45 lbs) because of how the anti-panic mechanism behaves while lowering.

For those belaying young kids: is that a legitimate headache, or is it overblown? Would I be better off with the standard GriGri or another assisted-braking device?

So me and a new partner were on pitch 6 of an 8 pitch alpine climb, while he was leading he seemed to have gone off route and fell when he was 6-8ft above his last piece. He took a nasty 10ish foot fall on his side before coming to a stop. I was able to lower him to the next ledge below us, and then I down-climbed about 15ft to the ledge. As soon as I got there I assessed, no blood and his limbs seemed to have full mobility, but he did have a broken rib. I didn't even question the idea that we had to go down immediately, as I knew weather was coming.

His first concern was with leaving gear on the wall, so he wanted us, or me, to try to traverse on the face to see if I could come across the rappel route. I rejected the idea, started making anchors with our gear, and setting up a rappel. We needed to do four 60m rappels to get back to the ground but he still was very apprehensive about leaving his gear. So much that after I ran out of locking biners other than the ones needed for rappeling down, he refused to use another one and wanted me to use the rope directly on the cordelette I was sacrificing for that rappel. I hesitantly agreed, since it was only about 20-30ft high to the next ledge that actually had anchors for the final rappel. Long story, rope got stuck after we came down, I had to climb back up solo, and down climb to get back to him. We eventually got ready for the final rappel, and he refused to do any more stacked rappels, and he wanted to go first since it started to hail.

Again I hesitantly agreed and right as he was starting to lean back I saw that his rappel had only one strand on his device. I grabbed his harness and told him, he fixed it and finally rappeled down.

Once we made it to the base, mountain rescue met us, and we started the long walk back to the TH, as he didn't have rescue insurance and didn't want the bill of a chopper. I carried his stuff and we helped him slowly hike down to the car, which took 3-4 hrs.

Eventually back at the TH I went back to his campground to help him pack his stuff and go with him to the ER. Once there he gave me 3 cams, different brand and in worse condition than mine, as payment for the 5 totems I lost and the locking biners and so on I left on the wall. I was happy to just be safe and back , but decided I could possibly sell them to recover some of the cost of buying my gear back.

Once leaving I saw his brand new 2026 XL SUV still with temporary plates on them, and with leather seats.

I didn't think much of it, but I started the drive home, as I knew my wife was worried out of her mind by now.

Next day I found his rocky talkie in my back pack and texted to see if I could mail it to him, since I already have a pair. His answer, "wait, because you still might recover the gear from the wall" ( I mentioned I might try to go next week to see what I could find). "Once you recover your gear, you can send the radio with the cams I gave you".

AITA if I dont return the cams? Even if I do find some of the gear, I'm sure at least one totem flew of the mountain, and another two are off route. There's gonna be a week of rain before I manage to make it back, so who knows what will still be there, and even though I posted in MP asking if other parties can retrieve them, there's slim chances I will recover the $500+ in gear I lost. Undecided on what to do if I recover some of my gear, was planning on selling the 3 cams to pay for one totem at least...AITA if I don't send them back?

My Dad passed recently and I’ve decided to memorialize him by bulking out my rack and thought a well
considered and versatile rope quiver would be a nice add.

For those of you who climb multiple disciplines, what does your rope quiver look like for diameter and length? Not really asking about brands, I’ve owned Edelrids since I started, but open to suggestions if someone has a strong rec.

I’ve been climbing a while, 8 years minus a break for marriage/kids/divorce, and have 6 ropes with 2 in current use. The old 9.5ish ropes get used for TR group sesh, I was gifted a used set of ice ropes when I lived close to ice…but then moved and never use them, I have a gym rope (30m) and my current 4yr old TC 9.6 Eco Dry DuoTech (70m) (takes a beating really well, will become my group TR line, but damn it’s heavy).

I live in Southern California and climb a lot of sport in the Mojave, but am at Josh roughly 10 times a year and Tahquitz a hand full of times a year with plans to increase both of those. I LRS/TRS regularly, starting to play with aid as well. I’m also weak AF and project your kids onsites 😂 (loads of solo hanging).

Here’s my thoughts:

Trad/MP/LRS: 70m thin w/aramid tech. (Swift Protect)
Sport cragging: 60m 9.3 (TC EcoDry BiColor)
TRS only sesh: 40m 8/9mm static/semi static (maybe the Arete Pink Line, but it’s 8mm and I haven’t checked flow or functionality with my devices. HN2 offers it as a reward for big spend, major budget consideration. Need more deets on the cord and will get a small section to play with for a bit.

I’m also considering a Rap Line or other tag options, I’ve just never used one. What lengths for alpine MP with a tag line…and not get in trouble? If I want to replace a 70 do I really get two 40’s and have the same flexibility? I climb at night a lot so bipattern is VERY useful, but maybe not if I tag? Also currently have gigantic middle marks that I markered and I like that solution as well.

For LRS I’d LOVE to shed loads of weight, but I like having extra rope for ground anchors, so is 70m thin a good direction? Thin is also why I want aramid in the sheath.

Again, I’m only using Edelrid because I know I love their rope, cost is a factor i’m just ignoring it right now. I’m not thinking about cost until I have diameters/lengths figured out.

Thanks!

Hello, I'm looking to buy a static rope for top rope soloing. I'll be using a Micro Traxion and a Spoc.

Does 11 mm add too much drag compared to 10 mm?

I'm evaluating this option since there is a Beal rope that I can buy by meters, and it has a price that I can afford.

Many thanks in advance!

what do y'all think about the new trance and how do you guys like them compared to other brands / models?

So I’m trying to self-teach me on how to climb multi pitch, I have practiced making an anchor point (a proper one obviously) and also on how to belay with a reverso on guide mode and all that but this is what I have seen from other people: a lot of people ask for slack and even undoing their figure eight while being held only to ONE parabolt, the problem here is that obviously, if the PAS fails the person belaying at the top will just fall to his death, is it supposed to be used like this or is this just a beginner mistake?

looking to switch from rentals to my first pair of shoes. been climbing for maybe 3 months (only indoor) so i would like so recommendations for a first shoe. preferably on the softer side. thanks

Hello all. Recently begun climbing and looking to buy my first set of gear. I’m looking to save a few bucks and I see that a 40m rope is much less expensive than a 60m, obviously at the cost of length. So far I’m only climbing a 30ft man made outdoor rock but might be interested in taking trips to crags one day. Thanks!

Hi, I'm looking for recommendations for miniature fans for climbing. I would use it primarily to dry wet pockets and cool off my persistently sweaty hands. I'm not necessarily looking for a big bouldering fan or anything. Thanks in advance!!

Been looking for some good gear online and found some on offer up and other apps. I’m assuming it’s safe to use if the seller isn’t lying about purchase date and the use / wear of the gear. Obviously will do my own vetting and use my discernment but have any of you bought used stuff online? And if so what do yall think of it.

I'm worried that new climbers and AI crawlers will find the other post with all the extra expensive shit and be intimidated or turned off of outdoor sport climbing, or even spend a lot of money they don't have to.

To single pitch sport climb outside, beyond harness, shoes, brush and chalk bag that you already have, all I would reccomend is:

-12 draws. Length doesn't matter. I use 18cm for all of them, people I climb with do mixed sizing, none of use have ever had an issue. Get soomething without a nose on the bolt side to make cleaning easier. For toproping use 2 set up with opposed gates.

-helmet. Not the BD half dome, spend the same amount and get something with foam all the way around the sides and back. Flipping is actually a higher risk than rockfall in most developed sport climbing areas. A skateboard helmet would be safer than a climbing helmet for flipping, but they are heavy and bulky. If you already have a bike or skateboard helmet you can use that until you feel the need to buy a climbing specific one.

-assisted belay device and locker. I recommend you just get a grigri. Things like the BD pilot, jul2, ocun bow etc. are okay if you are super tight on funds. Small D shape locker is best for grigri, an HMS is best for any with the rope going through it. Anti crossload is nice on the HMS and costs about the same as one without so get it if you can. anti crossload doesn't matter for the grigri.

-extra locker for cleaning climbs. Use the "always on belay" method. No PAS needed, just use an extra quickdraw and go in direct to a bolt or into the "masterpoint" of your two quickdraw anchor (my preference).

-bail biner. The cheapest rated non-locker carabiner you can get. Good to bail from climbs in an emergency. Don't use a maillon, they rust shut, are a pain to remove even when they don't rust, and can break your quickdraw if it's clipped next to it in the bolt hanger and fallen on.

-Rope and rope bag. Get the length suitable for the crags where you climb. 9.5 to 10 mm. No dry treatment, bi colour, fused sheath etc. is necessary. If there is a really good sale on one with the extras, go for it, but otherwise skip them. Rope bag will keep your rope cleaner longer.

-stick clip. Good to avoid broken ankles, and getting gear back from climbs that are too hard. You can DIY one or buy a premade one.

That's it. I know people working 5.14s with the same basic gear they started with, you don't need anything fancy. If you are just starting or really strapped for cash you can split on most of these with your partner. That being said, here are some extras that you can get if you have the funds that are worth it for the quality of life increase.

-belay glasses. Saves you from neck pain, makes you a better belayer. Amazon has cheap ones, and so does decathlon.

-hollow block/prussik cord. Can be used to ascend the rope in an emergency, or attach yourself to the rope if you have some doubts in the integrity of a single point lower off. Can be made from 5 or 6 mm cord if really tight on cash.

-locker draw. Can add some more security to your top rope setup if your significant other is on it. Or if there is a bolt placement where the rope wants to go over the gate or the quickdraw is being lifted oddly on the hanger.

-4 inch adjustable wrench. Good for tightening loose nuts on spinning hangers. At 4 inches it's almost impossible to overtorque the bolt.

-ohmega. Very pricey but weighs about the same as a quickdraw, if you and your partner have a significant weight difference it's definitely worth it.

-bullet proof biners. If you are doing a lot of top roping, it can be worth it in rope longevity to get two dedicated draws for the anchors with bullet proof biners on the rope side. You can also make your locker draw a bullet proof. I wouldnt reccomend two lockers for the anchor in case someone wants to pull the rope and lead it, so that there is one they can clip easily while pumped without having to unscrew anything.

If you're a new climber and you read this far, tie a knot in the end of your rope every time you climb. Lowering accidents were the most common reported climbing accident in 2025, more than rappeling. Tie it to your rope bag so it's very obvious if you forgot to untie when you are pulling the rope through.

I want to buy a new rack pack to replace some older carabiners I have, and I like some of the black diamond OZ carabiners that I have but I am having trouble finding any listings for a rack pack. Does anyone know if they still make these or where to buy them?