Harness and Shoes

[Sean Passanisi]

Hello. Not sure if this is the place to post for this, but I'm looking for recommendations for a harness and shoes for gym climbing. I've dabbled in a bit and I'm now ready to get serious. I plan to use the equipment for outdoor rock climbing as well. Thanks.

[Dustin Short]

Hard to go wrong with the Black Diamond Momentum. It's a staple and can be used indoor, outside, and even on ice. A great all around beater and not expensive. Get the "package" with an atc if you plan on getting into lead climbing.

Shoes are consumables in climbing. The cheapest you can find is best when starting out. Gyms are rough on shoes and you'll blow a hole through your shoe's toe in no time until you develop better footwork (focus on your footwork, it'll save you tons of money in addition to making you better). Something relatively flat is nice as you can do a lot of face, slab, and some overhang stuff. Once you get stronger or more familiar, then drop the big bucks on a more aggressive shoe.

Also some shoes are "cheating" and it takes you longer to learn precise technique. Aggressive shoes stick to big foot holds so well that you never learn proper technique for barely there holds. Crappy durable but slippery rubber forces you to apply pressure and pick your stance better. Then when you use the fancy stuff you have much better margin of error for those harder sequences. Rarely are feet an issue when you're starting out. Usually your hands and body positioning are more to blame than rubber.

For reference I have a pair (or two) of many high end Sportiva climbing shoes but I rarely wear them. Most of my climbing this past year has been in the same beater entry level shoe sportiva makes (it was already used when I bought them). I only bust out the nice ones for a specific problem or two if I think feet are going to be thin.

PS: REI garage sales are the BEST place to find shoes since they're cheap and you can try them on. Try out the major brands to learn what your feet fit. 5.10 and evolv are a bit wider and fit most americans better. Sportiva/Scarpa are for pointy euro feet, or those with a tolerance for pain. Once you find a brand you like you can then order off geartrade too if you're not too worried about the perfect fit.

[W I S N E R !]

I've been through many harnesses in my life, including the Momentum listed above and I've settled on the Metolius Safe Tech Harnesses. Even if you forget to double pass your main buckle, they hold ~9kn. All points are reinforced to hold weight. Even if you screw up bad, they hold (a little extra insurance). They're durable, adjustable, and I like the fit.

As for shoes, I've always liked 5.10s and Mad Rock. You can't go wrong with the Mad Rock Phoenix as an entry level, lace up shoe. It's still favorite for long days. For more performance oriented climbing (sport, bouldering), I've always liked the Mad Rock Flash and Mugen (discontinued, but appears to be very similar to their current model, the Drifter).

I've also loved the 5.10 Anasazi Velcro and the 5.10 Moccasym slipper.

I've lost track of how many shoes and brands I've climbed in, but the above mentioned are my favorites.

This is a tough question to answer…very subjective.
Best suggestion for a beginner would be the Mad Rock Phoenix lace up and the Safe Tech All Around harness.

[James holden]

Only 3 things matter when buying climbing shoes and harness

fit, fit and fit

The only real way to tell is to go jnto the store and try on every pair of shoes and harness you can

Read these

http://bouldersuk.com/2013/09/climbing-shoe-buying-guide/

http://bouldersuk.com/2013/11/downturned-climbing-shoes/

http://bouldersuk.com/2013/08/are-your-climbing-shoes-too-tight/

http://m.ellis-brigham.com/advice-inspiration/guides-and-advice/buying-guides/climbing-harness-buying-guide

http://www.metoliusclimbing.com/how-to-fit_a_harness.html

I wont recommend any particular shoe or harness (even though i own ~30 pairs of climbing shoes and ~6 harnesses) as what fits me might be totally different from what fits YOU

Only trying on everything you can will show you what fits and doesnt

;)

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