Rock climbing is a gear intensive sport. As your climbing skills develop, your interest will naturally gravitate toward understanding how each piece of gear works to your advantage.

 Outdoor.com created a list of the basic climbing gear you will need to get started:

 Shoes are the only thing between you and the rock, so they better be good. Choose a shoe that is designed for comfort and all-around performance. As your skills advance, you can upgrade to higher performing shoes that are best-suited to your specific climbing goals. Buy shoes that fit.

 Ropes are THE ONLY thing keeping you from hitting the ground, so they better be reliable.

• Constructed of two main components: a core and a sheath. The core provides most of the rope’s strength; the sheath protects the core and makes the rope easier to handle.
• Two main categories: dynamic and static. Dynamic ropes have elasticity and are designed to absorb the energy of a falling climber. Static ropes are used in anchoring systems, for hauling gear up a wall, or when rappelling—but never for belaying a climber.
• Most ropes are single, which means they’re designed to be used as individual strands.
• Come in varied lengths and diameters (60-meter long, dynamic, dry-treated, single rope with a diameter from 9.5 mm to 10.2 mm will serve multiple purposes).

 Harnesses connect ropes to climbers. Most consist of padded, reinforced waist belt and leg loops that are connected by a reinforced belay loop. Harnesses are tailored to different styles of climbing. Prioritize comfort and features over weight-savings.

 Belays are mechanical friction devices used to control the rope. Their main purpose is to stop the rope if the climber falls. They can also be used to control the descent when rappelling.

• Passive devices (like the Black Diamond ATC or Petzl Reverso) are cheaper and lighter. Learn and develop habits with simple tube-style, passive devices first, and move on to more complicated devices after mastering basics. More featured devices have additional safety features, but basics must be applied. Beginners with “safer belay devices,” are more likely to make mistakes.
• Active devices (like the Petzl GriGri) provide assisted braking. These devices rely on initial friction from a hand brake. Active devices can easily lead to negligence due to their perceived automatic operation.

 Carabiners are metal loops with spring-loaded gates that are used as connectors.

• Locking carabiners prevent the gate from being automatically opened when in use. They are used when the rope is running through an anchor, or attaching a climber to the middle of the rope. Locking mechanisms vary from screw gates, to automatic twist lock, to magnets.
• Non-locking carabiners are used for less critical connections. Carabiners come in different shapes, sizes and locking mechanisms for different purposes. A smaller carabiner may not always be better and locking carabiners are often no stronger.

 Draws connect the rope to a piece of protection while climbing.

• quick-draw- two non-locking carabiners are connected by a piece of short, pre-sewn webbing. One of the carabiners is often loose, while the other is kept rigidly in place with a rubber strap, to aid in efficient clipping of the rope. Quick-draws are most often utilized in sport climbs which are usually directly bolted.
• alpine-draws-two non-locking carabiners connected by a piece of shoulder-length (60cm/24in) webbing, which have a greater versatility in length. Alpine draws work well in traditional or multi-pitch environments where routes are more wandering.

 Protection devices allow a climber to place temporary anchor points on the rock during a climb.

• Passive protection (nuts) acts as a choke when pulled; they use the shape of the rock to prevent the device from falling out. Nuts are essentially small blocks of metal attached to a cable. They slip into wedge-shaped cracks and set when pulled.
• Active protection (camming device) converts a pull into pressure to lock it into place. Three to four individual cam lobes are set along an axle, and attached in the middle by a syringe-like trigger. When the trigger is depressed, the cams’ position narrows. When released, it expands to secure its position. Once placed, they are attached to the rope by a non-locking carabiner or draw. Cams were designed specifically to protect parallel sided cracks that were unprotectable by nuts requiring constriction.

 A climbing helmet protects the climber’s head from being injured during a fall or from falling debris.

 Belay gloves protect hands from rope burns.

 Powdered Chalk absorbs moisture from the climber’s hands. It can be stored in a bag attached to the harness.

 You can’t reach your destination safely or efficiently without the right gear. Familiarizing yourself with the gear before you climb is always a good idea. Be prepared, Be safe and you will be successful!