I have an upcoming trip with some new-to-trad climbing friends, so I wanted to share some info about gear and packing lists.

I’m new to trad, what do I need?

As a new-to-trad climber, you’ll be following, so you won’t need as much gear as the leader yet.

• Harness, Helmet
• Clothing layers - I prefer socks that go above my ankles, pants with pockets, an athletic t-shirt, an athletic long-sleeved shirt, a puffy jacket and a windbreaker. I normally start a November morning with all but the windbreaker, lose the puffy on the hike/climb, put the puffy back on at cold/windy belays where I’m still for a long time, and only use the windbreaker if it’s really cold/windy or raining/sleeting. Sometimes it’s hot in November and I strip down to the t-shirt, but more often than not I just push the long-sleeved shirt sleeves up/down as needed.
• Belay/Rappel Device - Get one with two channels that has guide mode. Could be a Petzl Reverso, ATC Guide, etc. Or if you want assisted locking for lead, many friends and I use the Edelrid Gigajul.
• Autoblock (or another third hand rappel safety system) - You can buy pre-made slings like https://www.rei.com/product/150912/sterling-68-mm-hollowblock2-loop-135-in for $30 or you can buy 8 ft of 6mm cord like https://www.rei.com/product/716225/pmi-accessory-cord-6-mm for for $4.80 and tie the ends together yourself.
• Approach shoes - We may hike 2 hours, carry our shoes up the route, and walk back a different way for 2 hours. So you want something comfortable, sturdy, and something that may help you grip and “climb” on the harder-than-walking but not-steep-enough-to-need-a-rope yet rock.
• Climbing shoes - I stress comfort again because we may be in the shoes for 10+ hours. I wear La Sportiva TC Pros.
• Personal anchor - If we’re rappelling, we all need one of these. Many people like the adjustable anchors like Petzl Connect Adjust, Kong Slyde or Metolius PAS. I’ve used the PAS but, I grew to dislike it’s bulk and lack of stretch, so I switched to double strand Purcell Prusik - https://www.alpinesavvy.com/blog/single-strand-purcell-prusik. But over time I also felt similarly about that - it was bulky and I carried it to use only on rappels. Then I switched to using a sling which I already had used when I was climbing up! I like this option the best so far. The main downside is that it’s not as easily adjustable. In recent years, Luke’s started using the Climbing Technology ROLLNLOCK with nylon webbing. This is my second favorite option today - it’s easily adjustable and multi-purpose; but the con is that it’s a little more gear than the slings only approach. Anyways, you just need something to connect you to the anchor when you’re not tied into a rope which goes through the anchor.
• Locking carabiners - 3 - for belay/rap device, for personal anchor, for third hand
• Non-locking carabiners - 4 - Really these are holders for my approach shoes and jackets. If I want to take off my puffy, I stuff it into it’s chest pocket and clip it to my harness. And if walking off the top of the route and not going back to the base of the climb, having biners for your approach shoes really helps. An alternative is to stuff them in a backpack, but I don’t like the bulk option for single day multipitch climbs.
• Water/food holder - I’ve gone without water up climbs. I’ve carried a bottle with a small accessory cord on my harness. But my current and favorite approach is to use a hydration backpack like https://nathansports.com/products/trailmix-7-liter-race-pack?variant=20448714850392 which can fit a 2L water bladder and also some layers and snacks and emergency gear. I also stuff food in my pockets :)

Notes on Jason’s full lists

OK, my full packing lists are below. I have the lists in the AnyList app on my phone, and share it with a climbing partner so we can edit the core list together. And when I’m packing for my trip, I duplicate the list in the AnyList app so I can cross the items off as I pack. And when I’m at location getting ready to climb, I do the cross-offs for the Day lists.

I try to avoid duplicating items across the lists. The only case is when I refer to a singular item for the day and I also pack a spare for the trip, just in case I drop and lose the first.

I add some context to some items, but if more information would be helpful, just let me know!

Day - carry with when climbing

• Approach shoes
• Autoblock - 2 - one for rappelling and a second one if you know self-rescue
• Bandana - for tieing around neck to minimize sun burn
• Belay & rappel device
• Chalk
• Chapstick
• Climbing shoes
• Drink caffeine in the morning
• Drink water in the morning
• Emergency blanket
• Emergency whistle
• Harness
• Headlamp
• Headlamp backup batteries
• Helmet
• Liquid bandage
• Meds
• Mountain Project photos
• Nut tool
• Park pass
• Phone lanyard
• Phone on airplane mode
• Puffy
• Rope
• Sandwiches (or another lunch)
• SAT phone
• Shit bag
• Snack
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Tape
• Tether
• Topo - e.g. photos of guide books on phone
• Water
• Wind breaker

Packing - climbing leader

• 20+ ft slings
• Alpine draws using small slings and 2 non-lockers (60cm, 24in) - 10
• Quick draws
• Locking biners - 5 - 1 for anchor master point tie-in, 1 for belay/rappel, 1 for autoblock/third hand, 1 for personal anchor, 1 extra
• Medium slings (120cm, 48in) - 8
• Large slings (240cm, 96in) - 2
• Cams
• Nuts
• Cragging pack - OPTIONAL - On certain routes, we’re able to leave our pack at the base of the climb. This can make the hike more comfortable if we can toss everything in the big pack. On a route where we won’t be returning to the base, I normally carry all of the gear on my harness on my shoulders for the hike.

Packing - climbing leader & follower

• Belay / rappel devices - 2 - I like to bring a few devices on the trip in case I lose one. I never take 2 up a route though. So, you can definitely get by with just 1 device for the entire trip, and if you lose it, borrow someone else’s or buy a new one
• Harness - 2 - Similar to belay devices, I like to have a backup on the trip. But it’s not required.
• Gloves - crack
• Gloves - warmth (typically haven’t needed these in Red Rocks in November)
• Personal anchor
• Multipitch pack for hydration, snacks, and emergency gear

Packing - clothes

• Balaclava
• Light long-sleeved layers - wear when climbing
• Athletic t-shirts
• Long socks - wear during approach or climbing
• Pants
• Puffy (2) - sometimes it’s cold and we need layers
• Wind breaker

Packing - other

• Batteries
• Binder with printed guidebook pages
• Caffeine (coffee or green tea)
• Charger (car)
• Charger (wall)
• Chip clips
• Climbon
• Download Self Rescue book on Kindle
• Ear plugs
• Electrolytes
• Extra biners for jackets and shoes
• Green Apple Jolly Ranchers
• Guide Books
• Headphones
• Ibuprofen, allergy pills, allergy sprays
• Ikea bags x2 plus black rope tarp
• Insect repellent
• Keys
• Kleenex
• Lighter
• Lotion
• Love notes for spouses!
• Lunch
• Nose strips
• Offline maps (Google)
• Phone
• Portable bidet
• Sandwich bags
• Share cell phones with spouses
• Shave
• Snacks
• Sun hat
• Tape
• Utensils - spoon, fork, knife
• Wallet
• Water bladders (2)

Packing - camping

• Alcohol sanitizer
• Dehydrated meals
• Disinfectant wipes
• Food coozie - dehydrated food heat retention
• Garbage bag
• Sleeping bag
• Sleeping pad
• Spoons, bowls, measuring cups
• Stove
• Tarp
• Tent

Buy at location

• Avocado
• Bananas
• Bread (1 loaf, can get 2nd later if needed)
• Cheese
• Gas for camping stove
• Ham
• Hard boiled eggs
• Oranges (Cuties)

Day trip to Reimers or Enchanted Rock - keep in the car

• Extra shirt - particularly after Enchanted Rock or Reimers, it’s nice to switch into another shirt. But I don’t bother on trad multipitch days in Red Rock or The Gunks
• Epi pen - normally just for Enchanted Rock or Reimers cause why not
• Extra water

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