Anyone into rock/wall climbing?

Ive just got into this a few weeks back and im hooked on it ( more money down the drain... , first flashlights, now this...)

i need some comments on the carabiners & ATC ( belay device) and also harnesses by Black Diamond.

Good?Bad? Neutral? other midrange brands i should check out?

my name is fake said:

i need some comments on the carabiners & ATC ( belay device) and also harnesses by Black Diamond.

Good?Bad? Neutral? other midrange brands i should check out?

Click to expand...

Get a padded harness, of course. I got mine in a Black Diamond package along with an ATC + Chalk bag and maybe a large locking carabiner.

I'd stick with an ATC for the first several months. I use a Petzl Grigri when I'm feeling really lazy (autolock). Works great, but you'll still want the ATC for sport or trad climbing. Grigri's don't feed rope very smoothly.

For sport climbing, I used Ocean Pacific draws and I'm still alive.

For slings, I used the REI brand but I don't buy anything unless it has a kN rating on it, usually about 22kN (some slings at Galyans didn't oddly enough).

Shoes were those purple 5.10's you see everywhere, but my next pair will definitely be the slip on variety rather than laces.

I'm not that experienced, but the ATC seems to work fine for me.

Try this book http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...ding=UTF8&n=3375301&s=sporting-goods&v=glance
It has a ton of info on not just climbing, but mountaineering in general, from ice, to hiking and so forth. Its a few hundred pages.

on the harness side, just make sure it's got droppable leg loops. because they'll fit over more types of clothes without bunching them up wierd.

as for belay device, i've heard raves about the petzl reverso devices. just a bit more than a standard ATC, and just about the same price as a fancy ATC.

carabiners? i like the ones that automatically lock once you close the gate, and do not provide a position to lock a 'biner open. the ones which have a detent to keep them in the open position are convenient, but sometimes too easy to forget to close... which can be bad.

enjoy, and be safe.