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Aircooled
May 9, 2012, 4:10 AM
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Registered: May 9, 2012
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Let me start off by saying, I just took an intro to climbing class. I'm very much afraid of heights, trusting this equipment makes me leery and I have a bad shoulder. That being said, I had so much fun, it's such a great workout and my shoulder is feeling like it used to after I started climbing (no pain!) I have access to a 54 foot wall which I've been on a couple of times now and I did some mild outdoor climbing (40-45 foot), there's so much I have to learn. Right now I'm just using rental equipment and I need to know if I'm pointing myself in the right direction for buying my own. Right now I'm just going to be using this stuff indoors on the wall for at least a few months but eventually I would like to take it outdoors. Here's what I'm thinking of getting: Carabiner - DMM BOA Screw gate (x2) (Looks large and reliable) Belay device - Black Diamond ATC-XP (Simple and does the trick) Shoes - Mad Rock Flash (Looks like good performers for the price) Harness - Black Diamond Chaos (Maybe, explained below) I'm thinking the Chaos harness simply because of the reviews stating that people forget they're even wearing it which is really what I want. The equipment that I'm using right now isn't terrible but every once in awhile when I fall, one of the straps will (excuse me here) catch a nut. You can imagine my willingness to get down and off the rope when that happens. Nice, comfortable, reliable, and strong is all I want and when it comes to the harness, I'm very much willing to spend the money for something that I actually want to be in. My issue - I have to order a lot of this online because there are two places to buy this equipment around here and neither of them are specifically climbing so the equipment selection is very limited. The shoes I'm going to order through an in-town store, but the rest I'll probably have to buy online. I'm worried about the harness though, I know I'm a medium but is having no leg adjustment a huge concern? I'm a very thin frame (6'1 and 145lbs) and I'm sure that the legs will probably be a little loose on me. Otherwise, I'm excited to start getting serious about this! Thanks for any help you can provide.
(This post was edited by Aircooled on May 9, 2012, 4:15 AM)
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majid_sabet
May 9, 2012, 6:02 AM
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Registered: Dec 13, 2002
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Aircooled wrote: Let me start off by saying, I just took an intro to climbing class. I'm very much afraid of heights, trusting this equipment makes me leery and I have a bad shoulder. That being said, I had so much fun, it's such a great workout and my shoulder is feeling like it used to after I started climbing (no pain!) I have access to a 54 foot wall which I've been on a couple of times now and I did some mild outdoor climbing (40-45 foot), there's so much I have to learn. Right now I'm just using rental equipment and I need to know if I'm pointing myself in the right direction for buying my own. Right now I'm just going to be using this stuff indoors on the wall for at least a few months but eventually I would like to take it outdoors. Here's what I'm thinking of getting: Carabiner - DMM BOA Screw gate (x2) (Looks large and reliable) Belay device - Black Diamond ATC-XP (Simple and does the trick) Shoes - Mad Rock Flash (Looks like good performers for the price) Harness - Black Diamond Chaos (Maybe, explained below) I'm thinking the Chaos harness simply because of the reviews stating that people forget they're even wearing it which is really what I want. The equipment that I'm using right now isn't terrible but every once in awhile when I fall, one of the straps will (excuse me here) catch a nut. You can imagine my willingness to get down and off the rope when that happens. Nice, comfortable, reliable, and strong is all I want and when it comes to the harness, I'm very much willing to spend the money for something that I actually want to be in. My issue - I have to order a lot of this online because there are two places to buy this equipment around here and neither of them are specifically climbing so the equipment selection is very limited. The shoes I'm going to order through an in-town store, but the rest I'll probably have to buy online. I'm worried about the harness though, I know I'm a medium but is having no leg adjustment a huge concern? I'm a very thin frame (6'1 and 145lbs) and I'm sure that the legs will probably be a little loose on me. Otherwise, I'm excited to start getting serious about this! Thanks for any help you can provide. if you are going to be a climber for a long time then buy climbing gear where you could pass it on to GF or BF in later time and move in to better stuff. Like get a harness that adjustable and see how things go and then move in to a better harness etc. do not be too picky . Get min gear, learn the system then you will know what is good and bad. Look on ebay for great deals on everything cheap. A lot of new stuff from other climbers who gave up after a week of climbing. I forgot, get n00b protection cause RC has full of n00b killer and they are coming in the morning to get you
(This post was edited by majid_sabet on May 9, 2012, 6:06 AM)
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sungam
May 9, 2012, 10:34 AM
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A couple things I can say from personal experience: The flashes suck. Hard. Get a harness with adjustable leg loops. Preferably one of the easy adjust ones that stay doubled back, not the awkward ones you gotta half undo/redo awkwardly any time you want to adjust. Also adjustable leg loops = better fit = safer nutz. The atc-XP is great. I don't think you will need 2 'biners at this point, though. Get a chalk bag as well. Edit to add: Give ebay a pass when it comes to software like webbing/harnesses etc. They can easily have undetectable damage. Metalware is usually fine, though.
(This post was edited by sungam on May 9, 2012, 10:38 AM)
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shockabuku
May 9, 2012, 11:18 AM
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If you can possibly manage it, go somewhere to try on shoes. As you climb more fit will become increasingly important and they don't all fit the same.
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Kartessa
May 9, 2012, 12:34 PM
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Just another comment: I find the boa to be a little too big for a belay biner. I'm almost a foot shorter than you and using the boa, I got smacked in the face by the belay device a few times. It is great for big-assed jumbles of shit at anchors though. A nice little pear-shaped doodad like the petzl attaché works wonders to belay with.
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johnwesely
May 9, 2012, 1:10 PM
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sungam wrote: A couple things I can say from personal experience: The flashes suck. Hard. The flashes are a standard all around shoe. Maybe they are marginally worse than the Anasazi, people still climb hard routes in them all the time.
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karmiclimber
May 9, 2012, 1:34 PM
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Welcome to climbing! When I first started out, I bought this set and it served me well for years...It looked entirely different, cost a little less and was unisex though. Just a thought. http://www.moosejaw.com/...1_10208_10000001_-1_ My husband wears the mad rock flash...he really likes them. I keep trying to coax him to buy a different pair...but he says they aren't broken, so why fix them?
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viciado
May 9, 2012, 2:37 PM
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johnwesely wrote: sungam wrote: A couple things I can say from personal experience: The flashes suck. Hard. The flashes are a standard all around shoe. Maybe they are marginally worse than the Anasazi, people still climb hard routes in them all the time. +1 - The sole is sticky but wears quickly. I found the velcro does not last as well as I would have liked. They molded well to my foot and worked fine on whatever I was climbing from slab to steep. I did not use them for cracks and suspect the velcro issue would be even more so for foot jams. You will likely wear through the toes of your first pair(s) of shoes. As was said in OP, for the price and relative performance, the Flashes are not a terrible choice. YMMV.
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sungam
May 9, 2012, 4:21 PM
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johnwesely wrote: sungam wrote: A couple things I can say from personal experience: The flashes suck. Hard. The flashes are a standard all around shoe. Maybe they are marginally worse than the Anasazi, people still climb hard routes in them all the time. I disliked them greatly. Of the ~dozen pair of shoes I've had, they were my 2nd least favourite (the 5.10 coyote was my least favourite).
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jae8908
May 10, 2012, 4:35 AM
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sungam wrote: A couple things I can say from personal experience: The flashes suck. Hard. Get a harness with adjustable leg loops. Preferably one of the easy adjust ones that stay doubled back, not the awkward ones you gotta half undo/redo awkwardly any time you want to adjust. Also adjustable leg loops = better fit = safer nutz. The atc-XP is great. I don't think you will need 2 'biners at this point, though. Get a chalk bag as well. Edit to add: Give ebay a pass when it comes to software like webbing/harnesses etc. They can easily have undetectable damage. Metalware is usually fine, though.[/quote] Unless it's been dropped off the top of a 100 feet tall route....
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sungam
May 10, 2012, 7:53 AM
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jae8908 wrote: sungam wrote: A couple things I can say from personal experience: The flashes suck. Hard. Get a harness with adjustable leg loops. Preferably one of the easy adjust ones that stay doubled back, not the awkward ones you gotta half undo/redo awkwardly any time you want to adjust. Also adjustable leg loops = better fit = safer nutz. The atc-XP is great. I don't think you will need 2 'biners at this point, though. Get a chalk bag as well. Edit to add: Give ebay a pass when it comes to software like webbing/harnesses etc. They can easily have undetectable damage. Metalware is usually fine, though.Unless it's been dropped off the top of a 100 feet tall route.... Sorry, I should have said that unless it is obviously damaged metalware should be fine. Almost impossible for metalware to have invisible damage like acid damage on a sling.
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blueeyedclimber
May 10, 2012, 12:25 PM
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sungam wrote: The flashes suck. Hard. I agree, but it doesn't really matter. The finer points of different shoes mean nothing to a n00b when all they are going to do is destroy them with sloppy technique. Why pay twice as much for a better shoe?
In reply to: I don't think you will need 2 'biners at this point, though. This advice is just crazy, though. How is he going to clip his water bottle to his backpack without a second biner? Pfffftttt.... Josh
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SylviaSmile
May 10, 2012, 6:06 PM
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blueeyedclimber wrote: sungam wrote: The flashes suck. Hard. I agree, but it doesn't really matter. The finer points of different shoes mean nothing to a n00b when all they are going to do is destroy them with sloppy technique. Why pay twice as much for a better shoe? Well, you can look around for deals online. That's what I did, and I ended up with a pair probably much similar to the flash (never tried the Flash ones) which were comfortable and have been perfect for tearing up in the gym with my n00b technique. So my advice is, whatever you get, get it as cheaply as you can: mine set me back only $45. Oh, and velcro is never a bad idea . . .
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SylviaSmile
May 10, 2012, 6:34 PM
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Like how about these?
(This post was edited by SylviaSmile on May 10, 2012, 6:34 PM)
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Aircooled
May 11, 2012, 1:08 AM
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Come to find out I have some really oddly shaped feet. The ONLY thing I could find that was comfortable were a set of 5.10 Spires. Tried them out on their little mini wall and they were a lot better than the rentals so I went ahead and grabbed those. Got a Petzl Attache 3D and a Black Diamond ATC XP. I had them order in the Black Diamond Chaos because I didn't really like the legs on the Momentum, so I'll try that on before I decide. I don't really mind spending the money, like I said my main concern is being comfortable. Thanks guys and gals.
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sava6e
May 11, 2012, 4:34 PM
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I'd strongly recommend going into a shop and trying harnesses on so you'll first hand know your size and how it feels for you, and like others said chalk bag, and my experience an atc is an atc
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Aircooled
May 12, 2012, 12:35 AM
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I haven't purchased the Chaos yet, I'm going to make sure it's really what I want before I buy it, because if it's not any more comfortable than the $50 harness then I'll just go with that.
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moose_droppings
May 12, 2012, 1:53 AM
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Aircooled wrote: The ONLY thing I could find that was comfortable were a set of 5.10 Spires. One of my favorite "all day long" shoes.
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thatguyat99
May 12, 2012, 3:28 AM
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Spires are also one of my favorite all day long shoes... As far as harnesses go... Check out the BD Alpine Bod... Basic harness...easily adjustable legs...I think it's comfortable but others might disagree. If you are really skinny maybe not so comfy...no padding on it...but it costs 40 bucks brand new...
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curt
May 12, 2012, 4:32 AM
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moose_droppings wrote: Aircooled wrote: The ONLY thing I could find that was comfortable were a set of 5.10 Spires. One of my favorite "all day long" shoes. And they have better rubber on them than 99% of other shoes on the market--including most other 5.10 shoes. C4 is vastly superior to Onyxx, IMO. Curt
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Aircooled
May 13, 2012, 4:34 AM
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Kind of surprising, I figured I'd get a little hell for buying those shoes considering what others were saying about other 5.10's. Good to know people are happy with these things, all I know is they were pretty dang comfortable compared to all the others I tried on.
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Khoi
May 15, 2012, 12:47 AM
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Don't buy a harness until you have hung in it. Just trying it on isn't very useful. Hopefully the place you're buying it from has a setup for you to hang from.
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Aircooled
May 15, 2012, 3:03 AM
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Actually that's what made me pass on the Momentum at the moment, the place I'm buying from has a mini wall and I was hanging around on it, wasn't really impressed, although didn't grab a nut so a big thumbs up there.
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