Types of nuts for climbing gear 2. These are much smaller than conventional wedges and are generally used for technical climbing. Aug 14, 2024 · Trad Climbing Gear. For environmental reasons, they have been replaced by items that, fortunately, do not damage the rock when removed: nuts and camming devices. Nuts are usually sold in sets of around ten. He goes into great depth about what makes for good protection. Shop nuts. Thus they are used primarily by aid climbers, who often buy them in sets of nut sizes 1 through 6. This will translate to making you a better all around climber, as well as better at placing all forms of protection, not just nuts. We really hope you find it useful. Related: Best Climbing Helmet May 9, 2024 · Its name is a give away - these climbing nuts are incredibly lightweight, making them an effortless addition to your climbing gear. Choose the Right Gear: Select appropriate gear based on the size and shape of the cracks and the type of rock you'll be climbing. This leaves no or hardly any traces in the rock. So, for sport climbing, where you might be taking repeated falls on the rope in the same place, a wider rope bearing radius is preferred. When it comes to climbing protection, camming devices are a vital tool for any climber’s arsenal. Apr 4, 2025 · Our in-depth reviews cover other types of climbing protection like nuts and stoppers as well as carabiners and quickdraws. without fixed protection and using only removable gear such as camming devices (cams, nuts) and slings as protection and to set up anchors. Oct 25, 2022 · If you don’t use proper gear, or that gear fails, you may experience a ground fall and risk serious injury or death. What are the Main Types of Climbing Protection Devices Used in Rock Climbing? The main types of climbing protection devices used in rock climbing are divided into two categories – passive climbing protection devices and active Jun 21, 2024 · Climbing nuts (also called chocks) are like a cheaper, simpler and lighter version of cams and are also used in trad climbing (Image credit: gubernat) Climbing nuts (also called chocks) are also used in trad climbing. Evaluate the Quality of the Rock: test the stability and integrity of the rock before placing Feb 19, 2024 · Role of Pitons in Early Climbing Expeditions: Pitons became the linchpin of early climbing expeditions, providing a lifeline in the absence of modern protective gear. There’s also the question of how much gear you actually need to get started—a decision that must balance your own financial constraints with the common fear of not having enough gear to make it to the Feb 25, 2015 · Finally, consider the areas you will be climbing, and the type of climbing you want to be doing. Carry a variety of cams, nuts, hexes, and other devices in different sizes to accommodate a range of placements. Press ESC to close Jun 23, 2024 · Equipment needed for traditional climbing. Same is true for setting up a top rope anchor. Brass and Copper Nuts: Micro nuts' tiny size makes it challenging to have sufficient surface area to get a good hold. So, you see nuts with softer metals, such as brass Oct 31, 2024 · After assessing these stopper designs in flaring cracks and pin scars, we sought out other parallel-sided cracks in order to determine which sets performed best for this type of stone. Both trad and sport climbing fall under the category of free climbing, which seems confusing. For a more in-depth discussion of what makes a good passive placement, we recommend John Long's book Climbing Anchors. Depending on the climbing style, routes can be climbed completely clean, i. To save time, it’s important that partners learn to work as a team. They are comprised of two halves: one half is a paddle and the other is a flat ball which tracks up and down a central groove on the paddle when the trigger is pulled or released. Temporary Gear Anchors: Climbers place gear like cams and nuts into the rock, which can be removed after Jan 12, 2024 · Free climbing, distinct from free soloing (discussed separately), involves climbing without aid while utilising gear for protection. In aid climbing, you use ladders and other devices that can be 4 days ago · Trigger keeper in action on the Black Diamond #4 Quick Review. Jun 24, 2024 · Harnesses share a lot of common features such as belay loops, gear loops, and riser straps — but some have specific tweaks to optimize them for certain types of climbing. Top quality, great selection and expert advice you can trust. Nov 6, 2024 · Gear Loops: Ensure the harness has enough gear loops to carry your climbing equipment efficiently. Types of Climbing Anchors. Jun 23, 2024 · Traditional climbing involves scaling various types of rock formations using only natural protection such as nuts and cams. They are cheap, strong, durable and relatively easy to use. Slots for ice clippers, creative buckle designs, and strategically padded areas are just a few examples of features that manufacturers use to tailor their harnesses to This will teach you far more about trad climbing strategy, placing gear and the intricacies of placements on different rock types and routes, than plugging cams will. Oct 19, 2021 · There’s many different styles and brands to choose from when deciding on which ones you’re going to buy. Understanding the essential pieces of rock climbing gear, their purposes, how to use them properly, and why selecting the right equipment for you and the type of climb is vital to mitigating risks and allowing for a fun climbing experience. Jan 6, 2020 · We think if you are looking for a day-in, day-out micro nut for general-purpose trad climbing, we'd go with the aluminum headed DMM Peenuts. Learn more about How to Choose Climbing Gear. Dec 17, 2024 · Nuts. Many climbers train for months or years for a particular objective on a big wall, whether that be to put up a new climb or to climb a classic route. Climbing nuts, also known as wires, rocks or stoppers are thin wedges of metal that are slotted into constrictions in cracks to provide protection when climbing traditionally outdoors. The term climbing protection, or simply “protection,” generally refers to any type of gear that prevents a climber from falling and being injured. There are a handful of guiding principles to follow when you're learning to place trad gear: A gear placement is only as strong as the rock around it. e. Oct 29, 2018 · The wider the basket, the gentler the bend on the rope and the less impact it has on it. Apr 14, 2021 · So, looking at these estimates above, we are looking at $745 for a basic trad climbing rack with a set of nuts, a handful of the most used cams, a safe number of alpine draws and some equipment to build anchors and a nut tool. This style emphasizes preserving the natural beauty of the rock face. This versatility offers users the ability to handle various climbing scenarios, whether at the gym or rockfaces. No article or video can replace proper instruction and experience. Natural Anchors: These incorporate features like trees or large rocks, which are used directly to secure the climber. The equipment needed for traditional climbing includes a rope, harness, helmet, climbing shoes, protection devices (cams, nuts, hexes), slings, carabiners, and a belay device. Inspect your wires for kinks or abrasions and inspect the heads of your nuts for abrasions or cracks. This protection, also called pro, is placed in cracks and fissures as you climb up, and then removed, or cleaned, when you’re done, so all you leave on the rock is a few chalk marks. Leading on gear, cleaning a pitch, and re-racking all take longer than they do when sport climbing. In this article, we will delve into the different types of rock that traditional climbers encounter, from granite to sandstone, and provide tips for mastering this exciting and challenging sport. Evolution of Traditional Climbing Gear Early Climbing Equipment. Nuts or wires, rocks or stoppers. Ball nuts are a seldom used type of climbing gear which offer protection in thin cracks, filling the void where even the smallest cams are too big to fit. As a note, we recommend always using climbing gear that is UIAA-certified. May 6, 2025 · The Wild Country Helium 3. Fixed Gear Anchors: These consist of bolts and pitons that are permanently placed into the rock. These will give you a good range of sizes. Because trad climbing is more gear intensive than sport climbing, it is also more time-consuming. The main types of safety equipment used in rock climbing are harnesses, climbing ropes, and climbing helmets. It has perhaps the lightest gate of any that we've tested, which makes a huge difference when clipping the rope through, as the resistance is virtually non-existent. Of note, all climbing nuts need some sort of crack constriction in order to function, however, we compared how different models perform in more parallel-sided Nuts are available in different shapes to help the climber find the best fit for a given crack. Instead of clipping bolts, you are looking for natural features, cracks, or constrictions to place traditional climbing equipment like nuts and cams. Of course, we cover the other protection essentials too, choosing our favorite climbing ropes and outlining the best climbing harnesses. Passive. May 19, 2023 · Check out our picks in our best climbing harness review. Sep 28, 2024 · Climbing Protection and Gear Camming Devices: Types and Placement Techniques. The only gear typically used includes: Climbing shoes: For precise footwork; Chalk: To keep hands dry Mar 20, 2025 · This category includes devices like cams, nuts, and hexes. Nuts are much lighter and cheaper so it’s easy to carry a lot of them. Cams, nuts and slings are used at most climbing areas. Discover the essential gear used in trad climbing, from camming devices and nuts to slings and carabiners. In Choosing Climbing Nuts, Paul offers some advice on what type to choose and how to rack them. Climbers must also carry a rack of protection devices in various sizes to fit different cracks and features on the rock. Climbing gear is essential for any climber, whether you are a beginner or a seasoned pro. Micro Nut Sets can be bought for around $100. There are alpine climbing routes with different levels of protection. Micro wedges. Climbing Nuts 101 will help you make that decision when you’re getting your first gear for trad climbing. The Black Diamond Camalot C4 is the gold standard climbing cam and recent improvements have shaved 10% of weight off of these workhorses. Aug 25, 2024 · The difficulty level is extremely high, as any mistake can be fatal. DMM HB Brass Offset Nuts for trad climbing Micro nuts for secure placements in flared cracks Asymmetrical tapered heads for irregular crack fitting Thicker wires for increased strength and durability Color-coded sizes for easy identification Lightweight design for minimal rack weight Brass and silicone construction for optimal performance Versatile placement range for various Feb 23, 2020 · This type of climbing is very gear-intensive because climbers must carry all of the gear necessary to physically climb the route, in addition to gear for sleeping, eating, and living on the wall. Recommended Brands. Nuts; Hexes; Tri-cams; Tube chocks; Active . From cams to carabiners, nuts to nut tools, there are so many options for trad climbing gear that it’s hard to know where to even begin. The lack of equipment is what defines free solo climbing. Equipment Required for Free Solo Climbing. In the early days of traditional climbing, climbers relied on simple equipment such as ropes, carabiners, and pitons. Curved nuts have a concave face on one side and a convex face on the other. It’s considered an extreme sport and is used in another type of climbing: mountaineering. They're a metal wedge that goes into a crack in the rock and a metal wire attaches to your rope via a quickdraw. Bolts ; Pitons; Removable anchors. Passive Protection. Cams are quicker to place – great if you’re getting pumped and need to place gear quickly. Active protection: Gear with moving parts. These clever contraptions use spring-loaded cams to expand and lock onto the rock, providing a secure anchor for the rope. In areas such as the Shawangunks of New York, you rarely need very many (if any) large pieces. In free climbing, gear is employed primarily for safety rather than to assist in upward progress. If you are rock climbing, you will also need anchors. Rap down with a selection of nuts, a medium-toothed file, and a small plywood “workbench” fitted with slings for hanging. Learn about each type and their unique purpose in this informative post. Different cracks and crevices require different sizes of cams and nuts for proper placement. Whatever you call them, these wedges of metal are a key element in every trad climber’s protection system. Your starter kit should include a basic selection of nuts – around 10 to 14 covering various small sizes. Nuts are a versatile piece of rock protection and the foundation of any trad rack. 4 days ago · Micro nuts are climbing nuts that have been engineered to be extremely tiny. However, for aid climbing or thin scary trad climbing where you want every little bit of holding power you can get (coming from the heads deforming on the rock), the DMM Brass Offset holds it down. . The Black Diamond Micro Stoppers are a popular choice, but the smallest sizes are only rated for direct aid. Nuts, also called stoppers or chocks, are essential for narrow cracks and constrictions where cams may not fit. Read more » Aug 2, 2023 · Today, like the wooden alpenstock, pitons are mostly considered “museum pieces,” and are not widely used in the free-climbing disciplines of sport climbing or trad climbing. Carrying Sep 12, 2024 · Nuts are a fundamental part of trad climbing gear. Climbing gear is not made to last forever. Trad climbing is the most popular style of climbing on British crags. The most gear-intensive discipline of those listed here, trad climbing has a fairly steep barrier to entry. Different styles of climbing use different kinds of protection devices. For “headpointing” projects on England’s gritstone and elsewhere, climbers sometimes file down aluminum or brass nuts to get just the right shape for an especially finicky placement. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee Related Searches. Shop cams. It’s also important to consider the type of rock you’ll be climbing on, as certain types of rock may require specific gear. Nuts come in a range of sizes and most nuts are colour coded for quick identification. Each of them will need different specialized climbing tools. At GearLab, we've tested a wide variety of climbing gear over the past decade+ and have recommendations for every climber, from beginner to expert. These connect the climber and belayer to the rock and help to stop a fall. They come in various sizes and colors. Chalk Introduction to Climbing Gear. If you need to add some new climbing protection to your rack, check out our comprehensive climbing nuts review and climbing cam review. Make sure you practice the proper techniques and safety guidelines before you climb. Ice climbing is also a type of lead climbing which can be done in pairs with a rope where one is an anchor. There are usually more options for placing cams than nuts, so it’s better to place nuts when you can and save the cams for later. Before we can figure out the equipment we need, it is useful to look at the different types of mountain climbing. Black Diamond: Offers a wide range of harnesses for all types of climbers. Aid climbing is the only type of climbing on this list which isn’t considered a form of free climbing. Evaluate the Quality of the Rock: test the stability and integrity of the rock before placing There are two types of protection used in climbing: Passive protection: Gear without moving parts. ” BD also rounded off one edge, which makes them a little easier to clean, though they aren't quite as good in more featured rock types. While one racks up or sorts gear, the other can flake or coil the rope. In this article, we will break down the different types of climbing gear and discuss their Jul 28, 2022 · That’s a lot of gear! Traditional or “Trad” climbing involves placing your own protection as you climb. Nuts are the staple of any trad or aid rack as they provide solid protection when placed correctly. Using advice and expertise from top trad climbers Miranda Oakley, Tim Emmett, and climbing guide Paul Rachele, we created an overview of the different types of pro, the basics of how to place trad gear, and some tips on getting ready for your first trad lead. Some of these climbing nuts can be as light as 4 grams but still hold 2kN. Design and Function: Nuts are wedge-shaped metal pieces Nuts. Since trad is often learned by climbing second, you won’t need an extensive rack initially, but make sure you have a Nut Key clipped to your harness with a loop sling for removing gear. Most micro nuts can hold only body weight, not the dynamic force of a fall. Starting from the least equipment-intensive type of climbing, the general equipment needs are as follows: [1] Free solo climbing, and its deep-water soloing variant, require the least equipment as no climbing protection or ropes are used. Jan 7, 2019 · Compared to the most direct competition, this copper-iron blend BD uses is slightly tougher than our favorite brass nuts, but also means they don't deform as well and provide slightly less “bite. Each of these are described below. Nuts. In addition to attaining additional equipment like cams, nuts, and alpine draws, you’ll also need a pack that fits everything on the approach in, a rappel device that can accommodate two strands of rope at once, and anchor-building material like runners and/or Jun 23, 2024 · Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of traditional climbing and discover how gear has evolved to meet the challenges of this thrilling sport. Mountaineers in the pioneering days hammered pitons into cracks, establishing a network of anchors that facilitated daring ascents. Oct 28, 2016 · Trad climbing requires a large and somewhat complex set of gear that’s used instead of bolts to stop a fall. Types of rock climbing anchors: Fixed anchors. A set of 10 to 12 nuts will be sufficient for your first experiences. May 21, 2022 · The popularity of rock climbing really exploded in the 1970s, and today there are nine different types of rock climbing and counting (Image credit: Getty Images) Aid climbing . Check which types are most commonly used at your chosen climbing area before you commit to buying a full set. Gear Placement Principles. A close-up of a climber’s harness loaded with various trad climbing gear, including carabiners, cams, and quickdraws, essential for traditional climbing setups. Typically when Dec 7, 2024 · In traditional climbing, climbers place their own protective gear, like cams and nuts, into the rock as they ascend. Aug 8, 2022 · Trick gear. Your climbing safety is your responsibility. Hexes, tricams, ball nuts and big bros could be either essential or useless depending on the area. There are many different categories and types of mountain climbing. Climbing Ropes: How to Choose; Quickdraws: How to Choose In this article, we'll focus on placing two of the most common types of gear: nuts (also called stoppers or tapers) and cams. 0 is one of our favorite wiregates for trade climbing, based on how incredibly easy it is to clip, unclip, and handle. Only the most experienced and confident climbers attempt free solo climbing. Larger nuts can be placed in either of two aspects (hexes in three aspects) to suit different-width cracks, with either the main faces or the sides in contact with the rock. This set comes with ten different sized climbing nuts which allow for a wide range of applications. Petzl: Known for their quality and innovative designs. Headpoint tactics. Weight: A lightweight harness can enhance mobility and comfort during climbs. Shop for Climbing Protection at REI - Browse our extensive selection of trusted outdoor brands and high-quality recreation gear. A climbers’ form of ice pick is used to help the climber advance up the ice, which is why ice climbing is a type of aid climbing. But in Yosemite, where single pitches can often range from fingers to off-width, you might need a greater number of cams to cover that range of sizes. These anchors are essential in traditional climbing where climbers must place protection rather than relying solely on fixed gear. Tailor your rack to suit each climb. To keep it simple, nuts are designed to be wedged into constrictions in the rock, getting Apr 7, 2024 · Here’s a recommended list of rock climbing equipment for beginners: climbing shoes for good grip, a comfortable harness, a sturdy helmet, a belay device, and a chalk bag for grip assistance. This is a pretty gear-intensive endeavor, and some of what you carry comes down to The rock-climbing equipment needed varies materially depending on the type of rock climbing being undertaken. Oct 18, 2023 · When selecting cams and nuts for your climbing rack, it’s important to consider the range of sizes you’ll need. Oct 25, 2024 · These lightweight nuts are perfect for irregular rock types though they lack durability and cannot be purchased in smaller sizes A lightweight and durable nut that is ideal for pin scars These durable climbing nuts are very similar to other popular aluminum offsets available, though the red offset is a key size to complete the entire range of Less versatile than cams and nuts. These items are fundamental for new climbers to start learning the sport. Climbing a mountain is a very broad term that can mean many different things. According to climbing data, approximately 70% of trad climbers use removable anchors extensively during their climbs. Cams ; For well-established routes, you will often find fixed anchors put in place. Since the gear can be removed after a climb, it leaves no trace behind, making trad climbing especially appealing to those who value nature in its purest form. Weight & Types of Climbing Dec 15, 2017 · The Youth Ready to Rock Trad climbing course is designed to help young climbers (11-17 year olds) make their first moves onto rock by having a fun day out, as well as covering the use of some key skills and equipment, for both the participant and the parent/carer. Having the right gear can make all the difference in your climbing experience, keeping you safe and helping you reach new heights. DMM manufacture a range of nuts to fit all occasions, but for starting out we recommend a full 1-11 set of Wallnuts, which are designed to fit into tapered cracks, and a set of Alloy Offsets which are an irregular shape to fit into flared cracks. nvrygvfb bpuyxi jayzge jcur dzazvy wwktcf zgvzua hvnzcbd dygou cup