Rope, rack, shirt on your back. Rope and rack are easy enough, but what shirt are you supposed to wear? Is it going to be cold? Windy? Are you sport climbing? Bouldering? The variety of situations that fall into the category of “climbing” is immense, and so are the clothing options available for these activities. Though there is not a single outfit that works for everything, there are a set of foundational principles that dictate the climbing dress code. From bouldering to big wall climbing to training in the gym, every climbing outfit should have three key components: freedom of movement, comfort, and durability. Depending on your discipline, other features, like moisture-wicking qualities, harness compatibility, and weather protection, may come into play, but every climbing outfit should be comfortable and easy to move in—bottom line.

In this article, we will outline the basics of dressing for a few different types of climbing: bouldering, sport climbing/cragging, and multi-pitch/alpine rock climbing. Obviously, what you wear bouldering will be quite different than the attire worn on an all-day mission into the alpine, but the underlying principle is: look-good-climb-good. Don’t underestimate the power of a good outfit.

Bouldering

Bouldering, because of its (generally) lower-commitment nature, provides the most leeway in apparel choices. From jeans to slacks to leggings, it's all fair game in terms of pants. The Ethos Pants or the Notion Pants are good options for stretch cotton pants with a bit of durability, freedom of movement, and comfort. For women, the Session Tights are a staple for the gym and the boulders. In warmer weather, many people prefer to wear shorts bouldering. Sequence and Notion shorts fit the bill perfectly.

Basic tees and tanks are common for tops—it's generally not as necessary to think about base layers or layers with moisture-wicking properties when bouldering since it’s not very aerobic.

Easy-on/easy-off is the guiding principle for layering in the boulders. Warm layers are crucial for standing around, but you want to be able to de-layer to feel light and flowy on the blocs. The Belay Parka is a staple for cold-weather bouldering. Worn with the Project Flannel or a cotton hoody, you’ll be styling, and warm.

Oben drauf reicht in der Regel ein T-Shirt oder Tanktop für die meisten Sportkletterbedingungen. Einige Leute klettern gerne in Baumwolle, während andere für's Klettern am Fels lieber eine technischere Basisschicht bevorzugen, wie dieLightwire Tech Tee. Für eine etwas wärmere Kletterschicht, die deine Bewegungsfreiheit nicht einschränkt, dir aber trotzdem etwas Wärme spendet, wenn du an der Wand bist, schau dir dieLightwire Langarmoder dasAlpenglow Pro Hoody.

Beim Sichern und Rumstehen an der Basis des Felsens kann es ziemlich kühl werden, besonders wenn du im Schatten bist oder den ganzen Tag unterwegs bist. In diesem Sinne ist es wichtig, verschiedene Lagen zur Auswahl zu haben. ACoefficient Hoodyoder etwas Ähnliches ist toll, um es an kalten Klettertagen unter eine wärmere Jacke zu schichten. Eine isolierende Schicht, wie dieApproach Down Hoodyoder dasBelay ParkaEs ist auch wichtig, dass du es in deinem Rucksack zum Sichern dabei hast. Außerdem kletterst du an der Felswand, also brauchst du dir wirklich keine Sorgen um das Gewicht zu machen – bring einfach alles mit!

Bottom Line

No matter what style of climbing you may be pursuing, your attire should make you feel good on the wall, protect you from the elements, and be versatile enough to keep you comfortable throughout the day.