8 Awful Climbing Gear Mistakes | Buying the wrong climbing gear

[@MissChoccocat]

Robbie: Say it with me one more time....buy shoes that fit! Climbers: Yes! *Keep buying solutions 2 sizes too small*

[@nidash-01]

two size smaller La sportiva shoes are still quite comfortable xD

[@ItsBritneyBitch1]

Some people prefer to downsize, when the shoes are tighter they wont come of and you get a better feel for the holds. Going down between 1-2 sizes isn't too bad on some shoes.

[@Micke92wr]

I just love the vintage look of a sun bleached rope found on a sketchy site.

[@RobbiePhillips]

😂

[@culann483]

Ha wow that bath scene was....steamy

[@davidsimpson3885]

could see you fantasizing about how you're going break in them poor Virgin shoes.

[@oskarskoglund9496]

My approach is not to buy the climbing gear I need, but to try to make friends that has a lot of gear.

[@RobbiePhillips]

You should bring out a book “How to make friends and influence people to give you gear!”

[@b0mazor]

Forgotten Advice: Dont be discouraged by "beginner" tech. Products are marketed to have a "beginner, intermedite, pro" teirs which honestly, all have their specific usecase. Unlike cycling, where more money = better cylcing; with climbing its more money = different usecase. To be real most of us climbing aren't doing anything different than what a beginner would also be doing, so getting "pro" gear wont change the climbing experience (unless you're packing your wallet with you which it could be helpfull if you made it lighter in advance). If you trust beginner-tech rentals (what most rental and studios offer) for bringing a family or friend along on an adventure, then there is no need to spread your wallet beyond beginner-tech to own and take home.

[@Fonzleberry]

I go for the painful option with my climbing shoes. It killed at first, but you do get used to it. The only thing you have to keep in mind is that you can't wear them for an entire session (taking them on and off should become natural between routes), and velcro is faster to strap on between attempts at boulders.

[@RobbiePhillips]

That’s actually some of the best advice I’ve seen on here of shoes. People think that you should wear shoes for the whole session - I usually only wear my shoe for the climb then take it off (unless I’m warming up or doing circuits)

[@philipppuchner1115]

@@RobbiePhillips eam, yes, that is the standard. Unless "they" wear a Mythos or something. I always say (for single pitch sport + Bouldering) : if you wear your climbing shoes for 15min and don't want to get out of them, they are too big! besides: Everywhere the "myth" of too smal climbing shoes... yes, that happens. But what also happens, are people, dancing around in clown shoes, not able to stand on anything because the climbing shoehas like size 50 EU! Or people with very wide feet wear extremely narrow shoes. And then 3 sizes too large, because otherwise they can't get them on their feet. Logic? Brain anyone? ;)

[@tommorris3849]

Haha love the IT crowd clip:)

[@RobbiePhillips]

Gotta love a bit of TV references thrown in!

[@johannessporer]

TC Pros are the best gym shoes as anyone knows...when you slip off that volume because they are too stiff your ankles are well protected while sliding down the slab ;)

[@RobbiePhillips]

Tbh maybe with the number of WideBoyz crack volumes hitting walls these days, TC Pros might actually have a place soon 🤣 The day when we see Ondra hitting the world cups with TC Pros over his big wooly socks and taped up shoulders for the final offwidth will be a good day!

[@adventurouscuisine2273]

Cracking video Robbie...Culann always steals the show!

[@RobbiePhillips]

Shut it!!! 🤬

[@davidsimpson3885]

always tried stuff before I bought, compared to most of my mates I probably saved a Fortune doing this, climbing shoes when scarpa had a stand at the gym, tried various shoes in various sizes, rope got the one that I liked the most with least drag and good handling when belaying my friends on their ropes, pro, the ones I was most comfortable removing and then trying how well I could place them myself when seconding on friends gear. harness trying them on in the Shop and sitting in the rope and bounce testing to find one that sits good and is comfortable as a couple I tried dug into my hip a little to much and would not have been nice when projecting or belaying where you have to sit in the harness, like on a multipitch route .

[@RobbiePhillips]

Thats what I like to hear :)

[@aidanhoggard9190]

I bought a huge set of RPs once, never placed any of them and then dropped them in the sea!

[@RobbiePhillips]

🤣 I hope they saw some nice places before their untimely demise 🌊

[@davidpleydell3522]

Nice video Robbie! You could also add buying harnesses where half the gear loops are hidden from sight - these seem to be crazily common and create a real shambles when selecting bits of pro whilst trad climbing. Much better to be able to see the thing that you need to grab & use quickly.

[@RobbiePhillips]

True! What harnesses in particular have you had issues with this?

[@davidpleydell3522]

@@RobbiePhillips seems a lot of Petzl harnesses have this trap, for example their Aquila harness.

[@RobbiePhillips]

@@davidpleydell3522 Oh jeez you're right,.. what a bizarre design!?

[@the.Aruarian]

I've bought a fair amount of different shoes second hand over the past few years. Most of them were models I hadnt tried before. My rule of thumb is: if it's cheap enough it's worth a gamble. If they fit, you get a great cheap shoe. If they don't, use them as a beater, sell them at a small loss, or pass them on to friends. Either way you get a lot more frame of reference for future purchases. I've noticed that climbing shoes immediately lose >45% of their retail price once you can't return them. I've lucked out and gotten both the Instinct Lace and Dragon Lace (2019) for less than 40 quid. Would never have tried them otherwise. :)

[@RobbiePhillips]

That’s actually quite a good point - if they are dirt cheap and you don’t mind the hassle of maybe having to sell them on again (if 2nd hand). I guess what I’ve seen quite a lot of is friends buying them and just trying to force it for ages 😂

[@the.Aruarian]

@@RobbiePhillips yeah... I did that with the Mago 😂 Sometimes the sunk cost fallacy just hits you hard.

[@bas5984]

Nice Tips. Loved the honesty and memeish additions : D

[@telofy]

That thing about buying a shoe half a size too small because it’s available: That seems just like one of those mentalist mind-reading trick to me! But I think I’ve now finally mananged to stretch them by half a size…

[@apiletal]

Really good ideas. When i was beginner, nobody tell that. I investigated, read a lot; and now, i with you 100%. Literally, this instruccions, have to be obligatory in all sports, in climb allways.

[@skinnerskinz331]

Thanks for this dude really helpful

[@RobbiePhillips]

No problem :)

[@AAMori-yy2tq]

I personally wouldn't recommend second hand climbing equipment (unless it's kid stuff). In my gym some time ago a boy bought a second-hand grigri and a part was broken but they glued it with plastic and painted it so it looked like a normal grigri, but when the boy was lowering the grigri it broke and he fell and died.

[@404am3]

Length is the most bothersome for me, my local crag has barely anything above 12m, to save money i got a 35m rope, but beyond my local crag is joshua tree which is tall... and i don’t like spending money

[@ShuriBear]

The "see a good shoe deal but buy the wrong size" definitely happened to me. Bought a pair for 50% off and I ABSOLUTELY HATED THEM! 3-4 months later I bought a new pair because I lost all the joy in climbing. And I was climbing for a while then, lol.

[@benoitcerrina]

Good that the vendor caught you with the half rope. It is weird that those are even sold by themselves (they should always be sold with the other half)

[@hydra66]

And a lot of it is classed as safety equipment- you'll find it near impossible to return this stuff when purchased

[@douwehuysmans5959]

Good.

[@CedarWright]

I bought a carbiner on amazon. Am I going to be OK?

[@RobbiePhillips]

Was Amazon even around the last time you paid for climbing gear?

[@CedarWright]

@@RobbiePhillips :) I mean I bought a wooden carabiner in the amazon made from an old growth tree.

[@RossPotts]

LOL! Ondra’s neck @0:11. TOO funny!

[@LoiteringReaper]

My take on buying; if you have an immediate use for a product and budget(okay to buy), but if you have a theoretical use case and not enough of a budget(don’t buy…yet).

[@katarzynamazur6017]

I graduated materials science, my department focused on metal alloys. We were studying causes of microfractures by 5 years. Microfractures exists in ALL metal alloys and aluminium alloys are brittle, so IT IS A THING. Propably you should't panic when your dropped your carabiner when you were standing on the ground, but if it hit a ground from top of the route, you could never tell if it has microfratrures or not, unless you use radiation test. Telling your viewers it's not a problem and feel free to buy second hand carabiners is too risky.

[@michaelblowers6823]

The real question here is where can a buy some Culann bath water? Surely that'd help me send harder than TC Pros ;)

[@RobbiePhillips]

1L = £666 + P+P Worth every Penny!

[@IKECH545]

My first pair of climbing shoes were Scarpa’s. I think they were about $110. The guy who helped me find a good pair said they’ll stretch, so you don’t want them loose in any way, shape, or form. I feel like I’ve heard people say your toes should curl and I just think that’s stupid. I’m also weird and climb with socks on. My feet never hurt at the end of climbs and I’ve moved up 5 grades since I’ve started climbing. They are molded to my feet now and my toes touch the tippy end of my shoes, but they have no curl at all. My skin doesn’t crack and blister because of my socks. My climbing level has steadily improved. Just because everyone says it has to be done it certain way doesn’t mean you have to listen. Listen to their advice, trust your gut, know your body, and don’t apologize. So, do what this guy said... do not buy shoes too small!

[@robertcreer8826]

Good information!

[@Mindwave416]

gah i have some shoes i don't wear cause they were on sale! A classic mistake

[@TonySpinach]

Buying new gear isn’t stressful, I love it ahahha

[@glynwilliams13266231]

Static ropes are the norm on Southern Sandstone where top roping is the order of the day as they reduce erosion of the very soft and easily damaged rock

[@RobbiePhillips]

For fixed lines and shunting? Or top roping?

[@glynwilliams13266231]

@@RobbiePhillips for top roping. Dynamic ropes are actively discouraged

[@cubiee-sci6190]

I Really like your video this can safe many people a lot of trouble when they start into sport climbing, but I have to add some things about static rope. First of all, you're absolutely right, they should not be used as a sport climbing rope but saying the are not made to take falls is not true. To be certified a static rope, like every other climbing rope, has to fulfill some criteria. One of them is that it has to catch a fall below a fall factor of 0.3 without injury and has to stop a fall with factor 1 without breaking. While climbing toprope, there should be no case (except your belayer gives out massive amounts of slack) where a fall into a static rope would result in serious injury. Lead climbing is different in case of indoor lead the maximum fall factor you can take without hitting the ground is 1 which means you can be injured quite bad but even then the rope would not break. To sum this up a fall into a static rope will never be as comfortable as a fall into a dynamic rope but it will not result in injury every time you fall.

[@therflash]

Tell that to Mammut who made that "Gym Workhorse" dry dynamic single rope for indoors, in two colours: Black, and White. And to add an insult to the injury, they put a black middle marker in the middle of that black rope. What!? And silly me bought the rope. It's a nice rope, I like it, but I had to buy some hexes to fend of panicked staff that swarm around me like seagulls whenever I pull out a black rope in a climbing gym. "That's dangerous, you can't use this for lead climbing." - You're not the first one to tell me. "Are you really sure it's a dynamic rope?" - Yes, I fell on it many times, it's pretty soft. "Why is it black?" - It's just Mammut being Mammut. "Does it have the (1) in a circle?" - No, the stickers fell off the first time I tied a knot on it. "I've never seen black dynamic rope" - Funny, I see a black dynamic rope every time I'm on lead.

[@Montee_ee]

Just for the Ondra giraffe neck you got my thumbs up.

[@kbmx5845]

with rope length double the wall height plus some extra for knots and the belayer. if the wall is 30m double would be 60m then some extra 65m.

[@RobbiePhillips]

Nah it’s fine, a knot takes hardly any length of rope 😅 and the belayer doesn’t take much out of a rope either, and take into account rope stretch. 60m for a 30m route is ok.

[@gibbyrockerhunter]

For any other climbers with size 13 EE feet...do you have any recommendations? I’m not new to climbing. But finding good shoes is near impossible since most places don’t carry sizes I can try on. The double wide is the real issue. I can’t even wear Nike because they are so thin. I spent most of my early days going barefoot. But I’m too old to free solo barefoot, I need some protection.

[@picnicsinspace198]

you can put a plastic back on your foot to help get into a tighter shoe

[@RobbiePhillips]

True. Doesn’t make them any comfier though 😂

[@picnicsinspace198]

@@RobbiePhillips yea lol.

[@mountbeckworth1]

Thanks for this. I have pointed out to Ebay, Consumer Affairs, Federal Minister, but no real response. Chinese ropes and carabiners that don't say climbing, but have a photo of a climber. And grappling hooks for climbers.

[@RobbiePhillips]

I’ve always wanted a grappling hook tbh!

[@georgecarlyle4826]

@@RobbiePhillips grappling hook for boarding pirate ships or D Day commando cliff scaling? Or fancy dress Batman entrance to a party?

[@RobbiePhillips]

Any of the above!

[@timhoffmann9160]

I have to say anything you can try on first is a win. Harnesses and shoes are a must. Especially because not everyone has the same shape (foot or waist/legs) Also don't be afraid to look at the opposite gender items I have very narrow feet and almost all of my climbing shoes are women's not because they are smaller but because they fit better =D Better fit=better climbing and more fun.

[@milkymat]

saw an interesting video recently about cheap chinese carabiners being tested, some of them were fine! still, wouldn't risk it myself

[@RobbiePhillips]

Any chance you could share it?

[@milkymat]

@@RobbiePhillips its s bit long wong winded, so I skipped to results... kzbin.info/www/bejne/eILJfIeuarllja8

[@ralfrussel1950]

@@RobbiePhillips Probably this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eILJfIeuarllja8

[@karlm3179]

@@RobbiePhillips Matthew's comment reminded me of this one from HowNotToHighline kzbin.info/www/bejne/eILJfIeuarllja8

[@hack2729]

@@RobbiePhillips kzbin.info/www/bejne/eILJfIeuarllja8 this maybe?

[@philg_music]

Hi Robbie, do you know anywhere that replaces slings on wild country friends?

[@RobbiePhillips]

Afraid I don’t mate - sorry about that!

[@jontweedlie6394]

contact wild country directly, some manufacturers offer cam re-slinging if you send it to their factory :)

[@ViniMzk]

Hey, Robbie! Have you used the Edelrid Ace Harness? Do you think it's a good option for sport climbing and ocasional trad?

[@RobbiePhillips]

Hey man, yeah actually the ace is the main harness that I use. It's brilliant for sport and trad. I actually also used it when I was climbing El Cap in 2019 and Tommy Caldwell also used it when climbing El Cap Free back in 2019 too - we both really rate it!

[@RobbiePhillips]

Very true! I actually got a 5th gear loop added to my Ace, but the new version of Ace has 5 gear loops I believe

[@RobbiePhillips]

Hey Vinicius, Go check EDELRID’s Instagram page as they’ve just released the new ACE harness with 5th gear loop! Not tried this updated version yet but it looks well good!

[@ViniMzk]

@@RobbiePhillips just saw it, but I think it will take a while for this new collection to be available here in Brazil 😂 I'll try to get the older version tho. Thanks for the advise!

[@u_watch9497]

holey shait bro, do you live under that inclined board ?

[@Alrold]

I made the gear mistake haha but it is stuff i can use locally

[@Spartandrew88]

Still not sure about buying 2nd hand, pom might take over the money savings for me. Also how long can you keep a rope for? I've had my edelrid 60m 10mm rope for over 15 years now but honestly hasn't been used in over 10, only a few falls worth a mention, no visible flats or fraying, been stored in its carry bag in a dark place. Still advisable to use it even just indoors? Advise and recommendations appreciated.

[@RobbiePhillips]

Yo Andrew, not sure I understand the first question? But re ropes... maybe contact Edelrid and ask? I'm not 100% certain, and irrespective of whether its indoors or out, I guess you'll still potentially take falls on it. 15 years is a long time to own a rope for anyway, and I'd probably say that its about time to invest in a new one :) even if just for peace of mind. Edelrid have just brought out a new recycled rope called the Neo - pretty cool technology actually!

[@Spartandrew88]

@@RobbiePhillips ok cheers, other than the age I'd say it's still usable but as I said 15yo is the main doubt in my mind, I'll contact Edelrid and take their advice too. On a separate thought, do you know all the heights of the different walls at Ratho? I'll prob get a 60m but had thought about a dedicated indoor rope like 35/40m. I live near Livingston but also visit GCC at Ibrox too (16m walls). Thanks. Andrew

[@RobbiePhillips]

@@Spartandrew88 Yeah, the tallest wall at EICA is 30m and absolutely requires a 60m rope! If you don't plan on going on that wall you can get away with a 50m rope for most of the others but I think a 60m is good to have just in case and for a lot of outdoor stuff a 60m is nice to have

[@rasmusblomberg7373]

I think it is worth mentioning that very small doesn't = uncomfortable,. fit fit fit!! different shoes, brands, lasts, will fit you differently and it's very possible to size down quite a bit and still be comfortable - I'm UK size 11.5 and can wear my size 8.5 Tenaya Iatis for a 3/4 hour bouldering session no problem even if I rarely take them off just because the fit happened to work with my foot. On the other hand my size 9 Cobras I use on the home wall can't comfortably stay on for more than 20 mins (I usually buy them in 9.5 but lockdown panic had me acting all kinds of strange....) Point is - I 100% agree that recommending beginners 3 sizes down is just satanic haha, but as you find out what fits and works for you it's very possible to downsize quite significantly and still have good comfort!! or maybe not, all feet are different and in the end it's just a question of trying and finding out what works for you!

[@francescozanuso7260]

Hi Robbie! Have you ever tried Kouba friends? I'm new in trad climbing and I'm looking for a rack of friends that won't cost me a fortune. Do you have any suggestion? Btw I really like your videos!

[@RobbiePhillips]

Hey Francesco, I actually haven’t tried them. Had a wee look at them and they look ok and although I couldn’t see whether they were UIAA cert, I can see a few reputable websites with links to them and they produce for Rock Empire which you see in the U.K. (don’t take that as reason though - maybe double check with them?). Most cams do the same job :) if you are new to climbing, the subtleties of cheaper brands vs the more expensive ones won’t make a huge difference to you. If you really want to have your own rack, you could invest in them and then at a later date sell them 2nd hand and invest in something better. Or maybe invest in a single rack, and if you like another brand more, just add to your rack with some doubles in other preferred brands? I definitely have my preferred cams but that’s after years of trad climbing - we all have our preferences :) Bottom line, they all do the same job. Make sure it’s UIAA certified for peace of mind and then choose something that works to your budget.

[@francescozanuso7260]

@@RobbiePhillips Thanks for the advice 👍

[@YnseSchaap]

Don't be cheap and stick to the brands 😉

[@ryanpenrod1859]

Nice fart @ 3:12 At first I was like "wtf?" but you gotta respect just not giving a shit.

[@sylvernale]

Tc Pros suck at indoor climbing, but my local gym has indoor cracks #gottem

[@JarppaGuru]

1:46 7mm LOL

[@vertikalohigh9583]

6:03 what knot do we see here?

[@RobbiePhillips]

Haha no idea. Just a random graphic that we’ve used. I just use a double overhand at the end of my rope

[@mickburke40o]

@@RobbiePhillips looks to be the Ashley stopper knot to me.

[@RobbiePhillips]

After a quick Google I believe you’re correct - even saw the same image we used. Nice one

[@mickburke40o]

@@RobbiePhillips My pleasure information should flow both ways, all in this together!

[@stefan.h.666]

Great video, thanks for good introduction. Question - have you lost some weight? Looking more skinny as the last times

[@RobbiePhillips]

Hahaha! Marie said the same thing actually 😂 I do look a little “crack addicty” in this I’ll be honest. I’m feeling lean and healthy at the moment, haven’t been trying to lose weight, but when I do it always falls of the face making me look a bit like Skeletor 💀

[@kobinewman904]

TC pros are the best! But agreed not ideal for indoor as they are quite boot like

[@RobbiePhillips]

Yeah, just very very very stiff!!!

[@sylvernale]

Was finally able to cam my feet with tc pros after using dragons forever

[@charliefearnall7855]

please buy some wish stuff and instantly break it into peaces

[@RobbiePhillips]

Haha we have thought about doing something with Wish 😂

[@testboga5991]

maybe a bit overdramatized...

[@To__ez]

E

[@LordofTheFallen]

For further clarification; Static ropes almost always have two colours and Dynamic ropes almost always have three colours. Hence the "more colourful/less colourful point he made.

[@RobbiePhillips]

Is that right? I tried to find some official statements on this but couldn’t find anything. Since making the video I’ve actually found static ropes in bright colours, but they’re pretty rare, and just a base colour as opposed to being two to three strands of colours woven into the rope

[@LordofTheFallen]

@@RobbiePhillips I don't know if it's official, but I've always seen static ropes as a solid color with one line of a different color woven in, and dynamic lines have two lines woven into a solid color. What the color actually is isn't important.