Though the gear I have rented at my university's rock wall does its job well, I hate using stuff that is not mine. There is something about wearing shoes and harnesses that other sweaty people have warn that makes me uncomfortable.
After deciding I wanted to take the sport of climbing seriously, it was time to gear up.
The first item on my list was a pair of climbing shoes. After some online research and talk with retail specialists at the local outdoor shop and at REI, I narrowed my hunt to either a pair of 5.10's or La Sportiva's.
Though 5.10's are nice, they do not fit my feet right. I came across the La Sportiva Tarantulace at REI. They look good, fit well, and have the bottoms that I was looking for. Also it didn't hurt that they were on sale for 80 bucks at REI.
The aggressive slope and reinforced bottoms of the Tarantulace allows my toes to plant on the smallest of ledges and in the tightest of cracks. Grip is a necessity for climbing, and these shoes make me feel like Tobey Maguire scaling a brick wall, minus the spandex.
Next on the list was a harness, which I was not too picky about. As long it is reliable and affordable, I am sold. I have had my eyes on the fairly priced Black Diamond Momentum Harness for sometime and REI had one harness in stock for my size, therefore, SOLD.
No climber can do without chalk, so I purchased an Arc'teryx C40 chalk bag and some chalk.
Though I spent 175 doll-hairs, yes REI accepts blond and brunette Barbie hair (kidding), that is cheap comparative to what I could have spent on the basics of climbing gear.
All-in-all I now have the gear I near to pursue my new hobby of climbing and could not be happier!
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