Indoor climbing checklist
The kit is short; the paperwork is the part people arrive without. Register online before you go, and bring whatever proof of competence the wall asks for.
27 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Before you go
- Register online — it takes ten minutes and saves a queue
- Book a session if the wall takes bookings
- Bring the belay competence proof, if you are roping up
- Consent form signed by a parent, for under-eighteens
- Check whether an induction is required for a first visit
- Kit
- Climbing shoes, or hire them
- Chalk bag and chalk
- Harness, for roped climbing
- Belay device and screwgate
- Tape for split fingers
- Nail clippersLong nails and small holds do not get along.
- Brush for holds
- Clothes
- Something you can lift a leg over your head in
- A top that stays down when you reach up
- Socks, if you are hiring shoes
- A warm layer for belaying, which is standing still
- Trainers to walk between problems in
- The rest
- Water bottle
- Something to eat — sessions run longer than planned
- Padlock for a locker
- Membership card
- Tiger balm or hand cream for afterwards
- A notebook or app for the problems you want to come back to
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- What do I need for my first indoor climb?
- Comfortable clothes and a completed registration form. Shoes and a chalk bag hire for a few pounds — buy nothing until you know you are coming back.
- Do I need my own harness?
- Not to start. Walls hire harnesses, and for bouldering there is no harness at all. Buy your own once you are climbing weekly, and get fitted in person.