Daily Climbing

A couple of climbing enthusiasts spill the beans about all the best practices in rock climbing and bouldering.

Rock Climbing Info

Everything You Should Know Before Your First Time Indoor Bouldering

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Okay, the first thing that you should know is that there’s nothing crazy that’ll be expected of you on first time.

Honestly, don’t worry. The staff at your local indoor bouldering place will be lovely, accommodating people that’ll help you out with anything you need to know.

However, it’s nice to know before you go isn’t it? So let’s sort out all the questions you have about starting bouldering once and for all.

First of all, let’s start with the burning question:

What Do I Need To Bring?

Clothing

You’ll need to wear gym clothing that lets you have a comfortably wide range of movement.

The reason for this is pretty straight forward. You can’t climb in tight fashion jeans or other restrictive clothing because climbing requires you to be able to move your arms and legs around all the time.

First of all, it’d get pretty tiring. Climbing is already a physically intense activity, and working against your own clothing is going to get in the way of your first time.

Secondly, when you fall, you’ll want to be able to land on your feet and bend your knees without any difficulty. Honestly: any difficulty in being able to do something like that just puts you at unnecessary risk for spraining an ankle or something.

Thirdly, you might actually damage your clothes if you make sudden movements in restrictive clothing. There’s also the chalk. You’ll get your clothes absolutely covered in it.

Basically, It’ll work out cheaper in the end to just get some suitable clothing.

Here’s what I suggest:

  • Sport pants, cargo pants or loose, non-restrictive jeans
  • T-shirt
  • Hair bobble for long hair

Notice how I left shoes off there? That’s because you’re going to need to hire climbing shoes when you get there.

No, normal shoes won’t do. Climbing shoes are completely different. You wouldn’t want to walk around in them in daily life.

If you want to get your own pair, either to save money or to get something nicer than rentals, then take a look at this guide to the different types of climbing shoes.

Also, for those on a tight budget, I wrote a guide to spending as little money as possible with your starter bouldering gear here.

However, if you want something absolutely top end, like, what the best climbers in the world use for bouldering, then take a look here instead.

Chalk

Chalk isn’t just for pros.

You’ll absolutely need some. You can’t climb without it.

If your local bouldering place doesn’t rent out chalk, then you can certainly buy some, but it’ll probably be cheaper online. Here‘s the chalk ball I recommended in that “climbing on a budget” article I mentioned earlier.

A chalk ball will coat your hands better, spill less, and generally last way longer than loose chalk.

However, if you want to get some standard equipment rather than make-do with using a chalk ball in the resealable ziploc bag it comes in, then get Black Diamond’s loose chalk, which is great value for money, and a chalk bag.

Whichever option you go for, just be sure to dust your hands with chalk regularly, and don’t worry about spilling a bit on the floor mats. It’s all expected.

Well, that’s it. That’s all you need to bring with you. Let’s move on to the next question.

What Should I Start With?

When you’re starting out in bouldering, you’re not going to tackle the high grade routes. That even goes for heavy gym goers, because climbing uses all the muscles, tendons and ligaments that you don’t use in the gym.

Besides, the higher grades require holding onto such tiny holds that you’ll think that they’re impossible until someone else comes along and does it like it’s nothing. That’s what bouldering is like.

But you know what? That’s completely expected. This isn’t like the gym where you get small ego-battles around the bench press.

Start with the easiest routes.

To find them, take a look at the color coded charts that are dotted around the place. It’ll tell you which color holds belong to which difficulty.

Then, of course, remember what color the easiest one is, and go do all of them.

At my local bouldering gym, green is the easiest. If you’re doing a route that’s colored green, it means that you’re not allowed to use holds of any other color. That’s how indoor climbing works.

You might see big blocky shaped jutting out of the wall that make it look less flat and more like an actual rock face. By all means use those. They’re called “volumes.”

Just don’t use any holds of the wrong color that are on those volumes, because that’d be cheating.

Oh, and try to start with your hands on the clearly labeled holds, in a sitting position with your feet off the ground, resting on the little holds of your route that are down below, right by the floor. If that’s too hard, you can skip it at the start, but that’s the way it’s meant to be done.

Of course, when you’re done with the entry-level routes, then move on up the colors. It’ll get much harder after a couple levels, but don’t worry, the routes will reset each week, so you’ll have a fresh set to try next time if you run out of the ones that you can manage.

Just don’t overdo it on your first time. I tore the skin on my hands to shreds by doing routes that were above what my poor hands were used to. That was only because I was slipping off constantly, grating my hands each time.

Your hands will be fine afterwards if you don’t go crazy like I did, but if you do, then make sure to use a lot of chalk. It’ll help protect your hands and stop you slipping off the trickier holds.

What if I Fall?

Oh, you will fall.

And that’s not a problem.

As soon as you walk in, you’ll notice that the floor is absolutely lined with bouldering mats.

These things are amazing. They’ll break your fall perfectly as long as you remember to land on your feet and bend your knees.

The first time you fall? Yeah, it’s scary, but when you land you’re like, “Oh, that was nothing.”

You basically had more chance of hurting yourself when climbing in the local playpark as a kid.

Generally, you’ll want to climb down from the top of each route if you can.

What Do I Do When I Reach the Top?

To complete a route, you’ll need to be able to place both hands on the highest hold of the colored route you’re taking, without cheating by using any other colors.

Once you’re done, climb down using any colors you like. The downclimb is just about getting down so you can collapse on the bouldering mats a safe distance away from the wall and have a rest.

What Are the Basic Safety Precautions?

  • Always keep away from other climbers who are climbing the route. Don’t stand under them or anything, and don’t do a route that could cause a clash if one of you fell. If you have a look at the other climbers around the bouldering place, you’ll get a good idea of the etiquette.
  • If you grab a hold and it’s loose, then go immediately tell a member of staff. However, it’s normal for holds to move ever so slightly when you grab them, so just use your common sense. “Is it dangerously loose? Then report it to a member of staff.”
  • If you fall, look down where you’ll land and make sure you land on your feet and bend your knees. Placing your hands on the floor as you land can help soften the impact too, and it’ll keep your balance a little better.
  • Don’t leave your stuff in the areas where climbers will be falling. You’ll either break your stuff or break the other climbers.
  • Climb down whenever you can. Use whatever color holds you like to make it easier.

What’s the Most Important Piece of Advice?

Have fun!

No really, go wild. You’ll soon be completely in the state of flow, the hours will just fly by.

The greatest thing about bouldering is that it’s basically the only socially acceptable way to climb around as an adult like you did in playparks as a kid.

Take advantage of that… because very other climber at the place will be!

Save Your Climbing Shoes By Getting The Soles Repaired & Resoled.

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I may have left it too late to get these resoled.

Everyone has that favorite pair of shoes that they love. That perfect pair that fitted great and looked pretty good too!

But over a few months or years, depending on how often you are climbing, that perfect shoe can start to wear away. All those flags and lazy smears add up and your shoes can end up looking a bit worn.

Instead of throwing them away, you can get them resoled and repaired. In today’s throw away culture I think people are far too quick to get rid of items that they could reuse, recycle or repair and climbing shoes is one that can easily be repaired!

When going to repair climbing shoes you pretty much only have one option – you can go and get them repaired by a qualified shoemaker (I would highly recommend not trying this at home unless you are feeling super crafty.)

The Shoemaker

With a quick google search, you will be able to find your closest resoler. Getting a pair of shoes resoled tends to cost 1/3 to 1/4 of the price of a new pair, so it’s usually pretty economic.

Now that you have found a climbing shoe resoler, there is usually a couple of different options to choose from. The things to think about are what rubber and how thick?

When deciding what rubber to use, Stealth C4 and Vibram XS Edge are the most popular used by La Sportiva and Scarpa and most other big shoe brands.

So what’s the difference you might ask? Well, some rubbers tend to be stickier or more durable or both. If you are unsure what rubber is best for you it might be worth doing a bit of research into them. If you don’t have the time you can’t go wrong with Vibram edge or Stealth C4, as both are solid choices, there is a reason they are so popular.

Now, let’s talk thickness. If you go too thick you might not be able to feel those tiny holds and if you go too thin, then you will just be back to the resoler sooner rather than later.

It might be worth noting that the general standard is 4mm, however if you are a beginner or think you have clumsy footwork it might be best for you to get a 5mm sole.

So depending on where you go to, they will likely offer a 1/2 sole repair or a rand repair.

The 1/2 sole repair is just the front part of your shoe where your toes are, the idea is that this part tends to see the most action when climbing, so it needs the most tender loving care.

If you haven’t guessed by now, a rand repair is a full repair of your sole. What this entails is sowing up any holes getting rid of that old nasty rubber and putting some new (hopefully grippier) rubber on.

It’s worth noting that sometimes an extensive rand repair can cause some aggressive downturned shoes to lose their form. This is why it’s better to get your shoes to a resoler sooner rather than later, as there is a point of no return.

How many times you can get your shoes resoled and repaired is going to depend on how well you look after them. Most pairs will be able to get resoled 2-3 times, however I have seen pairs of shoes kept in good condition resoled up to 7-8 times.

Preventative Measures

So one way is to try and keep your shoes in a clean and good condition.

We have written a guide to help you with the cleaning here

However, some other good general tips are:

  • Crisp and clean footwork – what I mean by this is placing your foot with precision on the holds instead throwing it at the hold and letting the shoe rub against the wall and guide you to the hold.
  • Store your shoes correctly – ideally in a bag somewhere away from sunlight, shoes left outside due to the smell can become damaged by the elements or the sun.
  • Try not to wash them – washing machines can deform the leather or cause it to deteriorate faster.

With these tips, you should be able to extend the life of your favorite pair and keep on climbing!

How To Safely Survive Those Nasty Falls in Bouldering.

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So, bouldering and climbing can be pretty scary sometimes, when you are on the wall it can be taxing to think about the fall. Not only does it make you climb worse, but it can also be exhausting mentally.

One of the major things you can do to reduce or get rid of this fear is to learn to fall properly. You might think “how can you fall properly?” – as weird as it might sound there are a few techniques to falling and making sure you are utilizing those techniques can help you climb better and harder.

The way I see falling is in three parts, before the fall when you are mid-climb, while you are falling, and then the landing when you hit the mat. During each of these parts, there is usually something you can be doing to help make the fall easier on you.

The Climb Before The Fall

So, let’s first get to grips with what you can do while you are still climbing. While mid-route there are two types of falls, ones you see coming and the ones you don’t.

While there isn’t much that you can do while climbing to prepare for falls you don’t see coming, these might be due to slipping on hold or a bit of rock breaking off.

There are however things you can do for ones you know are going to happen. This can be caused by the next move being too hard or maybe something just doesn’t feel right so you bail, you GTFO usually executed by a swift drop and a sigh.

So when you know you’re going to sink like the Titanic the first thing you should do while on the wall, is scope out your landing zone.

What you are doing here is ensuring that you have enough room to land and making sure the landing zone is clear. If you are outdoors this will have already been done pre-climb and your spotters will make sure it’s clear.

Sometimes at the gym, newer climbers might not be used to ensuring enough room is available to the climber on the wall which can cause landing issues. However, a simple shout is usually enough to get them to part freeing up your fall zone. (there is no time for niceties when you’re about to fall – worst case you can apologize on the ground)

Once you know your landing zone is clear, you want to make sure that you know how you’re going to fall. It might sound strange but once you start to drop it happens pretty quick so its best to do a quick rundown in your head of proper falling technique to make sure your body follows suit.

My checklist of techniques I run through:

As obvious as it sounds avoid knocks to the head at all costs, this is the pilot of your meat machine so you probably wanna make sure it’s not damaged.

Loosen up, man! it’s just falling, all the cool kids are doing it. Seriously though, loosen up. If you are tense for the impact some studies have shown that you are way more statistically likely to be hurt, this one took a lot of practice for me to get down as it’s really hard to get comfortable enough with falling to loosen up.

If you have trouble like me, doing some practice falls from small heights might help you build up the experience and confidence to not panic when falling for real.

If you do wanna land on your feet make sure you roll it out. There is a reason you see parkour experts rolling after every jump and every move.

Rolling directly after a fall can help spread the impact out and help you save your ankles for a rainy day when your 80.  This move is space dependent, make sure you are not rolling off mats or into any walls.

The last tip I can give is to make sure your limbs are bent this will help prepare you to roll if needed and lessen the impact.

Mid Fall

There isn’t that much that you can do mid-fall to ensure a good landing, but its worth factoring in everything when it comes to reducing injury time so you can climb more.

The most important thing mid-fall is to make sure you don’t try to grab back onto the wall or rock.  The reason for this is that the best case scenario is you catch yourself and probably pull something due to the sudden impact of your weight, and in the worst case you will throw your balance off even more and end up falling in a completely uncontrollable way.

How To Stick The Landing

So the landing is pretty much the crucial part of whether a fall will cause injury or not. Most of this is just following through with the imaginary checklist you thought of earlier.

If the fall is from pretty high up, you wanna break out into the roll I mentioned. This is really important for helping transfer the dynamic energy and makes the fall a lot safer.

However, a lot of falls won’t need this if you’re in the gym and can mostly be taken on your feet as long as you buckle onto your butt to help absorb the force.

If you use a combination of all the tips above, you should be fine falling inside or out, as well as drastically reducing your chance of getting injured.

This is What You Should Do if You Lose Your Belay Device

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Dropping your belay device on a multi-pitch route is the single worst feeling ever.

You know what’s the second worst feeling ever? It’s when you finally arrive at the crag after a long, long drive, and realize you’ve forgotten your belay device.

I think you get the idea. Climbers feel like their belay device is their lifeline.

And it kind of is; It’s what saves your life if you fall… but the important thing to note is that it’s not your only lifeline.

There’s an easy way to belay when you find yourself without a belay device for whatever reason, and what’s so great about it is that it doesn’t use any more equipment than you already have, and you won’t even have to belay any differently.

“What is this magical method that you speak of?” you ask, eyes open wide.

It’s called “belaying with a munter hitch.”

How to Belay with a Munter Hitch

Belaying with a munter hitch is exactly like belaying normally. The difference is in how you set up the belay.

With a munter hitch, you’ll be belaying directly off the locking carabiner that’s going through the belay loop of your harness.

The way that you actually create a munter hitch is simple.

Take your rope and make two loops in it side by side, so that they’re going the same way. Then fold those two loops up together as if you’re closing a book, and clip them into your locking carabiner together.

That’s it! That’s all there is to it.

Funnily enough, munters are reversible, so it doesn’t matter which rope is your live rope and which one is your dead rope. Try paying out slack and you’ll see what I mean.

Of course, you can  always clip your munter’s two loops the other way around instead if you want your brake side on the opposite side.

The only thing to mention, is that munters actually lock off with the brake hand in an upward position. If you pull your brake hand down, it’ll still brake fairly well, but just remember to lift your hand up if you’re bracing to catch a big fall.

One final thing to note is that you should make sure that the gate of your locking carabiner isn’t on the side that your braking side is on. You’d end up putting pressure on the gate that way, which is always the weakest spot on any carabiner.

And, speaking of which, it’s always best to do this with a pear-shaped carabiner. You might also have heard them being called “HMS” carabiners. Interestingly, HMS is an abbreviation of the German name for a munter hitch.

Why Not Do This All the Time Instead of Using a Belay Device?

It’s because there’s a huge drawback to belaying with a munter:

It twists your rope.

Now, you’re not going to run into any problems if you’re only doing it for a session or two or in emergencies, but if you were to forego your belay device completely and just belay with a munter all the time, you’d quickly ruin your rope.

The reason why a munter twists and kinks your rope is to do with the shape of the hitch. It introduces a twist in the rope as it moves through the hitch, but it doesn’t twist it back after the rope has passed fully through.

Now, it is possible to counteract this twist by using an alternate variant of the munter called the “super munter.” However, it’s practically useless due to how much friction it causes. You can’t really belay properly with one, unless you had strong arms and a lot of patience.

A super munter fixes the twist problem because it’s essentially a doubled-up munter, but with the “second munter” undoing the twist that the “first munter” caused in the first place.

Unfortunately, there’s no way around it. Twists in your rope are pretty hard to get out as well, and it can only be done when the rope’s not in use. Even then, you’ll never get the rope 100% straight again. The little kinks in it will come back as slight wrinkles in your rope even if you get them out completely.

Really, the best long-term strategy for losing your belay device is to not lose it in the first place – or bring a spare. A munter hitch can be a great alternative whenever you need to belay or rappel without a belay device on the off time you forget it, but using a munter too often really will mess your rope up.

In the end, it’d have been cheaper to just buy a second belay device as a backup that you just leave in your car all the time. It’s better than having to buy a whole new climbing rope every few months.

How to Clean Your Climbing Shoes (Super Easy)

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Let’s face it, it’s inevitable that your climbing shoes are going to need cleaning at some point.

Climbers usually delay for as long as possible. They try to avoid cleaning their climbing shoes simply because they’re afraid of ruining them.

…But they shouldn’t.

You see, cleaning your shoes will actually make them perform better, because all that dirt and grime acts like the opposite of chalk.

Even indoor climbers, who won’t necessarily get their shoes dirty, will still see some improvements in grip. Besides, eliminating that terrible “well-used climbing shoes” odor is easily worth it alone.

Anyway, there’s two really easy ways to clean your climbing shoes. One method is excellent for eliminating odor, and the other is for actually cleaning your shoes.

So, let’s take a look at them. First of all:

This is How to Eliminate the Odor of Stinky Climbing Shoes

Fill them with coffee beans, and leave them for two days.

I’m not joking. That’s actually it.

Coffee beans are amazing for absorbing odors. It’s not so much that the fresh smell of coffee makes your climbing shoes smell nicer, it’s that they actually do absorb and eliminate the bad odors.

Just don’t then make coffee with the beans you used. Ew…

When to Do This

This handy little trick is perfect for automatically removing the smell from your climbing shoes after you’re back from a climbing session.

Once you get home, fill them with coffee beans, and a few days later when you head out to climb again, pour the coffee beans away into your compost bin. They’re actually really good for compost. They add nitrogen if you’ve let them have at least 100 days or so to break down.

Another way to use this method without being wasteful is to save up your used coffee grounds and let them dry out. Then you can use those spent coffee grounds to deodorize your climbing shoes. Just make sure they’re completely dry first. You don’t want to actually brew a coffee in your shoes.

Okay, now onto how to actually clean your climbing shoes.

A Super Easy Method to Clean Your Climbing Shoes

All you have to do is rinse them under the tap while you brush them clean.

Don’t use hot water, but you can use slightly warm water to speed things up a bit. I’m talking the “bread-making” kind of warm here. The kind of temperature you use when making bread dough so that you don’t kill the yeast. Gently warm.

If you brush your climbing shoes under running water, you’ll easily get them clean with a bit of gentle scrubbing.

If you need a shoe brush, then I really recommend this one. Most shoe brushes have an annoyingly narrow area where the bristles actually come into contact with the shoe, probably because they’re trying to get away with selling a brush that has less bristles.

Not this one.

This is the kind of quality brush you might have seen or imagined your grandfather using. And what’s more, is that it’s pretty cheap too. It’s a worthy investment for keeping your climbing shoes happy and grippy.

You might like our guide to the best climbing shoes of 2019.

Nylon vs Dyneema for Slings and Alpine Quickdraws

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What starts off as a simple choice quickly becomes horribly confusing.

I think it’s to do with all the “pros and cons” that get weighed up in the whole Dyneema vs nylon debate. They quickly obscure the differences between the two which are actually impactful.

It starts with the thought, “Hey, Dyneema looks cool. I can’t believe how thin it is. It must be really strong.”

…And then you hear about how it can’t be knotted, and that it even melts when a knot in it is loaded.

Before long, you’re looking at tables from scientific sources comparing the properties of each material, frantically worrying about whether there’s some fatal drawback of those suspiciously thin Dyneema slings you’ve been eyeing.

Really though, the choice is actually pretty simple.

It only gets complicated when the the information is taken way, way out of context.

For example, Dyneema is 15 times stronger than steel.

“That means that Dyneema slings will be much stronger than nylon ones, right?”

No.

They’re still rated at 22kN, just like nylon ones are. That’s because Dyneema slings are significantly thinner than nylon ones.

“Why not have thicker Dyneema slings then?” I hear you ask.

The reason is that it’d be utterly pointless. You don’t need more than a sling rated at more than 22kN. It’s already overkill for the sake of safety, which is fine and all, but after a certain point “I just want to make extra sure” becomes paranoia.

So, take off your safety goggles and hang up your hard hat, my paranoid friend. I’m going to show you how easy it is to decide between Dyneema slings and nylon slings.

Yes, even if safety is your only concern.

How to Decide Between Nylon and Dyneema

It’s simple. I’m going to ask you a series of questions, and at some point you’ll know your answer.

I’ll start with the biggest deciding factors.

Are you climbing in wet / cold / wintery conditions?

Absolutely go with Dyneema.

In the cold recesses of the Earth, you’ll find the rare, almost mythical breeds of climbers known as “alpine climbers” and “ice climbers”  appear to gather and roost.

For these strange creatures, who know neither the light of the sun nor the warmth of civilization, nylon has no place.

“Why?”

Because nylon slings will freeze solid.

You see, Dyneema is far more water resistant than nylon.

In terms of strength, it’s always the better choice if your slings are going to be getting some kind of water exposure. Nylon experiences a 15% loss in strength when it’s wet, and that stacks on top of the already added weakness that tying knots in it introduces.

When I say “water exposure,” I’m not just talking about waterfalls in the canyons and other such places that people like to climb near. I’m talking about something as simple as rain.

Sure, most climbers don’t like climbing in the rain. If you’re one of those people, then this isn’t going to be the deciding factor, so go ahead and read on.

Even if you do climb in wet conditions, there are some more things for you to consider before deciding to go with Dyneema. If you’re climbing in freezing cold conditions, however, then Dyneema is easily the best choice, and you’re just going to have to keep its drawbacks in mind while you use it.

The next question highlights exactly what I’m talking about.

Want to be able to tie knots with it?

Nylon is your only choice.

Like I said before, Dyneema melts when loaded with a knot in it.

Strangely enough, it’s for the same reason as to why tying knots with it wouldn’t work even if it didn’t melt.

And that reason, is knot slippage.

Simply put, Dyneema is so frictionless, that knots will just slide loose.

Because of all that movement that’s brushing against itself when a knotted piece of Dyneema is loaded, it generates enough heat to actually melt through.

This is why you never see Dyneema webbing. It’d be useless.

If you don’t know what webbing is, it’s just a roll of “un-sewn sling material” that you knot together at whatever length you like to create your own custom slings. If you’re interested in that, then take a look at this guide I wrote about nylon webbing and which kind is the best.

For now, let’s move on. Let’s say you’re not too interested in tying knots in your slings and you’re still undecided. Well, take a look at this next point:

Want the most cut / abrasion resistant ones possible?

Go with Dyneema. It’s by far the most cut resistant and abrasion resistant of the two.

In fact, it’s often used to make cut-resistant gloves. That’s how good it is.

Since slings are often used to extend gear, it’s quite possible that you’ll encounter a sharp ledge near your anchor that you’d rather have a sling running over instead of your rope.

This most often happens when setting up a top rope anchor. The trees and rocks that you’ll be tying slings to will be above the ledge for the most part. That’s where the cut resistance and abrasion resistance of your slings will truly shine.

That’s not to say that only top ropers will benefit from Dyneema slings. Canyoneers will especially appreciate that extra abrasion resistance with all that sand around.

Any climber who’s been in that environment knows: soft gear and sand don’t mix.

Sand can practically saw through soft gear when there’s too much movement. It’s like sandpaper, but… well… without the paper.

If you’re going to be climbing in sandy environments, then save yourself the anxiety and go with Dyneema.

However, if you’re climbing in normal, temperate environments like most sane climbers do, then abrasion isn’t really going to a be problem for you. After all, if nylon wasn’t up to scratch when it comes to dealing with the levels of abrasion encountered in normal climbing environments, then it wouldn’t be used by climbers at all!

So, keep reading on if you’re still unsure which one to go for.

Want the cheapest ones possible?

Well, that’s easy. Nylon is basically always cheaper.

On average, Dyneema slings will cost about a third more.

However, slings aren’t particularly expensive compared to other pieces of your climbing arsenal. Your absolute total savings from going with nylon aren’t going to be that impressive.

Even so, I guess you could say that the cost adds up over time if you’re buying many slings and leaving them behind semi-regularly. If the cost of that bothers you, then go with nylon to save yourself a bit of extra dough.

Finally, let’s take a look at the last important difference between Dyneema slings and nylon slings:

Want the slimmest, lightest ones possible?

Dyneema wins every time.

Have you seen how ridiculously thin they are?

It’s funny. Some climbers actually choose to go with nylon slings simply because Dyneema ones are scary if you’re unfamiliar with them.

If you want a priceless reaction, hold one up in front of your non-climber friends and tell them: “This… is what saves my life if I fall.”

At first, they’ll think you’re joking. Then they’ll think you’re crazy. Even after explaining how it’s 15 times stronger than steel, they’ll still feel like you’re pulling their leg.

It just doesn’t look strong. That’s why it’s so off-putting to a lot of climbers. Their intellect says “yes,” while their gut feeling says “no.”

However, other than making you feel like a daredevil, its slim profile does have a couple benefits that are actually useful.

First of all, it makes it lighter than a nylon sling. To be honest though, slings are so light as they are already, so I’m just going to gloss over this point. The difference doesn’t really add up to much at all. It makes even less of a difference than the cheaper price of nylon slings, which I was talking about before.

However, the slim profile of Dyneema slings make them fantastically compact on your gear rack. They really take up no space at all.

Trad climbers especially are going to really benefit from switching to Dyneema slings, with all the gear that they’re already lugging around.

Final Thoughts

Really, the only drawback to Dyneema slings is that you can’t tie knots in them without compromising their safety.

All that means is that you’ll have to slightly change the way you create anchors.

Or, I guess, you could just go with nylon if that’s something which bothers you.

For everyone else – even beginners – I’d recommend going with Dyneema slings. You can check out this post here if you want to know which Dyneema slings are the best.