Belay Gloves. Do you use them?

Even if I find a free pair I end up losing them. But they do cut down on the oxide hands.

I don't. Outdoors I only use brake assisted belay devices, so I don't see a reason to use them. To me it only makes sense to use them with non-locking belay devices where you could get rope burn if you partially lose control of the rope and are locking the brake strand back down.

It's also probably good for those old school folks that give soft lead catches by feeding some slack through their non-locking belay device instead of using their body weight. Or a lighter lead belayer that is tethered to an anchor with a heavier leader and does the same thing to give a soft catch. You could probably also make an argument for this where the belayer is on an anchor of a multi-pitch route where the features and anchor don't allow for much movement of the belayer. Or any slab route where the belayer being pulled forward would be dangerous to them and bring the leader much further down in a fall.

I was in no-gloves and dirty hands camp till some shit caught in the rope managed to slice my palm open.
Then I changed my mind.
Now, my hands are clean and not bleeding.

I use them all the time. Biggest benefit I see day-to-day is rapping. I can go much faster with gloves as my hands do not get that burn; this is especially useful on double rope rappels. Once I started using them, it sucks when I forget them.

I've got a question.
I've got plenty of cheap leather gloves at home for yard work. Any reason I can't use those?

I buy the cheapest home depot gloves, leather or nylon. My hands are cleaner after climbing and I can carry them easily. Use any glove you don't mind carrying.

^^ Regarding the above two posts. I used to only buy the cheapest work gloves at home depot (which definitely work BTW). Now I realize that I can get BD belay gloves for just as cheap, and they're more durable and have easier clipping points (for attaching to a harness). Between clearance racks, sales online, and prodeals, BD gloves are ~$15-10 or less which is basically what your cheapest hardware store sells work gloves for.

I use a Metolius Mini carabiner to "rack" them; those 'biners are always on sale too because they're awful for any real climbing purpose but great for having a glove holder that can be used for bail gear.

Fortuna Wolf wrote:I've got a question. I've got plenty of cheap leather gloves at home for yard work. Any reason I can't use those?

Just be sure they weren't used with any chemicals. There's a glove thread on here from about half a year ago.

I currently use cheap fabric gloves, but will get leather soon.

In addition to the other reasons listed, I belay with an ATC, and would much rather my glove get bitten than the webbing by my thumb, when someone pulls me airborne.

I belay a lot, so gloves save a lot of wear and tear on my hands lowering, too, including in a gym, when I remember to grab them.

Stich wrote: Even if I find a free pair I end up losing them. But they do cut down on the oxide hands.

I've lost countless cheap pairs of gloves, but I've never lost the expensive Petzl kind (worn thru multiple pairs). It got to the point where the cheap ones end up costing me more. I guess when I pay good money for something I'm a bit more mindful.

Anyway, the only place I don't always wear gloves is in the gym. Skin is such an issue for climbing that I don't see why one wouldn't want to protect it when possible.

Mathias wrote:What's your opinion on belay gloves? Do you always use them, never use thrm, just on multi pitch (as mentioned in another thread), when belaying someone on a project, only when it's cold? I have a pair. I like them for rapping but rarely use them for belaying. Most often I forget to take them out of the house.

climbing friend,

yes, for absolute. Youd o not want to be dirtying your pretty, moist hands. Also, be sure to rest your hands atop your grigri contrary to the manufacturer's safety instructions, as much as possible, lest your delicate rock squeezers become fatigued.

Ancent wrote:^^ Regarding the above two posts. I used to only buy the cheapest work gloves at home depot (which definitely work BTW). Now I realize that I can get BD belay gloves for just as cheap, and they're more durable and have easier clipping points (for attaching to a harness). Between clearance racks, sales online, and prodeals, BD gloves are ~$15-10 or less which is basically what your cheapest hardware store sells work gloves for.

Costco has a 3-pack of leather gloves for ~$20. Punch a hole at the wrist for hanging on a biner.

Marc801 wrote: Costco has a 3-pack of leather gloves for ~$20. Punch a hole at the wrist for hanging on a biner.

Without looking too hard, backcountry has BD gloves for $10. Yeah, that's only two gloves for your $20, but you don't have to punch a whole, they last a whole lot longer (I went through the cheap glove phase--those three gloves will be destroyed before one decent pair), and the option hang them with the fabric loop (instead of a hole) is great. An extra plus is the suede/fabric outside for wiping sweat and dirt off your face. They're all minor details, but I think the pros really start to out weigh the minor cons.

John Wilder wrote:Yes, all the time- trad, sport, multipitch. They live clipped to my grigri.

+1. I always use belay gloves. Been using them so long it feels super strange to belay without gloves.

My favorite non-climbing-specific belay glove because it's supple, reinforced in the palm and breathable on the back of the hand.


Cut a slit near the seam on the inside of the wrist cuff for clipping a biner through.

powhound84 wrote: Link? I don't see any BD gloves for under 11.96 and it's 24.71 for the cheapest leather pair.

You called my bluff. I rounded. But I see them for $10.50 with a google search.

Marc801 wrote:Costco has a 3-pack of leather gloves for ~$20. Punch a hole at the wrist for hanging on a biner.

Ancent wrote: Without looking too hard, backcountry has BD gloves for $10. Yeah, that's only two gloves for your $20,

Who sells gloves individually? We're talking about *pairs* of gloves.

Ancent wrote:...but you don't have to punch a whole,...

True enough. You also don't have to punch a hole, either.

Ancent wrote:...they last a whole lot longer (I went through the cheap glove phase--those three gloves will be destroyed before one decent pair)...

Have you seen or used the Costco gloves? They're pretty damned sturdy and last quite a while.

No

I always wear them if fall factors 1 or greater are possible. I know many people who have caught such falls bare-handed, but my own long-ago belay test experience with weights and the repeated results through the years of many other tests by major groups like the DAV and CAI suggest that burns are quite possible, and if they do occur both leader and belayer are endangered.

Even in single-pitch situations, I typically wear them for another reason. As a user of half ropes, I have the two strands running between my fingers, and over the course of a full day of taking in an paying out, the ropes can literally wear holes in the delicate skin between the fingers.

I like the fact that your hands stay a lot cleaner, and appreciate being able to manipulate a hot belay plate at the base of long rappels, and can coil a rope faster with gloves on too. And yes, if you mess up and get your hand too close to the belay device on a catch, the gloves keep you from an extremely painful skin pinching.

Finally, although this is not directly related to climbing, I find that wearing my belay gloves on desert approaches and descents helps keep down on the drying effects of the desert environment, effects that now tend to make my ancient skin crack after a few days of climbing.

So all told there are a bunch of advantages, some of which with safety implications, and really almost no downside, other than a small bit of time wasted putting the gloves on and off.

NeilB wrote: Aluminum Oxide

I have a friend who in the last few years started using them for that exact reason and I think its a really smart idea given what we know about prolonged exposure to aluminum. I too have tried to follow suit as I think its good point.

I didn't always use belay gloves, but I have started using them much more frequently outdoors. They keep your hands clean, they keep your hands warmer, and they dramatically reduce the chance of rope burn.

My preferred gloves are the Costco 3-pack variety with a hole punched for hanging off a carabiner. I bought them three years ago when I started climbing; I'll let you know when I wear out the first pair :-)

Definately - like everyone else said, less chance of rope burn is always a good thing. Plus, it can get pretty cold here.