Best hearing aids for climbing?

Eh? What's that you say???

Went to too many punk shows in my youth and now paying the price...

Anyone have recommendations?
Does it matter?
I just want something that won't fall out of my ears when I fall off my latest project or off some lowball boulder.
Needs to be compatible with #tentlife for extended periods as well.

Feel free to PM me if you'd rather not indulge in the typical MP banter.

And before anyone asks, yes, the rest of me is falling apart too :-0

We just got my mom new aids. They are expensive. She went to a private audiologist and paid more than other places but at 97 you don't argue with them. Costco has a hearing aid dept. and  we know people have gotten them there cheaper. Get the rechargeable kind and save money on batteries.The good ones will connect to blue tooth and your phone, tv and other devices. Costco sells phillips. You can expect to pay from 2500 to 5000 dollars. Don't go cheap. Gorilla super glue will keep them in your ears. 

Following.  Absolutely following.  A little wind, a little altitude...  I can't hear my belayer.  

My husband uses the Oticon inside the ear model for all his gym workouts, climbing and bicycling.  He's on the bike 5 days a week and has had them for three years now and never has had a problem due to sweating.  They are custom fit to your ear and will not fall out.  He also has an Oticon model that is external to the ear, almost invisible, that he has had for about 8 years and they have been very reliable. But he never felt comfortable wearing those on the bike, hence biting the bullet and getting the second pair for sports use.   You can get insurance for a small fee in case you lose one.  I can't remember the exact price but I think each pair were at least $5-7K each, so the insurance is reassuring to have.  

An Audiologist can help you choose the brands that will work best for you after they assess the type of hearing loss you have, and how you want to use them. After you get them, typically you may need to return to get them tuned after you notice how they are working for you and if anything about them is irritating you.

I don't have experience with hearing aids for adults or for climbing but for my 8mo old. I'd add to what others have stated by saying that the other quality brand to pay attention to is Phonak. Phonak has had no questions asked warranty when daycare providers broke the aid.

And as phylp mentions, your audiologist, should be very helpful with hearing technology, branding, intended use, pricing, etc.

I'm deaf in one ear, and have severe hearing loss in the other.   The model I wear isn't made any longer, so that won't help you.  But I can give you some ideas on what you might want to look for.  Because of the severity of my hearing loss I wear a Behind The Ear (BTE) model.  The only downside with the BTE is that it can get crowded behind your ear if you wear more than two things (the BTE, sunglasses, helmet or a hat.)  I'm fine wearing two, but if I try to wear three of those - it's a little too much pressure.  If your hearing is bad enough that you think you'll need a BTE - take your normal hat, sunglasses, etc to the office to try models on.

Second  - the rechargeable hearing aid is great - as long as it can accept regular batteries as well.  If not - and you road trip where you're going to be off-the-grid for more than a few days - you'll need to take a charge pack to recharge the hearing aid.   Keep that extra weight in mind if you do any multi-day alpine or backpacking.

If you can afford a water resistant hearing aid - I highly recommend it!  First because when climbing - you do get caught mid-pitch sometimes when a freakish-short storm rolls thru.  But more importantly - the microphone and electronics in a water resistant hearing aid - help keep dust/sand out of the electronics.  Lime Kiln, Jacks, Shelf, Ten Sleep all have super-fine sand that can get anywhere.

Windy days can seem really loud, and it helps to have a loose fleece hat to wear over the hearing aid.  It can greatly reduce the wind noise.

It will likely take more than one 'fitting' to tune the settings so that they are comfortable for you.  Two tricks that I've found:  when you've dialed in the settings at the audiologist's office,  crumple up a piece of crisp paper (and see if it sounds normal.)  Then take an ceramic coffee mug and rattle a spoon around - see if it sounds too loud.  When you're 1:1 in a quiet office - we tend to crank up the settings, but in the real world - you won't want those other noises to take over.  Hope that helps.
-DeDe

Hearing aids are extremely personal however...

I wear the Starkey Livio and love it. The biggest advantage for me is the way it filters noise- at work it’s the machines and outdoors it does a fantastic job of filtering the wind noise. As a bonus it connects to my phone via bluetooth. It’s a behind the ear model but does not interfere with my glasses or sunglasses. 
I would suggest selecting rechargeable over battery for ease of use. I can wear mine all day and get 4-5 recharges out of the case before I have to recharge the case. Feel free to PM if you have further questions. 

I’ve been using an Oticon outside the ear model for about 5 years. It’s OK but requires care not to fall out especially if I’m following and the rope brushes against my head. When climbing, I wear only one hearing aid not the two that I normally wear. Some people use croakies, but often I’ll use some tape. Still there are tight squeezes in which it’s too tight to wear a helmet and in which I take out my hearing aids. See my comments on Piece Easy in Eldorado

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/109055582/piece-easy

My hearing has been terrible since I was too young to know that I couldn't hear sh*t.

I've experimented with countless hearing aids over the years and I've abandoned them for several reasons. They are going to fall out; it's not a matter if it but when -- and it'll likely happen after a hard fall when communication with your climbing partner is the most important.

I find also them incredibly distracting and I'd rather enjoy the silence. That being said, 99% of my climbing is rope solos and bouldering alone so I'm not as reliant on communication as the rest of you. Those things are also expensive and my dogs love the way they taste. 

Another thought. Check your state laws about return policies. Many of them require the company to give you at least a 30 day trial period.

They’re probably going to feel uncomfortable at first and may even start hurting after a few hours if you’re not used to wearing something like ear buds. I found that taking mine out even for a few minutes helped and it probably took me a full week to adjust. 

Mark E Dixon wrote: Eh? What's that you say???

Went to too many punk shows in my youth and now paying the price...

Anyone have recommendations?
Does it matter?
I just want something that won't fall out of my ears when I fall off my latest project or off some lowball boulder.
Needs to be compatible with #tentlife for extended periods as well.

Feel free to PM me if you'd rather not indulge in the typical MP banter.

And before anyone asks, yes, the rest of me is falling apart too :-0

Costco has the absolute cheapest functional hearing aid out there. Less than $3k.

I have permanent hearing damage from explosions going off too close to my head. Hearing aids don't really work when the damage is from a TBI. If you have displacement of the ossicular bone you are fucked and will require surgery.

Make sure your hearing can be improved with hearing aids before you drop the coin...

The best thing I did was go to a bunch of different places and try a bunch of different brands of hearing aids. Every brand collects sound differently and processes it differently.  Everyone's hearing loss is different as well so one brand or model works differently for everyone.  All the places I went let me try a pair out for a week or two I had some at the same time so I could switch them out and see how they performed in different areas of life. this was extremely helpful to me.

As far as climbing with my hearing aids I have found that I like them in a gym setting for general conversation. Outside they are nice to have on for the hike and getting racked up and general chit chat but when It comes time to climb I take them out. The price tag for loosing them is significant and is probably the biggest reason. the second reason is I don't talk when I'm climbing so I don't see the point in keeping them in.  Big multi pitch climbs I have a set system my partner and I agree on before we leave the ground. it doesn't require talking. I honestly feel the less that is said on the wall the safer and faster things go especially with hearing issues. 

ADAM GRANT wrote: As far as climbing with my hearing aids I have found that I like them in a gym setting for general conversation. Outside they are nice to have on for the hike and getting racked up and general chit chat but when It comes time to climb I take them out. The price tag for loosing them is significant and is probably the biggest reason. the second reason is I don't talk when I'm climbing so I don't see the point in keeping them in.  Big multi pitch climbs I have a set system my partner and I agree on before we leave the ground. it doesn't require talking. I honestly feel the less that is said on the wall the safer and faster things go especially with hearing issues. 

^^^This

I have found the possibility for miscommunication is higher having hearing loss when trying to yell. Eldo, with the river right there, is terrible for commands, like "On Belay"; "Slack" etc...

Also, like a previous poster stated, everyone's hearing loss is different. In a crowd, I just tune out since I can't really hear and saying "What?" to every sentence gets old.

Thanks for all the helpful advice!

Talked with a friend yesterday, who convinced me to get an aid with blue tooth.

Sounds like water resistance would be worthwhile if I can afford it- planning on multiple trips to the desert southwest in the future and Guy H isn't kidding about the sand. Still trying to figure out how to keep sand drifts out of the tent on windy days.

I was planning on taking my belay glasses, sunglasses and helmet to the fitting to make sure it'll all work together.

Feel like I could go either way on rechargeable- I'd like to avoid constant battery purchase and disposal and wouldn't mind carrying a power pack if needed while on long trips. I can still hear well enough that I could just go without too, probably.

It sounds like the inside the ear models are hard to deal with? Hard to put in and take out and hard to change batteries?

Any last words of wisdom before I go to Costco this week?

I’d strongly suggest the rechargeable model. Many brands have cases that hold multiple charges before the case needs to be plugged into power. I travel for work all week and never have to charge the case until the weekend. Batteries can be a pain to find and it’s another way for dirt and grit to the unit. 

Mark, I'm about half a year now with a single gearing aid. I got mine from hearing specialists, and I still have follow-up appointments included with the price. It is behind the ear pickup, and a fitted piece inside the ear. Works quite well for me!

I have rechargeable. As stated by others, the case stays charged a good long time. It can also be charged the same as your phone, so with a battery pack, or in the car while you're driving. I've been on several trips, including camping (some of it in colder weather), and the hearing aid and case both have not been any issue at all keeping power.

I have good hearing on one side, and a congenital hearing loss on the other, so for me, it's different than most, for the actual hearing part. It is an adjustment, so be diligent about wearing them!

Best to you, Helen

EDIT to add, definitely make sure they understand you are active. Different devices for those who just need to hear conversation and televisions, and those of us who are young people in aging bodies!!!!

Thanks for starting this thread, and for all the advice. Time for me to bite the bullet as well. As Buck said, asking, "What?", all the time gets old.

Any thoughts on custom fitted earpieces?
A pricey, needless upsell, or worth the money?

Mark E Dixon wrote: Any thoughts on custom fitted earpieces?
A pricey, needless upsell, or worth the money?

It depends on your type of hearing loss. Low tones they are supposed to help tremendously. I had a set made and tried them. In my case I could hear better without them and they made my ears itch. So I opted not to use them. I shopped around a bunch one place told me I had to have them and 3 other places never mentioned them. So getting a couple opinions is my advice with any hearing device. Try a bunch of them they all work differently. 

A follow up-

I got my Costco hearing aids on March 12th.
Got in a some climbing at the gym and outside before the lockdown.
I am pleasantly surprised how well they stay in, even with bouldering and lead falls.
Taking a shirt off is hazardous otoh!

It's been helpful having an associated phone app so I can modify the bass/treble and noise/wind cancellation.
 
Fitted by a hearing aid tech, not an ENT.
I had been to an ENT a year before, so knew that I basically didn't have anything weird or reversible that Costco couldn't deal with.

Got rechargeable since they are supposed to resist dust better, but haven't had a chance to get back to the desert to test this.

Mark E Dixon wrote: A follow up-

I got my Costco hearing aids on March 12th.
Got in a some climbing at the gym and outside before the lockdown.
I am pleasantly surprised how well they stay in, even with bouldering and lead falls.
Taking a shirt off is hazardous otoh!

It's been helpful having an associated phone app so I can modify the bass/treble and noise/wind cancellation.
 
Fitted by a hearing aid tech, not an ENT.
I had been to an ENT a year before, so knew that I basically didn't have anything weird or reversible that Costco couldn't deal with.

Got rechargeable since they are supposed to resist dust better, but haven't had a chance to get back to the desert to test this.

The Bluetooth option that hooks up to your phone is pretty awesome. One of my friends can answer calls on his hearing aids. He can also fine tune the aids using an app on his phone.