top roping

Hello I want to start top roping but I only have a harness shoes and a belay device. What gear should I get? also there are many of trees and boulders to anchor onto. Thank you.

Rope, lockers, webbing, and instruction

Significant safety instruction.

Marcusen wrote:Hello I want to start top roping but I only have a harness shoes and a belay device. What gear should I get? also there are many of trees and boulders to anchor onto. Thank you.

A clue.
Seriously, you don't need gear yet - you need instruction.
(and if this isn't an all-time troll...)

I have been climbing for a couple of years now and I want to get my own gear. I climb 5.9 without a problem and want to climb more places than just a gym. I have had plenty of instruction but still willing to learn more. I was just curious on the best gear to get to set up for top roping with a tree anchor.

A truck, preferably 4 wheel drive with 17" wheels and ABS.

Marcusen wrote:I have been climbing for a couple of years now and I want to get my own gear. I climb 5.9 without a problem and want to climb more places than just a gym. I have had plenty of instruction but still willing to learn more. I was just curious on the best gear to get to set up for top roping with a tree anchor.

Do you have any climbing partners for outdoor climbing? You would be well-served to find someone experienced to climb with before you start building your own anchors.

If you are not sure what gear you need to build a top rope anchor, you have not had enough instruction.

For tree or boulder anchors you're gonna need either 1" webbing or static cord in the 7mm-10mm range. Which one will come down to personal preference. I use 7mm cord, although some people would say it needs to be thicker. If you've got rough surfaces or sharp edges then you'll want something thicker, like 9mm-10mm, especially if you're using it frequently. I get by with 7mm because I rarely use it and don't encounter super abrasive rock or sharp edges.

You will want it to be twice the length from the tree to the edge of the cliff + another 10-15 ft to account for tying knots. If you don't know how to set it up or what knots to tie then get somebody experienced to show you or get a guide. You'll also need a couple of lockers, a climbing rope, belay device, helmet, and willing partner. Good luck and know when to ask for help. It might just save your life.

Best piece of "gear" you can get is a good mentor that can instruct you on climbing and belaying safely. That person will have all the gear you need.

Just post on here, at your gym, hunt for a gym to crag class, anything like that, and find some kind souls who will get you out on real rock. There are plenty of us around, and if you have only climbed indoors, find out if you even enjoy outside climbing before investing in anything more than food and/or beverages and/or gas.

Then kiss your money and former life good bye.

Best, OLH

I also concur with all the comments on gaining knowledge and experience but to answer your original query in the form of a personal account...

In my early days of climbing I lost my partner/mentor to a job relocation and wasn't ready to lead. My wife and I had harnesses, shoes, etc... I went and bought a rope, a few lockers, and 70 feet of 1 inch webbing. We top roped on nothing but slung boulders and trees for 2 years on dozens of climbs in Colorado and Washington state. I cut the webbing into various lengths and used water knots almost exclusively.

In retrospect, if I had more money I might have just bought a static rope instead of the webbing. It would have more than 1 use (rapelling and setting up top rope).

Get a mentor--there is so much more to climbing outside than in the gym, regardless of ability.

So, the reason why people are recommending experience rather than gear is because, with proper instruction, you should know what gear you'll need to setup a toprope. Although it is relatively straightforward, the consequences for screwing it up are rather severe (death), so it's a really good idea to have somebody who can inspect your anchor and provide feedback. If you don'f know anyone with outdoor experience, your best bet will be hiring a professional guide and taking an anchors class. They'll show you a few different techniques utilizing various types of gear, and then you'll know what you want to buy and why.

Whatever gear you choose,be sure to carry it all around in the burliest haul bag you can afford.

I want to build a Ferrari. What parts should I buy? What tools will I need?

Marcusen wrote:Hello I want to start top roping but I only have a harness shoes and a belay device. What gear should I get? also there are many of trees and boulders to anchor onto. Thank you.

Obviously, you'll want a climbing rope.

If you're slinging trees and boulders I highly recommend buying a nice piece or couple pieces of 9mm-10mm static line. When I set up topropes I find nothing more useful than the 40-foot and 65-foot static ropes I keep just for that purpose.

You'll need some locking carabiners and I would also advise learning to use either a prussik or a gri-gri to safely self-belay at the edge of the cliff while setting up your TRs.

A coffin.

Nick Drake wrote:A coffin.

Really? So dramatic? The guy is talking about buying some gear and learning to set up a top-rope. Not like so many people who come here asking what they need to buy to climb El Cap next summer.

It's a totally manageable and reasonable goal. Even if the way the question was asked leaves some possible doubt.

AndrewArroz wrote: Really? So dramatic? The guy is talking about buying some gear and learning to set up a top-rope. Not like so many people who come here asking what they need to buy to climb El Cap next summer. It's a totally manageable and reasonable goal. Even if the way the question was asked leaves some possible doubt.

Ask a ridiculous question and I'll give a ridiculous trolling response. This is a forum for discussing gear, not "here let me google that for you".

Seth Jones wrote:read Largo's book, get the gear you need to build an anchor in your area and have fun. it's not rocket science. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/climbing-anchors-3rd-john-long/1120177978/2675798728313?st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Marketplace+Shopping+Books_00000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP1755&k_clickid=3x1755 Anchors by John Long

+1.

When I learned I read Largo's book and would practice by building anchors off different pieces furniture in my apartment to learn how to equalize and get my system down. I believe there's a whole chapter on building natural anchors. Like Seth said it's not rocket science; before you take your venture off the deck practice rigging trees on flat terrain and then attach a rope and lean back so you can get an idea of how it works and stay safe. Just like practicing placing trad gear on the ground. Study, practice and a partner should get you where you want to go. No one here can really recommend gear because that is 100% dependent on where you want to climb/build anchors. Basics would be cordelette, lockers, slings and a climbing rope. Have fun and be safe.

Nick Drake wrote: Ask a ridiculous question and I'll give a ridiculous trolling response. This is a forum for discussing gear, not "here let me google that for you".

Don't forget about rule 1.

The OP didn't ask a ridiculous question. Just because you know how to set up a TR now doesn't mean that every new climber should be expected to know how to do so without any instruction or knowledge. Did you teach yourself how to drive a car or did someone teach you? And asking google for climbing advice is probably a bad idea.