Stuff you don't NEED, learn from our mistakes

The four smallest size wired hexes be it Black Diamond , Metolius, or Camp. Nuts and cams in that size are much more useful and quicker to place with less effort. The stiff wire is really the limiting factor as you have to work against the resistence of the wire to get it in it's one of two cammed positions in the crack which is not easy or fast. If they could be slung with dyneema it would likely be better, but this is probably a limitation due to the small size of the hex. I'm aware you can bend the wire, but then it's bent for only one of the two cammed positions. The other limiting factor is the small size of the hex. When they are that small it is awkward to manipulate the hex with your fingers into a small crack. I would guess that is why Wild Country, DMM, and Metolius either don't make smaller sizes, or have stopped making them. As it, the gold #3 and gray #4 Wild Country Rockcentric are my least used of hexes for that set on top of them overlapping larger nut sizes. 

Water. Olive oil has more calories.

Go cheaper on shoes and harness ... everything else is worth the money

I would disagree about the harness for trad and ice climbing as having everything fitting well and in reach is really important ( though you don't always have to buy expensive to get that).  That said, a beginner is not going to likely be leading trad and ice so your point mostly still stands for a first buy but I like the buy once cry once philosophy.

A pulley. 

I'm not sure I got mine to use for rock or for glacier. But, at any rate, I've never used it for either. 

But I have used it in non-climbing applications (so, at least it wasn't a complete waste of money).

There's a ton of stuff I don't *need*. I could probably get away with a single rack of cams, a few alpine draws, a set of offset nuts, 4 lockers, ATC or similar, a harness, cheap shoes, and a rope (build anchors with rope). All I'd have to do is run things out sometimes and go without a helmet.

I've got a lot more stuff than that, and I don't regret much of it. A lot of it makes my climbing easier and safer (yes, safer, because I'm not under the illusion that it is impossible for me to make a mistake, and sometimes gear can make those mistakes not fatal--i.e. backing up your raps or having an assisted braking device).

That said, small hexes and big ball nuts have never been useful for me.

Don't bring gear you won't use on the climb just cause it lives on your harness. Keep it simple...

I'm still not clear on the mission of the thread.  These are things I don't need now, or didn't need as a beginner?  Seems like things like PASes, helmets, and "idiot proof" belay devices are more necessary early on than later, no?  Or is this more about bare minimum necessary, as in "one solid piece is all you need for an anchor"?

A Mountain Project account

An overinflated ego and irrational belief in your own invincibility. Learn safety and skills with humility.

Heavy non-lockers and/or quick draws if you have any aspirations to climb trad or alpine. I went cheap when i started buying gear and it was plenty strong enough, but heavy. Now that i carry a full trad rack, i have been slowly swapping out my heavy wire and soldid gate biners for lightweight biners. Those grams really add up when you have 30 to 40 biners in a rack 

OrganicChemistry wrote:

If this happened, my reply would have been different 

meaning you think a lot of people aren't using them right? That's probably true, but also true of ATCs. I'm continually appalled at some of the crappy belaying I see around. 

JonasMR wrote:

I'm still not clear on the mission of the thread.  These are things I don't need now, or didn't need as a beginner?  Seems like things like PASes, helmets, and "idiot proof" belay devices are more necessary early on than later, no?  Or is this more about bare minimum necessary, as in "one solid piece is all you need for an anchor"?

Stuff you bought, thought you needed, and pretty much never will need except in specific applications well down the road.

There is no idiot proof belay device. Learning and catching falls with a tuber is invaluable education. That said, when you know what you are doing a gri-gri is awesome and versatile.

Helmets are not needed on most newbie rock climbs (depending on area) ie Top Roping at Josh can be safely done helmet-less (lol) on 40' climbs with no loose rock. If you really need a helmet (lots of loose stuff around) its a poor route choice for beginners, imo.

A Pas is derived from Aid Climbing tools ie Daisy Chains. They are not remotely needed other than for aid climbing. Use your slings.

Locking biners that aren't pear-shaped. 

Bring all the shit you think you need!  Then, as your style, destinations, and knowledge expands, you will shed what is not working for you.  This learning process is helpful in my opinion.  Now you have stuff to sell on MP.

King Tut wrote:

Stuff you bought, thought you needed, and pretty much never will need except in specific applications well down the road.

There is no idiot proof belay device. Learning and catching falls with a tuber is invaluable education. That said, when you know what you are doing a gri-gri is awesome and versatile.

Helmets are not needed on most newbie rock climbs (depending on area) ie Top Roping at Josh can be safely done helmet-less (lol) on 40' climbs with no loose rock. If you really need a helmet (lots of loose stuff around) its a poor route choice for beginners, imo.

A Pas is derived from Aid Climbing tools ie Daisy Chains. They are not remotely needed other than for aid climbing. Use your slings.

And that's exactly the way in which this thread is in danger of derailing.  Who's going to find (and stay on) a route, you after 2 days in J Tree or you after 100?  Who's going to have runners left over, or be confident with their clove hitch, you after your first lead or you after your 500th?  Who are you going to trust not let go of the break line when they smack the wall, your noob friend or your decades long climbing partner?

I dig the intent, we all got stuff we wish we hadn't bought.  But thinking that beginner-you was just now-you with a smaller rack is silly.  Gear that fails as gracefully as possible has its place, and it's on a beginner's harness.

Approach Shoes

I didn't buy approach shoes for my first 10 years but am surprised at how common they are at crags.  Approach shoes rarely matter.  Old normal shoes are less wasteful and cheaper folks.

oval beiners

Roy Suggett wrote:

Bring all the shit you think you need!  Then, as your style, destinations, and knowledge expands, you will shed what is not working for you.  This learning process is helpful in my opinion.  Now you have stuff to sell on MP.

I agree with this, mostly. Given the way that hard goods in climbing hold their value I think it's better to overbuy and then shed what doesn't serve you than spend years deliberating over whether you really need that #4 BD C4 or not. If you don't use something, sell it here. You'll lose maybe 10% or 20% of your investment at most.  Time on earth is our most perishing and valuable asset.

Spray

Eric D wrote:

Approach Shoes

I didn't buy approach shoes for my first 10 years but am surprised at how common they are at crags.  Approach shoes rarely matter.  Old normal shoes are less wasteful and cheaper folks.

Approach shoes are more wasteful than regular shoes? Is the rubber especially resource intensive to make? Or do you mean dont just go and buy shoes, but if you are buying 1 pair of shoes, then approach shoes are ok? I mean, yeah having 20 pairs of shoes is wasteful, but if one has only a few pairs of shoes, and uses them a lot, its not wasteful, right?

Also, I find approach shoes great on 4th or 5th class approaches. I'll even climb moderate routes in them if Im feeling too lazy to take em off. My approach shoes have and will continue to be used  very often by me... now those hexes? I placed the biggest one twice in 10 years lol. Smaller ones never