help a newbie

hey all!

I've been climbing since about mid march but all in the gym and looking to get outside!

What do I need to know to get into it? 

Also looking for crashpad recommendations: brands, number/combination of pads and sizes, and anything else to look for

Thanks in advance!

Metolius Recon is without a doubt my favorite crash pad. It's the goldilocks size of crash pads-- it's big enough you can comfortably boulder on your own, but small enough to easily scramble with and doesn't take up the entire back seat of a sedan like bigger pads. 

Advice for bouldering would be to look at the down climb and if you're not stoked on something about the boulder whether it's the problem itself, the landing, or the top out or down climb, just leave it and go find something else. When you're starting out just getting mileage in without being terrified is a fun ans good way to go about it. The rock will still be there and you can revisit it in the future when you have more skills, experience, pads, spotters, etc. 

I met a 5.13 climber once who other than impressing me by flashing a V7 and then sending my proj in Crocs, also refused to climb about half or more of the boulders he looked at due to bad landings or too high or whatever he didn't like. I channel that Swiss crusher whenever I go bouldering now. Sometimes I push myself and do something scary, but if I'm not feeling it I just have a chill day and do lowball bouldering with good landings and chill down climbs. There's so much bouldering out there that you shouldn't be doing anything you don't want to-- just hike a little further and find one that suits you. 

Good advice from Ricky.  I do tons of traversing on my favorite boulders.  Long problems and close to ground.  Endless variation of movements required.  You also have go up and sometimes get scared, but not every time out.  Outdoor bouldering is a great way to develop your downclimbing skills.  Work up one or two moves and come down.  Work your way up and keep coming back down. Try to downclimb the things you climb up.  Do the traverse the other direction.  I use an Organic Big4 + Blubber Pad (great for all kinds of stuff). I boulder alone a lot and I wear a helmet every time.  Don't slide your pad and bulldoze the dirt.  Don't drop your pad and cause a dust storm.  Don't trample the vegetation with your feet or your pad. Don't climb over other people's pads without asking.  Don't leave ticks and gobs of chalk all over the boulder.  Do pick up trash, clean off chalk, share with others, learn to be a good spotter. Be wary of over-use injuries - bouldering is hard.

Don't forget to check the down climb first. 

Like a couple of others have said, always check the down climb. Sometimes these are rated problems and there's no shame in climbing up and down it over and over until you feel comfortable.

The "beginner" outdoor grades are going to be much harder than your "beginner" indoor climbs. Don't feel discouraged, climb with a light heart and have fun, it's very different from climbing indoors. Just put as much time on the rock as you can and you'll see the improvement. It may also make you feel stronger when you head back to the gym. Idk, maybe it was just a mental thing.

I started out with the bi-fold mad rock pad which is a workhorse of a pad and worth every penny. After missing the pad a few times and starting to climb some higher problems I decided to go with the metolius magnum. So far so good with this one and I can strap the mad rock into the back of it if I need the extra protection. Most of the time I'm good with it as a single pad though. 

Hope this helps, the two most important things are to be safe and have fun.

Brush the holds often while you are climbing and brush them before you leave the boulder. It's nice to leave clean holds for the next person, and brushing helps preserve the rock.

When spotting tuck your thumbs. Spoons not forks.

Wipe your shoes clean before each attempt. Use your pant legs or take a dish towel or carpet scrap with you. Clean shoes not only perform better, but they also limit polishing of foot holds over time.

Take more food and water than you think you'll need. Eat snacks frequently. A full day climbing outside is a lot more demanding than a typical gym session.

Be very conscious of pad placement and, if you're with a crew, spotting. Lots of people ignore spotting when they make the transition from the gym to outside. Don't hesitate to ask for a spot or to OFFER a spot.

Start learning to keep track of and manage your skin. Take a sanding block and some nail trimmers and use them to clean up the little tears  and such. Keeping the shredded pieces from catching and continuing to tear can make for a much more enjoyable and productive session.

Also, there are lots of cost effective options for pads, but if you are convinced you're psyched and committed I'd just go straight to an Organic brand pad. It will last you a very long time, and if you do change your mind about climbing outside they are easy to resell and hold value. If you want two pads maybe an Organic and a Metolius. Don't overlook the addition of an Organic Blubber pad. It's one of my "can't live without it" items. Really versatile for covering a lot of surface area relatively close to the ground, and also for padding rocks and such not directly in the landing zone.

Wipe your feet. A carpet square/towel is not an optional item in bouldering.

Brush your holds. A brush is not an optional item in bouldering.

Two crash pads are better than one nice crash pad, but the nice ones are really worth it.

Brushing holds doesn’t make you weak. Nor is it reserved for crushers.

Wipe your feet.

Brush your holds.

Your pads are killing the vegetation. This is an unfortunate fact, try to be cognizant of it.

Lowballs aren’t bad.

Outdoors beta will be mystifying at first. Don’t give up just because you can’t unlock the start.

Wipe your feet.

Brush your holds.