Did I look crazy taking timed photos in my backyard? 100%. Was I sweating profusely wearing a sleeping bag onesie? Of course, but I HAD to show you 14 of my essential gifts for rock climbers!
Rock climbing is my thing. I’m pretty unremarkable at it but I LOVE it! My favorite part about it is trying hard with friends, achieving seemingly unachievable goals, and bringing people together in the outdoors. However, finding gifts for rock climbers can be challenging, especially if you aren’t a rock climber yourself.
I’ve been enjoying climbing unremarkably since 2017, and these 14 items have made it that much more enjoyable! While “essential” might be a stretch, most climbers have all the true essentials already. I personally use these underrated gifts for rock climbers on every rock climbing trip! Although they are often forgotten, these gifts are sure to make any rock climber happy.
Whether I’m chilling next to a sunny Joshua Tree top rope climb or getting ready to send an epic sport climb in Bishop, these items have been some of my favorite investments. Click on each item to learn more!
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, designed to allow The Unremarkable Climber (me) to earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. This really helps support the site and lets me know you find this information valuable! That being said, all of my gear recommendations, commission based or not, are genuine recommendations for gear I personally use, so I hope you love them as much as I have! Feel free to drop any questions in the message box below.
Although it doesn’t seem like it, this is actually one of the best gifts for rock climbers! If there’s one thing rock climbers hate, it’s paying for campsites. Dispersed camping is the answer, but primitive campsites don’t come with a luxurious picnic table + benches, so this loveseat (plus the next gift idea) is the answer!
I bought this “for my boyfriend” during a Black Friday sale a few years back and have brought it with me on every rock climbing trip since. To be fair, I do share it with him…most of the time!
Not only is it super comfy to chill in at the base of climbs, but it makes a dispersed campsite so much more homey. It doesn’t cut off the circulation on my legs like normal camp chairs and lets me steal his body heat on chilly evenings since I’m essentially a human icicle.
I first used one of these collapsible camp tables on my two-week rock climbing trip through the South Island of New Zealand with my good friend Lindsay. We lived out of her converted minivan and changed campsites daily. This sturdy camp table is literally so quick and easy to put up and tear down (like literally 90 seconds by myself), so it IMMEDIATELY ended up in my wish list when I returned home.
Ironically, my mother, not having seen my wish list but having used the exact same table on her recent hiking trip to Washington state, bought it for me for Christmas that year. It has since been unfolded all over the U.S. and has even made its way onto this list of top gifts for rock climbers due to its stability, collapsibility, and overall ease of use!
Any respectable and safe sport climber needs a personal anchor system to retrieve their gear from the top of climbs. Like most sport climbers, I’d used the chain style PAS for years until Luke gifted me a Petzl Connect and I have never gone back! Being quick and adjustable makes this one of the best gifts for rock climbers and sets it apart from the competitors.
Using a personal anchor does require a locking carabiner to secure yourself and the lanyard to the climbing wall. I prefer the Petzl Sm’D Triact-Lock Carabiner because it’s the least likely to accidentally come open.
I didn’t include this on the standard list because most rock climbers already have one. If they don’t, the GRIGRI is a safer yet more expensive belay device that I can’t recommend enough after my friend fainted out of nowhere while belaying me.
I didn’t think this onesie would be as useful as it’s been when I bought it on a whim from the REI Outlet, but now it accompanies me on every rock climbing trip! In California, the prime climbing season is October through April when daytime temperatures in the desert and mountains hover in the 60s and the nights dip down below 40. Fires are often illegal due to the dry conditions and this sleeping bag onesie keeps me so warm on those chilly evenings and crisp mornings! Also, I just LOVE onesies!
I’ve always been a shoe hater, and while that hasn’t changed, some shoes are worth wearing! I picked up the TX3 version of these approach shoes at an REI garage sale (along with perhaps the last pair of snowboard boots ever sold at that location) and wear them all the time whenever I physically cannot wear my sandals.
These shoes stick to rock so well that I climbed straight up a 5.6 Joshua Tree slab with them and I didn’t even slip off! They’re also surprisingly lightweight when I need to clip them to my harness and carry them up a multi pitch trad climb.
A Jetboil is one of the most useful gift ideas for rock climbers. Almost every one of my outdoorsy friends owns one of these! I like the Flash system because it’s literally so easy to use and only takes a couple minutes to boil water, which comes in super handy for quick tea on early mornings and also at the end of a long day of climbing when I’m exhausted and starving.
I also use it to make a little hot water bottle out of my Nalgene to stick at the foot of my sleeping bag on the cold nights. Usually, I’ll reheat the water around 3am, which only takes about two minutes then I’m back to sleep with a warm bottle at my feet! Like I said, I’m literally always cold.
One of the cheapest and easiest gifts for rock climbers is climbing chalk, and it’s always in high demand! There are two types of rock climbers: those who chalk their fingers and those who cover their entire body in the stuff. I chalk my fingers. My boyfriend Luke bathes in it. This means we are always replenishing our dwindling chalk supply, and would always be happy with a little extra in my stocking [insert chalk sock joke here].
The purpose of climbing chalk is to dry out your hands, so, naturally, rock climbers are also in dire need of hand cream at all times. I personally prefer this brand of repair cream because it’s all natural, works great, and smells SO GOOD. Without it, the skin on my hands cracks and peels and ruins my otherwise well-planned rock climbing trip!
In a state with a seemingly perpetual campfire ban (California), this portable heater is a LIFESAVER. It puts out so much heat and lasts hours on one of those little green Coleman fuels! It’s not quite a campfire, but it’s pretty dang close! I’ve even brought it to the crag on colder days in Joshua Tree and Bishop and let me tell you, it’s made those days SO much more comfortable.
On one particularly drizzly 50°F evening last January in Joshua Tree, we played card games in our large, well-ventilated tent with this heater on low and I was comfortable in a t-shirt. We also used that same tent as a heated changing room for the brisk mornings and as a warm place to organize gear in the evenings. I can’t recommend this little heater enough!
I couldn’t leave a locking carabiner off the list of top gifts for rock climbers. No rock climber will turn down a gifted locking carabiner! There are a ton of different options with slightly different functions, but this standard locker will get put to good use by any rock climber.
Whether I’m building a multi pitch trad anchor, belaying a friend on their first climb, or simply hooking my shoes to my harness with a carabiner that won’t fall off, a locking carabiners are essential for rock climbing and somehow always getting misplaced (stolen by climbing partners).
I already had a climbing pack when I received this as a gift, but now I primarily use this one because it has everything I need! It fits a 3L bladder, comes with lots of pockets, a wide waist strap, lots of loops to hang things from, and is super lightweight.
However, the main thing that makes it my number one choice of daypack is the ability to look up while wearing it. This might sound odd to non-climbers, but the worst thing climbing with a pack is when the helmet hits it and you can’t look up to see where you’re going. This pack eliminates that major inconvenience while providing utility in a lot of other ways too!
This little satellite device is, in my opinion, the MOST IMPORTANT gift idea for rock climbers or anyone recreating in the outdoors. Giving an inReach Mini 2 is giving the gift of safety and security. If you are at all concerned about your loved ones when they venture into far away places with no cell service to climb vertical cliffs, this little device can be a lifesaver.
Whether I need to push the button and call search and rescue, need to reference my GPS location on a confusing approach, or just want to check in with Luke to let him know I’m safe, I make sure to always have this trusty device strapped to my pack.
If your family member already has one, AWESOME. Maybe consider pitching in for the monthly Garmin subscription instead!
In the event of an accident or medical emergency in the backcountry, a WFA/WFR course is the best line of defense until help arrives after pushing the emergency inReach button. If you recreate in the backcountry in any capacity, you are the first line of defense for your partner or any other climbers around you.
After taking my first WFR course just last year, I now think it’s reckless that I didn’t take one sooner. However, a shorter and cheaper WFA course covers similar topics and is a good intro into the realm of wilderness medicine!
Rock Climbing Books
Whether I’m looking for a climbing route in my guidebook, learning a new climbing technique from a professional, or reading a harrowing account of an incredible adventure while back at camp, books about rock climbing are honestly one of the best gifts for rock climbers.
One of the most essential pieces of rock climbing gear is the guidebook. With it, you can spend your days browsing future climbs from home, quickly finding those climbs in person, and supporting the hard work of the developers at the same time. Find out your loved one’s dream climbing destination and pick up the guidebook for them!
Some of my favorite guidebooks are:
Red Rocks: A Climbers Guide II
Before taking a trad climbing course, I read up on techniques for placing gear and building anchors in these incredibly useful books:
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading the climbing adventures in these books:
I can honestly think of so many more great gifts for rock climbers like replacement ropes and niche items like trad gear, but these are gifts that just about any rock climber will enjoy and use frequently. If you have any questions regarding gear I personally use, don’t hesitate to contact me and I’d be happy to help you find the perfect gifts for rock climbers in your life!