Total newbie to climbing here..

this may be a stupid question so please excuse me if it is..

but what is the best Belay to buy? and the Best Karabina (locking)?

I've looked online and found so many diffrent ones that I'm not totally confused.. at the moment I'm only climbing indoors (top rope) however I do want to try some outdoor stuff and am looking for an all round belay if that exists.. my climbing partner is alot heavier than I am if that makes any diffrence to the type needed..

any help on this would be appretiated..

anyone deciding to get into rock climbing should buy a few basic essential items to start off with. Being - Shoes, chalk bag, a harness (climbing certified obviously) a locking carabiner, and a belay device. If you ever plan on belaying someone I would suggest a auto-locking carabiner, or a threaded carabiner to make sure your locked off. You and your partner should always go through a check of eachother before climbing, every single time. Just listen for the click of the locking carabiner.

I'm fairly new myself to the sport, although I've taken a few classes on how to climb, and do it safely. If your really into climbing like you think I would suggest reading a book called Rock Climbing: Mastering the basic skills which is part of the mountaineers collection. That book gives a full description of rock climbing and how to do it safely for yourself and your partner.

About your gear situation - that is very true about not buying all the gear when your new to the game, go as cheap as possible but don't go cheap on anything like a harness or carabiners., especially don't ever buy it off someone else since you don't know what it's been through.

regardless of which way you go with your equipment and gear, please always remember it's the knowledge of the climber that makes for a good and safe climb and not the gear. so please make sure you always climb with someone experienced who can show you the ropes and remember safety and knowledge FIRST.

Just purchesed (and used) the following:

-New Reverso, the grooved spacers are a real plus, to an already great device.

-Trango Cinch, love it. For the price, I dont think it can be beat.

The BD ATC Guide is great as well.

that's kind of interesting.... i've only heard it consistently called an italian hitch on this site and by people in GB (and maybe some of europe). i learned it to be the munter hitch (named for Werner Munter - Swiss) or HMS (from some german root, but i don't remember what). it kind of makes me wonder about the root of calling it an italian hitch (i often spend idle time pondering liguistics - it's kind of cool when you think about it). you don't know the story by chance do you, davey?

 

good mostly just for getting out of a tight spot (when without a belay device), but it's an absolutely INTEGRAL part of the climber's toolbox though.

i will definately look into it though.