What to Wear for Outdoor Bouldering

Espresso Note

Read Time - 4 minutes

May 2020

So you’re raring and almost all ready to go for your first outdoor bouldering session, but what to wear? Well, wonder no more. This article will give you the lowdown on what you need to wear, whatever the conditions and wherever.

Climbing Clothes

To climb in, any loose fitting garments which don’t restrict your movement work fine. Long bottoms and tops are preferable as they protect your lower legs and arms from grazes, cuts and scrapes. Many climbers either choose trousers which are gathered at the bottom, or roll up their trousers to get a better view of their feet. Colourful ‘euro-cragger’ style climbing trousers are a nice to have not a need to have. And whilst stretchy and lightweight, on coarser or sharper rocks can fall apart disappointingly quickly given their high price.

If you have a non-restrictive pair of old jeans, cargo trousers or sweatpants consider these. If you’re bouldering in exceptionally hot weather, then by all means wear shorts if you must, but bring a pair of trousers just in case.

To be honest though, if it is so hot that you can’t climb in trousers, then the chances are it’s truly too hot to boulder, and you’d be better off climbing earlier in the morning or in the late evening when it is cooler, so the rock’s friction will feel better.

If you’re bouldering in a remote/backcountry setting, it is worth swapping out your cotton based clothes for technical fabrics. For your legs, a soft-shell or a schoeller fabric is fantastic and comes in varying weights depending on the time of year, and part of the world you’re climbing in, and a technical base layer on top.

In very cold weather, a nice insulated gilet (vest) can pair well with your technical base layer to climb in. This will keep your core warm without restricting your arms. As we’ll touch on later in the article, for scrappy bouldering use, and as far as price and ‘trashability’ go, synthentic insulation trumps down. Since you’re going to be moving in it, look for one with a stretchy face fabric like a Patagonia Nano Air vest or Arc’teryx Atom LT vest. These offer less wind resistance, but are far more breathable than similar vests with harder face fabrics, like a Patagonia Nano Puff vest.

Warm Layers

The bouldering season is during the winter months, so taking warm layers is essential for an enjoyable day of climbing. Whilst you will want to climb in your climbing clothes, having warm layers for approaching and resting will make your day far more enjoyable.

Although you can wear more expensive fleece materials like Powerstretch, chances are you’re better off saving these for your pursuits further from home on bigger objectives. A cheap micro fleece material will offer the best balance of price, warmth and comfort as a mid-layer for most boulderers. Although you won’t want to climb your proj in it, you should fit it to have more than enough articulation to climb your warm ups in.

As your ultimate cold weather protection, bring an insulated jacket. A good down jacket will set you back an eye watering sum and for bouldering is frankly overkill. Instead, opt for a solid synthetic jacket. Look beyond mid-weight synthetic layers like a Patagonia Nano Puff or an Arc’Teryx Proton, and look for a proper belay jacket. In temperate regions look for 100g of high quality synthetic insulation in the body, in colder regions such as Northern Europe, Scandinavia and Britain, look for 200g in the body. Remember this jacket is to provide warmth when static, so the insulation should be backed with a harder wind resistant face fabric. Size it to fit over your other clothes, not to climb in.

For your hands and feet bring light fleece gloves, and thermal socks to change into after your climb. A big pair of chunky insulated mittens are also nice to throw on in between climbs. A warm beanie is also nice, both for climbing and resting. You’ll be amazed how much thermo-regulation you can get out of putting on and taking off your hat.

Approach Shoes

The point of an approach shoe is to get you to the crag in one piece, comfortable and ready to climb. So, if you are able to approach in your street shoes and feel comfortable doing so, then by all means do.

Purpose designed approach shoes are built on a lightweight chassis, to offer sensitivity, dexterity and to keep your feet sweat free. The soles are largely flat, and covered with a sticky rubber like Vibram MegraGrip. La Sportiva’s TX series is a great example of this design philosophy. These work well on dry dusty approaches, and shine on those involving moderately technical scrambling.

Although the chances of you doing technical scrambling with a full service boulder pad on your back are unlikely, -we hope. In more damp climates, a trail running shoe with a GTX insert and general sole lugs, is an excellent choice. These designs offer far better traction on steep wet grass, rocks, and mud, as well as offering far superior waterproofing qualities.

For a more in depth look at approach shoes, check out our article on them here.

This article is an extract from our eBook ‘Bouldering Basics: A Handbook for Beginners’.

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