Rock climbing is an activity that is potentially fraught with peril. As such, it requires a lot of safety gear and the options can be a little overwhelming. Additionally, different types of climbing require different gear, which only serves to compound the difficulties in choosing PPE (personal protective equipment).
This page will discuss the most commonly used gear needed when leading a climb on an already bolted sport route. It will then further outline a couple of additional options which, while not strictly necessary, lend so much value to the climbing experience that omitting them would detract from not merely the enjoyment, but also, the chances for success.
Required Gear
PARTNER
This should be a capable individual you trust with your life, 'cause that's exactly what you'll be doing. Partner options are myriad and varied, but you'll want to ensure your partner has knowledge of (and preferably some experience with) climbing as an activity and correct usage of the equipment you'll be utilizing.
ROPE
While it is possible to climb without a climbing rope, it's just friggin' nuts.
Alex Honnold on the left does it regularly, though.
John Bachar, right, used to do it regularly; in fact, he did so successfully for over 30 years. However, he was unsuccessful once, and that's all it takes to bring this practice to an end.
Climbing ropes are specialized pieces of equipment. They are designed with specific properties that decrease the potential for injury on a climb. It is highly inadvisable to climb on a rope not specifically designed for the task being undertaken.
HARNESS
Rock climbing harnesses enable the wearer to secure the rope to his or her body in such a fashion that, should the user fall, they do so in a way that maintains as much control as possible during the descent. The rope is tied securely through two points on the harness near the person's center of gravity.
While the basic configuration for a climbing harness is fairly standard, there are a huge number of manufacturers, each with multiple models. Here is a great resource to assist with harness selection.
BELAY DEVICE
Verbatim from the first sentence of Wikipedia's "belay device" entry,
Clear as mud?
The word belay traces its origins back to the 16th century where it was used as a nautical term to outline the act of securing a rope. Belaying when climbing does exactly that, stops the movement of the rope. The ability to halt the travel of the rope will undoubtedly be desired on any climb higher than a few feet. As such, this is a very important piece of safety equipment. Again, many designs exist but, regardless of the particular belay device being used, it is imperative that your partner be well versed in its correct & safe operation.
LOCKING CARABINER
This will be used to attach the belay device to your partner's harness. It is often larger than the 'biners (pronounced BEE-nurz) used in other parts of your climb. While these carabiners are not significantly stronger than others, they are made of much thicker stock. Many belay devices are used in such a way that the rope travels over the surface of the locking carabiner, often at tension. The thickness of this particular style of carabiner minimizes the wear on the rope.
Carabiners used in this fashion have locking mechanisms (duh!) to prevent accidental opening of the 'biner's gate - a situation that could prove deadly. Again, there are a fairly wide variety of "lockers." (I use magnetized 'biners!)
QUICKDRAWS
Quickdraws are used to protect the climb at periodic intervals. This piece of PPE consists of two carabiners connected at a fairly short distance, most often 12 or 17cm. The connection is achieved through use of a sling - a generic climbing term for a piece of gear most often made of some type of fabric.
One carabiner is attached to a "bolt" in the rock face and the other is used to pass the rope through. Without the use of a quickdraw, if the climber were to fall, they would simply plummet back to earth. Passing the rope through the lower carabiner provides a fulcrum where the rope's travel can be arrested. Multiple quickdraws are used on a sport route to maintain a possible safe falling distance as the climber ascends.
Modern quickdraws often come preassembled with specific carabiners used at each end - one to attach to the bolt on the wall and the other intended for contact with the rope. Moreover, the sling also has a correct (and incorrect) orientation.
To beat the horse's corpse yet again, options are vast to allow for best use in the different situations that can arise. Most common are scenarios where a large collection of gear is needed on a climb, making weight a main consideration. Another prime example is the use of a longer sling in a situation where the bottom carabiner would overhang a piece of rock. If a climber were to fall onto a carabiner half on and half off a rocky ledge, the force of the fall could cause the rock edge to fold the carabiner, weakening it past its breaking point, causing the climber to fall further, which allows the forces generated by the fall to continue to increase.
Needless to say, correct usage is, again, paramount.
Optional Equipment
The following equipment, while by no means required, is just good sense. It also in no way represents an iota of the spectrum of gear options that can be called upon to assist with climbing a sport route; these are simply a few of the most commonly used accessories.
CLIMBING SHOES
Easily arguably a necessity for ascending a sport route, climbing shoes are engineered to improve foot contact with the rock face. They utilize rubber that was distinctly created to optimize friction when climbing.
Aside from another nod to OutdoorGearLab, I will refrain from providing any further information or opinion for fear of inciting a flame war.
HELMET
Sadly, lack of widespread use forces brain savers to be categorized as optional. As with all helmets, there are models specifically designed for climbing.
Get one.
Then use it.
CHALK
Just as a car's tires are the only contact with the road, your hands & feet are (most often) the only control surfaces utilized to manipulate your body up the rock. Climbing shoes have your feet covered (quite literally), but how do you maximize your hands' grip on the rock?
Chalk has been a go-to staple for improving hand friction for decades and I'm certain you won't be surprised to learn that you have quite a number of options in this category as well. Trollz be damned, I will happily endorse FrictionLabs's superlative product line! (Seriously, though, don't just take my word for it (or for anything, for that matter ::smiley::); check this site's research into how magnesium carbonate performs superiorly to calcium carbonate where increasing hand friction is concerned. Thbbbbppt!)