Now as we are talking about Rappelling, the first thing that come to our mind is What to wear while rappelling? It is normal to wonder what clothing is best to wear rappelling when you are just beginning. As you rappel, you’ll need something between your body and that harness. There are several things to consider when deciding what to wear on a day of rappelling. The general rule regarding clothing and equipment is that none of the clothing should be loose fitting. Furthermore, there should be no extra strings attached. Clothing or strings that are loose fitting may become entangled in the ropes, creating a dangerous situation. Make sure your clothing fits snugly and is stretchable. Enough of chit chats now let’s get started with it.
Table of Contents
Shirts and Tops
Let’s begin with the topmost part of the climbers. The climate plays a major role in this. Men often go shirtless when it’s nice and warm, while women often wear tanks or sports bras. You are more likely to get scrapes if you go shirtless. You can still wear cotton if you’re not the shirtless type, as it provides a good amount of protection and is ideal on warm days.
However, cotton can become extremely hot when worn over hiking, climbing, and rappelling, so wear something made from a different material if you plan to hike or climb. Wool-spandex or synthetic-spandex shirts can also be found in the market. They have become extremely popular as a way to control moisture, and they are also stretchy, allowing you to move comfortably during rappels and other outdoor activities.
Pants and Shorts
Regardless of the activity, the weather always plays a huge role in what we wear. When choosing shorts for the day, women should pay particular attention to their length. Make sure your shorts have long enough legs to fully cover your skin over the harness, so that you are as protected as possible from the harness.
Choosing shorts or pants that will allow you to stretch and breathe is also important. You will need that diamond crotch, also known as a gusseted crotch. They help you to move your legs in all directions easily. The gusseted crotch will prevent ripping at the seams and embarrassing situations.
For rappelling, we would like to recommend you Ucraft Xlite climbing pants. Which are ideal for rappelling. The link for Ucraft Xlite is this. If you enjoy rock climbing too, these are great. The features like lightweight, flexible, quick drying and durable, make it completely perfect for outdoor activities. Furthermore, they have a chalk bag, four pockets, and loops. They also come with a two-year warranty which is really rare.
Remember, you don’t want your pants to be too long. It is important that you do not let your pants interfere with your climbing or rappelling activities. When you are doing footwork, you could end up in a potentially dangerous situation. So we recommend that if your pants are slipping under your shoes, roll them up.
Shoes
Now we come to the most important part that is the shoes. Choosing a perfect shoe for rappelling can be really tough, let’s help you out with this. If all you plan to do is rappel, and your activities do not include rock climbing, a pair of durable shoes will do. However, consider all of your activities in addition to your rappel. It is recommended that if footwork will be required along rocks, then rock climbing shoes should be worn, otherwise tennis shoes or hiking boots will do. As with choosing your climbing shoes, take into account your activities, and then pick your shoes from there.
Helmet
We really don’t know how much should we stress on this point. When you go out for a rappel always know that A HELMET IS A MUST! No matter how easy the rappel is always wear a helmet. It is impossible to predict what will happen to your equipment, and unpredictable situations happen all the time. Unfavourable situations don’t happen every day, but they do happen. There is a possibility that rocks or debris will fall. Among all the parts of our bodies, our head is most vulnerable, therefore it needs proper protection. Therefore, be sure to wear a helmet that is compliant with all safety requirements.
Ropes
A rope is the most important part of gear that you have to buy at first and you are basically going to be hanging over a rope for your dear life then you have to make sure that you choose the best one.
As we have already said it earlier, let us say it again that never ever use a used rope for rappelling, because you do not have any idea if it has worn out or not because ropes are designed with an inner core that is surrounded by a protective sheath. This sheath around the inner core makes it more difficult for you to visually examine a rope, so you won’t know if there are any damage or weak spots in the core that could lead to rope to tear apart
Keep one thing in mind before going for rappelling that always use a rope that is at least 7.7mm in diameter and designed for rock climbing.
The diameter of the rope is the most important part of the rope for rappelling, because we have already said it earlier that practically your whole life is depended on the rope while you are rappelling, so make sure your rope is tick enough so that you can be safe and have a mental satisfaction while rappelling. Thinner ropes have a certain problem that is if the rope is thing it will pass from the belay device and you will fall.
There are two types of rope, one is static rope and the other is dynamic rope. Let’s give a glimpse about them:
- Static ropes are built for hauling gear or swinging off of— activities where you are NOT going to take a fall and stretch the rope and for this reason, they are designed to not have any give in them.
- Dynamic ropes are made out of interwoven fibres or threads that will stretch when they are placed under load and this allows the rope to temporarily lengthen which actually makes them safer.
Both of the ropes will do completely fine but there are some plus point for using a static rope and those are easier to pull through anchors once , they are cheaper, and will wear and tear less when you pull them over edges. The problem of a static rope is that they are much less useful in their functionality and if you are going for rock climbing, then we would recommend you to buy a dynamic rope.
Harness
During your rappel, you will need to wear a harness. The harness allows you to attach yourself to the ropes and lower yourself. There are a lot of different harnesses to choose from, or even you can make one yourself using rope or webbing. It’s best to use a traditional harness, though. The harness you wear during the rappel is the most important item you should carry. Wearing it correctly should ensure compliance with all safety standards. Get your harness checked by a safety instructor before you use it, so that you can be sure it has been put on and adjusted correctly. It is mandatory that every harness has a label proving it has passed all the necessary safety standards.
Jackets and Sweaters
When the weather is chilly, you should wear a jacket. The jacket should not be too loose, and it should be stretchy so that you can move freely. The hood of a lot of sweaters and jackets comes with strings. To avoid getting caught in equipment and ropes, make sure your outerwear does not have a hood or strings. If you’re wearing a helmet, you won’t need a hood. Catching you here would be the worst possible outcome!
Other Important Things:
- Always wear sunscreen! You’ll get burned by the sun reflecting off the rocks! It doesn’t matter if it’s cloudy or not; you’ll still get burnt by UV rays. You don’t want to look like a beet when you get home! In fact, many clothing items contain ultraviolet protection, so take that into account when choosing clothing.
- Remove all jewelry. Make sure nothing is blocking the rope or catching on anything it shouldn’t. It is possible for jewelry to create dangerous situations. Keeping it in your jewelry box at home is the best way to keep it safe. Furthermore, you don’t want to risk anything going wrong with your precious gems.
- Always check the weather: Prior to rappelling, always check the weather. If you are unsure of the weather, look into any last-minute weather updates that have come out. Rappelling, in general, isn’t as physically demanding as rock climbing. Routinely, you are out in open areas where there is little protection from the wind while rappelling. When the wind picks up, it can get pretty chilly, so wearing layers is sometimes necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions: ( FAQs)
What shoes do you wear rappelling?
CLOSED-TOE SHOES are required always recommended for this type of activity. Mainly while rappelling always make sure to wear closed toe shoes. Read this article to know more.
What gear do I need for rappelling?
To know about what gear to choose for rappelling, kindly have a look at this article written by us!
Do you need gloves for rappelling?
You should definitely carry a pair of gloves if you’re going rappelling somewhere since they are light, packable, and offer great safety benefits. They provide a layer of protection for your hands to keep them safe from getting from rocks and frictions of ropes.
What do you wear to abseil?
To know what to wear and abseil and many more check out this video.
