At most popular sport destinations a 70 m single rope is the minimum; Kalymnos, Chulilla and Yangshuo are more comfortable with 80 m, while 60 m is enough at Seonunsan in Korea. Bring 12–16 quickdraws, or 18–21 for the long lines at Kalymnos and Chulilla. Ropes and quickdraws can be rented in Thailand and on Kalymnos; in Japan and Korea, bring your own rope or buy one there. Always bring your own shoes and harness. You only need a second rope or a tag line when a multi-pitch double-strand rappel is longer than half your rope.
Start with weight per meter. At 80 m the ropes here run from 3.84 kg (Beal Opera) to 5.15 kg (BlueWater Lightning Pro), a gap of about 1.3 kg. With a 23 kg checked allowance that gap barely matters, and two weeks of daily lowering on limestone call for a 9.5–9.8 mm rope with a sheath proportion near 40%. A thin 8.9–9.2 mm triple-rated rope is worth it only if you fly cabin-only or will pair it with a half rope on multi-pitch. Before choosing, confirm the model comes in 80 m (the Petzl MAMBO and Sterling VR9 do not), and check your own and your partner's belay device manuals: the GRIGRI works best on 8.9–10.5 mm.
Carabiners, quickdraws, and cams appear on no official prohibited list, so whether they fly in the cabin is up to the screener on the day. Ice axes, hammers, and knives must be checked, gas canisters can't fly at all, and since 2026 power banks are carry-on only, two per person. Most airlines allow 23 kg and 158 cm per checked bag, and climbing gear counts as ordinary luggage. A 7 kg or 10 kg cabin limit decides how much hardware you can keep with you.
Shoes, harness and helmet in the cabin, rope in the hold: that is the most common split across 45 community examples. One person's nine-day sport kit came to about 16 kg checked; departures from Mexico City and Spanish airports are where quickdraws and ropes most often get sent back to check-in, while Asian low-cost carriers tend to trip you up first with a 7 kg carry-on limit.
Take a gear duffel if you are renting a car, a duffel with backpack straps or a big pack if you are on public transport, and a 40 L-ish travel pack only when you rent the rope locally and fly cabin-only. Most soft duffels up to 100 L fit the 158 cm checked-bag limit, but wheeled duffels mostly weigh 2.5–5 kg empty and eat into a 23 kg allowance. With a 7 kg cabin limit, crag packs range from 0.9 kg to 2 kg empty; the lighter the pack, the more shoes, harness and hardware you can keep with you.
For single-pitch days, a crag pack needs three things: a back panel or side that opens fully, a rope tarp built in or carried separately, and 35–50 L. When two climbers share one 70 m rope, one 45 L pack for the rope and draws plus one 35 L pack for water and layers works best. To use it as a cabin bag too, pick one with stowable straps and dimensions close to 55×35×20 cm, such as the Climbing Technology Falesia. The stiff Creek 50 weighs 2 kg empty, a big bite out of a 7 kg cabin limit.
On a multipitch route the follower usually carries the pack and the leader climbs without one. Size it from both climbers' water, jackets, and whether you need approach shoes: most days fit in 15–22 L, and a walk-off with shoes calls for 24–30 L. Try it on with your harness and helmet. If you can look up without hitting your helmet, reach your gear loops, and open it one-handed at a belay, it can go on the wall.