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Going to your local crag or gym, you throw the gear in the car and go. Taking it abroad is different. The rope length depends on the local routes, whether your quickdraws get into the cabin depends on the security officer, checked bags have weight limits, and at the crag you need a different pack again.
This series deals only with those problems that come up when you travel. It is for climbers who already own shoes, a harness, and a belay device, have climbed in a gym or outdoors at home, and are preparing for one of their first trips abroad with gear.
Five decisions you don't face at home
In the order you make them before leaving, with one or two posts per decision:
| Step | What you need to decide | Read |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What to bring and what to rent there? How long a rope, how many quickdraws? If you bring a rope, which one? | Gear list by destination, choosing a travel rope |
| 2 | What can go in the cabin, what must be checked, and how do airlines count weight? | Flying with climbing gear |
| 3 | How do other climbers actually split checked and carry-on, and how much does it weigh? | How climbers pack for trips abroad |
| 4 | What should the checked bag and carry-on be? | Checked bags and carry-ons |
| 5 | Once you arrive, what pack do you carry to the crag each day? | Crag packs, multipitch packs |
The order has a reason. You need the list before you know the total weight. Knowing the airline and security rules explains why other climbers check the rope and carry the shoes on board. After seeing real examples, you know which kind of bag you need. Crag and climbing packs are used after you land, so they come last.
What each post lets you do
- Post 1, what to bring: write a bring/rent/leave-behind list for your destination. The default is one single rope, with the length set by the destination. You only need a second rope when a multipitch descent uses double-rope rappels longer than half your rope.
- Post 2, choosing a rope for the trip: use weight per meter, 80 m availability, sheath proportion, middle marks, and belay device compatibility to narrow current single ropes from 12 brands to two or three candidates, or confirm the rope you own will do.
- Post 3, flying with climbing gear: look up the checked and cabin limits for your flight and decide which side each item goes. The key point: most climbing hardware is not on any official list, and the security officer decides on the spot.
- Post 4, how climbers pack: from examples climbers shared publicly between 2021 and 2026, find the setup closest to your trip and adapt it. It ends with three setups you can copy.
- Post 5, checked bags and carry-ons: choose a duffel, a large backpack, or a travel pack based on how you'll get around, then decide whether your crag pack can be your carry-on.
- Post 6, crag packs: pick a pack for a day of single-pitch climbing based on approach length and load.
- Post 7, multipitch packs: try a pack on with harness and helmet and judge whether it can go up the wall with you.
Reading paths by trip type
You don't need every post. Start with the kind of trip you're taking:
| Trip type | Examples | Suggested reading |
|---|---|---|
| Sport-climbing holiday | Railay in Thailand, Kalymnos, Spain; mostly single pitch | 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6 |
| Multipitch | Multi-pitch routes at Tonsai, Kalymnos, or Insubong in Korea | 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 7, plus 6 for crag days |
| Trad | Flying with a rack of cams | 1 → 2 → 3 → 4 (see the trad examples on how cams travel) → 5 |
| Bouldering | Bringing a pad or renting one there | 1 → 3 → 4 (bouldering examples) → 5 |
If you're only visiting gyms abroad and not bringing a rope, you probably don't need this series: put shoes, harness, and chalk bag in your carry-on and skim the security rules in post 3.
Before you start
This series doesn't cover how to choose, fit, or care for each piece of gear. That is in the Climbing Gear series:
- Rent or buy first: buying order and labels
- Choosing your first climbing shoes
- Choosing your first harness
- Choosing a helmet
- Choosing your first belay device
- Choosing a locking belay carabiner
- Choosing a rope: the 1, ½, and ∞ rope-end symbols are explained here
- Inspecting, caring for, and retiring gear
Also, having the gear is not the same as knowing how to use it. Multipitch belaying, rappelling, and retreat need instruction and practice; you can't learn them from articles.
References
- What to Bring on a Climbing Trip Abroad: Bring, Rent or Leave-Behind Lists by Destination, Rope Length and Quickdraws
- Choosing a Rope for a Climbing Trip Abroad: Weight per Meter, 80 m, Sheath Proportion, Middle Marks, and Current Models from 12 Brands
- Flying with Climbing Gear: Security Rules, Checked Allowances, and Cabin Bag Weight
- How Climbers Pack for Fly-In Trips: Checked Bags, Carry-Ons, Bags and Weights
- Choosing a Checked Bag and Carry-On for a Climbing Trip: Duffels, Big Packs, Travel Packs and the 158 cm Limit
- Choosing a Crag Pack: Wide Openings, Rope Tarps, Capacity, and Current Models from 10 Brands
- Choosing a Multipitch Climbing Pack: Criteria, Current Models from 14 Brands, and a Fitting Checklist