Knowing what to wear rock climbing can be tricky, and beginners invariable have questions when they see other people wearing jeans at the gym.
So, can you rock climb in jeans? Traditional jeans are too stiff to give you the mobility you need for rock climbing. However, stretchier jeans are perfectly fine to rock climb in.
Really, when wondering if you can climb in a pair of jeans, the answer is ‘it depends’. Your average, run-of-the-mill straight-cut Levi’s won’t work for climbing. They’re too stiff and heavy, and they don’t give you the flexibility you need in your legs to effectively climb. With that being said, though, I’ve spent years of my life climbing in jeans; all you need is a pair that’s stretchy and breathable enough, and they’ll work just fine.
Rock Climbing in Jeans
As I said in the first paragraph, it’s definitely possible to wear jeans for climbing, and I’ve done it for long stretches. With that being said, though, they’re definitely not the perfect climbing pant.
A quick pros and cons list is the best way to understand if climbing in jeans is right for you. Some of the pros of climbing in jeans include:
- Durability: Rock climbing can be hard on your pants, especially once you venture into the outdoors. Denim is a tough material that can resist the scrapes and snags that come with the sport. Aside from increasing the life of your pants, this can also better protect you from getting cut or scraped.
- Cost: Climbing-specific pants can run you more than $150 for a good pair. On the contrary, I bought the jeans I use for climbing at Winners for about $50, and they’ve lasted me four years,
- Style: Although it’s not your primary concern, no one wants to feel like a dork when they go climbing. Jeans are a common and non-offensive choice that won’t make you stand out. Better yet, if you want to hit the bar after a climbing session, you won’t have to worry about changing.
While there are a few advantages to climbing in jeans, there are also some significant downsides:
- Stretch: Now, I know I said that if you search, you can find a pair of jeans that will be flexible enough to climb in. Doing so, however, can take a long time, and even the stretchiest jeans won’t be as flexible as a pair of climbing-specific pants.
- Breathability: The downside of denim’s toughness is that it doesn’t breathe well. When you’re doing a strenuous activity like climbing, this means more sweating and discomfort, especially if you’re wearing a harness.
- Slow drying: Denim also holds onto moisture for a long time, meaning that if you get your jeans wet, they’re going to stay wet for a good portion of the day. This can really suck if the weather is bad.
- Lack of features: Finally, jeans just aren’t designed for climbing, and so they don’t come with any climbing-specific features that more specialized pants will have. This can include things like zippered pockets, drawstring waists, and harness-specific belts to make your climbing more comfortable.
So, while you can see that jeans will work for climbing, if you’re buying a pair of pants specifically to get into the sport, they definitely wouldn’t be my first recommendation.
If, however, you have a pair of stretchy jeans that you want to wear climbing, there’s absolutely nothing preventing you from doing so. As I said, I’ve spent years rock climbing in jeans, and aside from the fact that I sometimes get sweaty, it hasn’t prohibited my performance at all.
One thing I will say is that jeans are probably better for indoor climbing than they are for outdoor. Indoors (especially bouldering, where you don’t need to wear a harness), their drawbacks are less noticeable.
Once you go outside, though — and especially if you’re on long, multi-pitch routes — you’re going to want something that’s more comfortable and breathable. They’re also a lot less comfortable to wear on approaches, where you might have to be walking uphill for significant amounts of time.
So, don’t necessarily shy away from wearing jeans to your local gym, but know that they probably won’t be the best choice for ever climbing expedition.
What You Want in a Climbing Pant
That leads us to the obvious question: what do you want in a climbing pant? You can probably tell from the above list what features are important, but I thought it would be good to summarize them here.
Flexibility, breathability, and durability are the holy trifecta of climbing pants. You need something that will move with you, not trap too much heat, and not tear the first time it catches on a sharp corner.
Now, obviously, it’s pretty hard to find a pair of pants that have all three of these features, and outdoor apparel companies spend a lot of money trying to fit them all into one package. These pants are great (and we’ll get into some of the best pants later), but they also tend to be fairly expensive.
As we’ve covered, jeans don’t always tick all of these boxes. However, you don’t necessarily need a pant to do all three. You could have one pair of super flexible, super breathable pants that you wear for when you’re crushing boulders in the gym, and another, more durable but less breathable pair that you use outdoors when you have to worry about scrapes.
Best Jeans for Rock Climbing
So, if you decide you want a pair of jeans to rock climb in, what are some of the best options out there? I’ve highlighted three of them below.
Black Diamond Forged Denim
Black Diamond is internationally renowned for making top-of-the-line gear aimed at rock climbers. They’re a spinoff company of Chouinard Equipment (which eventually became Patagonia), and they currently sponsor the best rock climber in the world in Adam Ondra.
Because of that, it’s no surprised that their Forged Denim jeans, while looking like a normal jean on the surface, is tailor-made for climbing. Built out of a surprisingly stretchy material, the Forged Denim gives you all of the mobility you might need while still retaining the look and feel of traditional jeans.
These are great if you want a catch-all pair of pants. Going on vacation and trying to pack light? Forged Denim will work in the climbing gym and when you’re out for dinner. Hitting a quick session after work and don’t want to change? These will do fine in most business-casual settings.
A minor drawback of the Forged Denim is that they’re not a super slim fit, so the cuffs can get in the way when you’re climbing. However, I actually prefer a more traditional cute (just learn to cuff your jeans. It’s not that hard).
Patagonia Performance Fit Jeans
If you know me, you know that I’m going to include a Patagonia product on my equipment list, and jeans are no different. The Performance Fit jeans are a little less technical than the BD Forged, but they still work just fine for rock climbing.
On top of that, you get the lifetime guarantee that Patagonia provides, along with all the ethical benefits that come with buying their gear.
Bonobos Stretch Lightweight
If you want to venture away from the outdoor apparel companies, Bonobos Stretch Lightweight jeans are reported to be impressively flexible for a denim pant. I’ve never worn them myself, so I can’t speak first-hand to their climbing performance, but they’re a good option if you’re looking for something a little more neutral.
Best Pants for Rock Climbing
Decide you don’t want to go with denim? I’ve compiled a list of the three best climbing pants currently on the market to help you will all of your sending needs.
PrAna Stretch Zion
Visit any website or forum in the rock-climbing world, and you’re going to hear the same thing: the PrAna Stretch Zion is the best climbing pant currently on the market.
They simply tick all the boxes. They’re flexible, tough, breathable, and low-key enough to wear around town. They come with a secure side pocket and a belt-less waist, which is great for when you find yourself wearing a harness. They’re also a steal at only $89.
Really, if you need to buy one pair of rock climbing pants, go with the Stretch Zion.
Black Diamond Notion
The BD Notions are an excellent jogger-style pant that will serve all of your indoor-climbing needs. I’ve been using them for about 5 months now, and while I’m not sure I trust them enough to wear outdoors, they’ve served me perfectly for the gym.
With a relaxed fit, elastic cuffs, and a drawstring waist, the Notions are great every-day pants (they’re basically all I’ve been wearing in quarantine). They hybrid material is flexible yet tough, and they allow you all the mobility you need to go climbing.
Mountain Hardwear AP Pants
Funnily enough, I’m actually wearing my Mountain Hardwear AP Pants are I type this list. Tough, flexible, and built for a variety of activities, these are another great pair of ‘everything’ pants — when I travel, they’re the first thing I reach for.
They do have a couple of drawbacks (namely, their loose cuffs and belted waist), but for a casual pair of gym pants, they’ll serve you fine at an affordable price point.
