It’s probably the worst-kept secret here at Proper that a couple of people who roam the office are partial to a bit of rock clambering. Don’t get us wrong, we think this is a good thing – it’s definitely good physical activity – and more so, we reckon it provides Proper with a bit of a license to talk about something that originally we wouldn’t have had much credibility in doing.
With that being said, garments traditionally designed for rock climbing are now being sported by just about anyone, so maybe we don’t actually need in-house climbers to talk about climbing brands after all.
But what the in-house climbers can definitely advise us on is curating an outfit suited for a day of actual outdoor climbing, and that’s what we’re doing here with a selection of clobber from one of our favourite climbing brands – Gramicci.
So here’s an outfit we’ve put together that’s perfectly suited for those cold crag days. When most of your time is spent sitting around in the freezing Peak District, brushing rocks, inspecting your skin and waffling about not feeling strong, it’s important to come prepared in a warm, but also good-looking set of attire.
So with that sentiment in mind, here’s a collection of gear from Gramicci for a cold day at the crag.
Thermal Beanie – Heather Charcoal
Have you heard that thing about how 60% of your body heat is lost out of the top of your head? Yeah, well apparently that’s a load of rubbish. While the clever scientists might be able to debunk that, they can’t debunk that wearing a fleecy beanie is a very pleasant experience in cold temperatures. This Thermal Beanie has no fold, which in our experience, means less pissing about adjusting it every five minutes. Wearing a beanie when climbing also means you don’t get loads of chalk in your hair and are left looking like Derek Zoolander.
Sherpa Jacket – Navy
Another fleecy addition to our bouldering rig-out. The reason for this abundance of the fabric is that we reckon fleece is the ultimate insulating fabric for climbing – hardwearing and warm enough for the trials and tribulations that come with precariously balancing on cheese-grater-esque gritstone. This Sherpa Jacket appears to have taken inspiration from Patagonia’s original Deep Pile Retro Cardigan, but given the price of those on eBay, this is the next best thing.
Down Puffer Vest – Seal Grey
To put over the top of the fleece, we’ve opted for this down-filled puffer vest, we think it’ll be perfect for quickly taking off and on when you have another crack at trying the crux move of a 4c+. It also looks to be pretty toasty – just look at the size of those baffles.
Canvas Double Knee Pant – Dusted Olive
Your legwear is ultimately the most important part of your outfit when climbing – try doing it without a gusseted crotch and you’ll see just how quickly it takes before people can actually see your crotch. Luckily all of Gramicci’s pants have a gusseted crotch, and these canvas pants also have double knees – we’re not even going to bother explaining why that’s a good thing.
Mountaineering Tee – Deep Yellow
A fantastic T-shirt in a fantastic colour. There’s not much more of a reason that it has been picked other than we like the graphic, and think it would look good with the rest of this outfit.
Hemp Mix Socks – Blue
Just as trousers are the most important part of a climbing outfit, socks are the least important. Unless for whatever reason you climb in socks, but personally, we don’t think anyone should do that. Regardless, these hemp socks were too nice not to throw into the mix, and you best believe if Gramicci made hemp underwear we would’ve thrown those in too.
Slide Sandal – Coyote
You absolutely need a pair of loose footwear to switch into when you pull off your tiny stone dancing ballerina shoes. That’s why we, like many climbers, think a pair of slides, sandals, mules or crocs are essential on any bouldering trip. We’d imagine that’s also why Gramicci designed these lovely slide sandals, if you’re fortunate to have quite small feet you might be able to scoop a pair up at a very reasonable price right now.