Climbing is a sport where there are a lot of different movements involved and for that, we need to think of something stretch and comfortable to wear., some people could think of sweatpants as a thing to wear for almost every sport, but is it good to wear sweatpants while climbing. Even professional climbers do have to make those kinds of decisions, so if you struggle with answering the question “Can I climb in sweatpants?” then don’t worry because we will explain it to you with additional statistics.
A good clothing set is important for every climber, but what that “clothing set” can be? We will dive deeper into that later, but for now, we will give you a brief answer to the main topic’s question. You can climb in sweatpants, and many people do prefer wearing sweatpants while they are climbing, but is it a good solution? Aren’t sweatpants too heavy? Maybe we should look for something that’s more stretchy than sweatpants? Let’s talk about it.
Are sweatpants good for climbing?
Sweatpants are great for many sports, and even when you just want to be lazy and stay at home, they will also be a great choice. But there are some sports that will require you to not wear sweatpants like skiing, tennis, or swimming… is climbing one of those sports?
Sweatpants tend to be optimal for many sports because they are quick to put on, pretty comfortable, and a bit stretchy, which makes them good for climbing. They will also cover your knees from scratches, but they also have some disadvantages like they will make you too warm, or they can be heavier than normal shorts. So that is up to you if the advantages of wearing sweatpants are greater than the disadvantages.
Some people tend to call sweatpants joggers, but there is not a lot of difference between those two, so don’t worry if in your state they are called differently because we all know what those names mean.
Should my climbing clothes be light?
It is a good idea to lower the weight of your climbing gear because every pound less on a wall can give you that additional push while reaching the next hold. But lowering the weight of your pants won’t be enough to see any meaningful change in your climbing performance.
Men’s sweatpants can weigh around 1.3 pounds and women’s sweatpants can weigh around 1 pound which is not that much, so if you want to lower your total weight think about your whole clothing set, because if you will find shoes, shirts, and pants that are lighter that will be able to give you any meaningful improvement.
Are sweatpants not stretchy enough for climbing?
Most sweatpants are not very stretchy unless they are made of some materials like spandex for example. Fortunately for us climbers, we don’t often need to do splits, and the standard range of motions of sweatpants should be enough almost for every route that you will want to finish.
What are the best sweatpants for climbing?
We did test many climbing attires and that’s how we found the perfect solution between normal casual sweatpants and professional climbing pants, and that is Ucraft Xlite rock climbing pants.
With those climbing sweatpants you will be able to perform your stunts without worrying about tearing your pants, and also about overall flexibility. Many easy-to-access pockets with simple designs make those sweatpants a perfect solution. At least for us, they are great, that’s why I and my partner are wearing those for indoor climbing!
Do people wear sweatpants while climbing?
If you ever have been to a climbing gym before then you could see that people are wearing mainly 3 things on their legs:
- Shorts
- Leggings
- Sweatpants
So as you can see it is very likely to see other climbers wearing sweatpants, so don’t worry about it too much. If you would like to have the advantages of sweatpants and forget about their disadvantages then you should look for trekking pants which are also a common thing to see in every climbing Gym. Trekking pants are light and stretchy in opposite to sweatpants.
In summary – Can I climb in sweatpants?
It is not very likely for your local gym to have a dress code, so don’t worry about it and wear something that will make you feel good while climbing. Sweatpants are very common for climbers, they have some disadvantages, but they are very comfortable and they will protect your legs from scratches and bruises.
If you feel too warm, or you are worried about your total weight then you should look for trekking pants that will solve your problem. If you would like to know more about clothing sets for climbers then check out this article “Why Do Climbers Climb Shirtless? – (Is It Normal?)“.
