So now that you’re convinced that your kids should have their very own chalk bags (or not), where can you find kids sized chalk bags? Well, practical climbing recently sent us a few of theirs to test with the kids (gear review disclaimer). Here are our initial thoughts. Note: durability testing will continue as we use the chalk bags this climbing season.
Let’s start with the obvious – the design of the “Monster” (the chalk bag model we received) is a huge hit with the kids. It’s fun and certainly get’s a child’s attention, differentiating this as a fun bag instead of mom’s plain old boring one. I’m not sure how the monster “fur” is going to hold up, but if history is any indication, the nastier the fur, the more my kids will like it. . .so it doesn’t much matter. Time will tell on dirt and washability.
The waist strap that you can get with the bag is key for little kids. The belt is lighter and seems more utilitarian than the carabiner alternative.
The size is great – too small and they won’t want it (“it’s for a baby” is often the refrain on that), too big and it swallows up their hands and gets in their way when they climb.
The price is extremely reasonable – kids bags start at $14 while buckets go for up to $28 (at the higher end). The monster kids bag is available for $16 here. These price points seems both on the low end and are “a great value” for what you’re getting.
All in all, a practical “kids” chalk bag is a “great to have” item to bring along for each child. It’s certainly preferrable to ending up with sticks and twigs in your chalk pot, wasting money and causing frustration when heading out to the crag.
Addition information: What you might like about the bags -
- They are handcrafted in the US.
- The eyes on the monster bag are sewn in (making it less likely to pop off than glue).
- The inside material of the practical chalk bags is a fleecy fabric that feels nice on the hands.
- Oh, and a great option for your favority pair of climbing pants or old climbing t? Send it to practical and have a custom bag created. . . Both green & sentimental (wonder if they could make me a bag out of my wedding dress, or is that going too far?)
Some background on practical (yes, lowercase p). practical climbing started with founder Tammy sewing custom bags for herself and her friends. In 2009 Tammy’s custom business became “practical climbing” and she began making chalk bags of various sizes and styles available for purchase. practical still fills custom requests but now offers a wide selection of chalk bags, buckets & pots available for purchase on their website.
With a bit of success has come environmental & social responsibility, as practical now offers a Tsunami relief chalk bag with 100% of profits going to the Red Cross. In addition, practical has a new partnership with Friksn which reuses (or as they say, “upcycles”) shirt material to create new chalk bags for a more environmentally friendly product.
What material would you like to see in the next line of practical chalk bags? What features should they consider adding to be more kid friendly?
