Tape Gloves vs Crack Gloves: How to Tape Up for Cracks

The first time you jam a sharp crack without protection, you learn a lesson your hands will remember for a week. The backs of your hands, your knuckles and the skin around your thumbs take a beating in cracks, especially on coarse granite or sandstone. That's why crack climbers either tape up or wear crack gloves. Both work. Both have die-hard fans. Here's the honest breakdown, plus a step-by-step guide to making tape gloves that actually stay on.

Why protect your hands at all?

Hand and fist jams work by pressing the back of your hand against one side of the crack and your palm against the other. That means the thin skin on the back of your hand is doing a lot of the work. Without protection you can get scraped, cut, or "gobied," and painful hands make you climb tentatively, which makes your jams worse. Protection lets you commit to the jam, and committed jams are secure jams.

For thin finger cracks, most people climb without protection, because tape gets in the way and reduces feel. Tape and gloves shine in hand, fist and wider cracks.

Tape gloves: the old-school classic

Pros

  • Cheap. A roll of athletic tape costs a few bucks.
  • Customizable. You control thickness and coverage.
  • Thin. Good feel for the rock, and they fit into tight jams.
  • Traditional. You get to sit at the base of the crag and fuss with tape like a real crusty.

Cons

  • Single-use-ish. A good pair can last a few days if you cut them off carefully, but they wear out.
  • Waste. All that tape ends up in the trash (pack it out).
  • Skill required. Bad tape gloves slide off mid-pitch.

Crack gloves: the modern option

Crack gloves are fingerless, reusable gloves with a rubber or synthetic leather back that covers the back of your hand, with a strap around the wrist. Several companies make them, and they've become very popular, especially in desert splitter areas.

Pros

  • Reusable. One pair lasts many trips.
  • Fast. On in seconds, no taping session.
  • Consistent. Same feel every time.
  • Grippy. Rubber backs can add a lot of friction to jams.

Cons

  • Upfront cost. More expensive than a roll of tape.
  • Fit. A poor fit means bunching and less security.
  • Thickness. Some climbers find them too thick for thin hands or tight jams.

Which one should you choose?

If you crack climb a lot, especially long pitches of hands and fists, crack gloves usually win on convenience and cost over time. If you climb cracks occasionally, like thin jams, or want maximum feel, tape is great. Plenty of climbers own crack gloves and still keep a roll of tape in the pack for repairs, finger taping, and the days they forget the gloves in the car.

How to make tape gloves that stay on

There are lots of methods. This is a simple, popular one. Use 1 to 1.5 inch athletic tape (zinc oxide tape is common and sticks well).

  1. Wrist anchor: wrap the tape once around your wrist, snug but not tight. You should still be able to flex your wrist and feel your pulse is happy.
  2. Finger loops: from the back of your wrist, run a strip up the back of your hand, loop it around the base of one finger (between the first and second knuckle, near the hand), and bring it back down to the wrist. Repeat for each finger you want anchored. Many people anchor the index, middle and ring fingers, or all four.
  3. Back-of-hand coverage: lay overlapping strips across the back of your hand, from the knuckles down to the wrist, covering the area that contacts the rock. Two or three layers is plenty.
  4. Thumb (optional): some people add a strip around the base of the thumb for fist jams.
  5. Lock it down: finish with another wrap around the wrist over the ends of all the strips.
  6. Test it: make a fist, open your hand fully, and flex in thumbs-up and thumbs-down positions. If it pulls or pinches, adjust now, not on pitch three.

Pro tips:

  • Leave your palm uncovered. You want your palm skin on the rock for friction.
  • Tape onto clean, dry, chalk-free skin. Sweat and sunscreen kill adhesion.
  • To reuse, cut the gloves off along the palm side with scissors or a knife, then slip them back on and tape the palm seam closed next time.
  • Some climbers use tape adhesive spray or tincture of benzoin to help tape stick. Optional.

Taping fingers

For thin cracks, some people tape around individual finger joints to protect skin, but it reduces sensitivity. Taping for injury (like the popular H-taping for pulley strains) is a different thing. If you think you've injured a finger, get it looked at by a professional rather than just taping and climbing on it.

Leave no trace

Used tape is trash. Don't leave it at the base of the crag, don't burn it, and don't stuff it in a crack. Pack it out with your other garbage.

Tape up, buttercup

Whatever you choose, the key is to commit to your jams once your hands are protected. That's where the fun starts. If you want a shirt that speaks fluent splitter, check out our crack climbing shirts, including the I Love Crack Climbing tee.

See you at the base, taped and ready.

Back to blog