by GroundquestMSA » Apr 23, 2013 6:28 pm
I started with a copy of On Rope ($35, good idea), a used length of static rope ($90, bad idea), a climbing harness ($9, bad idea), a rescue 8 ($35, bad idea according to many) and a few prusik loops ($15). I didn't have anyone to teach me anything until I found this forum, so while I didn't (and still haven't entirely) learned to climb "properly," I was able to accomplish my goal; not be stopped by pits. I've slowly bought more efficient gear since then, but if I knew better I would have bought most of it in the first place.
If you have access to folks who can help you in person, that will allow you to see what gear you need before making the same mistakes I did. When you decide to buy gear, PMI Pit rope is a good, cheap choice that was overwhelmingly reccommended to me by members of this forum. If you ever decide you want a used stop-style bobbin descender (unlikely) let me know and I'll send it along for the price of shipping.
Practice a bunch. Extremophile's step 3 is a very good one. It's exciting to use new skills to navigate an actual in-cave obstacle, even if it's a tiny one, and that's the only real way to see what you may need to change.