The only necessary piece of equipment that you'll need is a good pair of shoes. However, not every pair of shoes will do. Support and impact cushioning must be the primary consideration with any shoe. Most of our landings are on asphalt (very hard) and sidewalk concrete (even harder). Stress fractures can develop very quickly without the proper landing technique and impact cushioning.

The K-Swiss Ariake is my personal favorite. As we initially contact every surface with the ball of our foot, the "high-grip rubber in the forefoot" is superb as it sticks to just about everything. The "dual density CMEVA midsole compound" provides good impact cushioning for those tall jumps. And the front half of the shoe has a rubber coating which provides stiffness and support. I wore my first pair of Ariakes for a year before the soles were worn through too badly to provide acceptable traction with brick walls.

click here for more pictures of the K-Swiss Ariake after 1 year of use

The only negative thing I can say about the K-Swiss Ariake is the lacing system. The designers have included a plastic strip in the lacing mechanism rather than utilize a conventional grommet-based system. They are novel and look very good. However, they have a tendency to separate from the rest of the shoe.

As you can see here, the plastic strips can crack and separate from the leather of the shoe during normal use. I say "normal use" as they are marketed as a free running shoe. I've been wearing performance running shoes all my life for soccer, baseball, and track & field, and I've never had a problem with the traditional grommet lacing system on every other shoe I've worn. In my opinion, any advantage these plastic strips bring is negated by their tendency to break away from the rest of the shoe.

As I am still a huge fan of K-Swiss and their Ariake, I bought a second pair to wear when I'm not practicing Parkour until my first pair was to be honorably retired. I wore them for a few months to sufficiently "break them in" before using them at a jam. They are an incredibly comfortable shoe providing great support for those long shopping trips at Potomac Mills! I was disappointed when my second pair experienced the same problem during their first Parkour use. In an attempt to improve the product, I have given this information to K-Swiss in the hopes that their engineering department would consider an "Engineering Change".

In terms of clothing, I prefer loose-fitting pants which allow my legs to move without restriction. The "Poly / Cotton Ripstop BDU Pants" from BDU.com are both light-weight and durable. They have an assortment of colors and cost under $20. As I practice my rolls repetitiously on roads and sidewalks, I find these pants hold up very well. The waistband is adjustable which allows for good sizing. Attach a safety pin to the waist tabs to keep them from loosening up.