David Burberry

This is one of the few keylock ovals on the market and the only one sold on backcountry.com. I bought it for use as a racking biner for my nuts. The oval shape and keylock nose make this perfect for this application. The down side to this biner however is its wieght. At 68g it is more than 2.5 times heavier than the 26g biner I use for each of my cams. It also makes it the single heaviest non locking biner I own. Thankfully I only use one.

These dyneema slings are solid slings the get the job done. However I prefer the mammut slings because they are color coded and the mammut slings have a cover piece over part of the stitching that allows biners to run freely over the stitching area.

This slings are super light like most other dyneema slings on the market. But what I really like about them is how they have colored coded the different sizes unlike other manufacturer who have assorted colors for every size. I especially like how they make the orange 240cm sling which can be used as a super light cordelette for three piece anchors. Its also long enough to equalize two pieces of snow protection for crevasse rescue.

I bought this cord originally from REI for use as prusik cord for crevasse rescue. However when I opened it I immediately could tell that it was too stiff for use as a prusik and after testing it on my 10.5 rope it just slipped through. So I instead put a double fisherman's knot in it and converted it to a cordelette.

These full size biners have everything going for them
- strong (10kn open gate strength)
- super light (33g for a full size biner amazing)
- smooth gate action
- secure (tried to cross load these biners using every way possible. Even thin dyneema slings would just flip past the gate area and load the caribiner along its major axis. I really have to wonder how they even get a minor axis rating)

The only downside is the cost, so just wait till they have a 10% or 20% deal on these and do yourself a favor and pick them up.

These biners directly compete with BD Neutrinos. When comparing wieght they are 26g which is 10g lighter than neutrinos. The only biners that are lighter are CAMP 23s or Metolius F.S. Mini both of which are smaller than this biner. Strength wise these biners also have stronger open gate strength. From a subjective point of view I find the gates to operate smoother and the bright anodizing makes them look cool and stand out on your rack. The only downside is the price which I overcame when they where 20% off.

I bought this picket because it was on sale for 13.96 which was nearly half the price of the 2ft MSR picket. Unless you can get it that cheap I would not recommend this picket because it weighs 6oz more. When you have it in your hand it is the weight difference is quite noticeable. It looks cooler than the MSR one but is no more effective in my opinion. Personally when climbing the big mountains with a heavy pack, I'm going to use the lightest tool possible and that is the MSR picket not this one.

This biner and the dmm shadow are the best solid gate biners you can buy. The keylock nose and the strong open gate strength make them the best. I recomend these for general rock climbing where wieght is not a concern. Unless your doing hard alpine climbing than the spirit mixed with some other light weight wire gates is the best option for 90% of climbers out there.

I got this jack at the end of the winter and first used it snowboarding first. While snowboarding in rain (Pac NW) i was suprised at how well this jacket repeled water. Then earlier this spring I put it to the test while rock climbing and found that the jacket breathes very well. My favorite part of the jacket however is the thumbholes that keep snow out in a hard powder landing and keep the arms moving with my body. I guess the only downside is that because of how light it is it seems as though it would wear out quickly. However mine currently shows no signs of exsesive wear after 5 days snowboarding and 7 days on the rock.

It gets the job done but is nothing special. The notch in the gate makes getting rope or webbing in and out a pain. This is especialy bad because it is a small carabiner. Also because the caribiner is not rounded it does not work well for setting up top rope. The only upside is that it is cheap. If i was to buy this size locker again i would just pay the extra money to get hte positron locker because is has a notchless nose.

This biner is great for building anchors because it is symmetrical and the keylock nose never snags on anything. The only downside is that it is heavy and kinda expensive

The keylock nose and the large basket make stuffing this biner with ropes and webbing really smooth. In addition the large radius of the biner means belaying, rappelling, and toproping off of it are always smooth. Best of all its a great deal compared to the price of other lockers.

These things are really the best you can get for all around carabiner and it shows in the price. They are light for a full size biner. Also the no catch nose stops works like a charm. Because of it there is no catch point for sling, rope, or anything else to catch on and potentially cross load the biner. Even he petzl spirit(best solid gate in my opinion) can catch where the gate connects to the biner.

These things are all you really need if your just starting out or are looking for some cheap draws. They are not the lightest or the fanciest but they will still catch a fall. Bottom line if your buying biners for alpine or trad spend a bit more but if your just getting into the sport or need some cheap draws then pick these up.

The atc does the its job as well as any tube style device on the market. Its really simple and works just like it supposed to. But if your considering buying the basic one i would really recomend stepping up and getting the ATC Guide. Its added function will allow you to progress furthar in climbing without having to buy a new device later down the road.

This thing is super. When it comes to the belaying function it really does lock up like a camming device (gri gri). On super thin ropes it may slip allitle but fine if you are always have your brake hand on. The 10.5 mm rope i generaly use however lock up on falls 99.99% of the time. It locks up good enough that it would easily stop a fall with the brake hand off the rope. (not that you should every do this). The only downfall is its limited function, belaying the leader, but it does it very well.

This thing should be on every climbers rack do to its versatiliy, O and its cheaper than the reverso.It can belay the leader as good as any tube style device on the market. It can make smooth rappels even with a large pack on. It can belay the second in guide mode which is self locking. It can even function as a crude ratchet in a hauling or rescue scenario. In addition all climbers who do multipitch should have a device like this because belaying the second directly off the anchor is safer 95% of the time compared to redirecting the belay(pulley effect).

Five Reasons
1. It's Light
2. It's comfy
3. Small piece of padding at the buckle make this a no itch zone unlike other helmets. Genius
4. It looks good. No really the pictures dont do it justice this thing looks darn good. (I have the blue one)
5. It's Cheap