Benny B

I've turned this into my everyday glove and only need to use it as a liner when skiing. For everyday use around town it's warmer than I expected so I just stuff em in my coat pockets and use them when necessary. For skiing, it's thin enough to fit in any gloves or mittens that I have and adds a great layer. The only negative on mine is that after a few years of use the wrist stitching has come undone on one of the gloves, but this doesn't really influence how it fits, so it doesn't really bother me. All in all, a great lightweight liner that can be used as a glove in itself for ligher use.

If you're only climbing one pitch and belaying from the ground only, this is a super smooth and simple way to go. For general belaying and rapelling it's been a lot smoother than most other tube style devices I've tried so I still grab for this one for all gym climbing and some outdoor single pitch sport climbs. Unless you're going to be doing multipitch stuff or need both climbers to top out where you'd use the guide function (belaying from above) or are climbing on a skinny rope where you feel you need a device with added friction with another belay device, this is the way to go.

Seems to be a popular first harness for a lot of people for some great reasons. Cheap, adjustable, and comfy. I have since upgraded and realized that this harness did pinch the manparts a bit more during a hard fall than some other harnesses out there, but it could have been worse. Once it's been readjusted after a hard fall, it's still comfy enough to hang in for a long time. I still grab this one as a gym harness as it doesn't cause any issues for me while toproping. For the cost of this harness, it's a good deal and is especially a great choice for a new climber that wants a comfy harness without dropping a larger budget.

I'll gladly jump on the 5 star bandwagon for these. Very easy to clip and unclip and smooth to use. For a keylock biner too this is also the cheapest I've found with no disadvantages (so hey, why not save the money, two of these is only slightly more expensive than one Petzl Spirit, which is still a great biner, just much pricier without much additional gain in my opinion). I will be adding more of these to my rack.

Unless you need something windproof, this is as light and small as it gets. Fits inside my compact cookset. Did I mention it heats super fast too? Add the inexpensive aspect to it, and there's no reason not to have one of these. After several years of use, it's still all I'd ever want or need out of a camp stove.

I love these shoes. I wear them a half size smaller than my normal shoe size and they formed to my feet well. Fairly stiff, great for edging, and they seem to be able to hold on any of the small nubbins that I put them up to (the kind where you don't think it'll work, you try it anyway, and seconds later you're standing to the next hold). Love the XS rubber in comparison to others I have tried. Definitely a harder feel that seems more solid to me when you're trying to hold something. The only negative is that after 2 seasons of use the velcro has lost its ability to hold, but that's an easy fix and they've gone through many on/off cycles. I have heard people say that the sizing is weird with Scarpas, so you might have to know your scarpa size or try on a couple before you find the right fit. For me though, the half size down worked great after a brief break in period.

Great smooth to operate biner, large and roomy for any applications that require a meaty bight of rope. I used this as my primary belay biner when I started climbing (toprope). As I started leading, the extra room on this biner led to it flipping quite a bit when feeding out rope to a leader. There were times where this easily could have led to sideways loading on the gate (bad idea always, but even more so with a lead fall), so it was a pain to always have to constantly be monitoring and repositioning the biner. Now that I have a locker that is slightly smaller for belaying, it's not an issue at all. So, all in all this is a great biner and still carry one with me, it just wasn't for me when belaying a leader.

This biner made its way into my collection and kicked out the others as the primary belay biner. It's not too large and bulky as some of the other usual belay biners are (William, Rocklock), but still is large enough to where I haven't ever felt like it needed more. Belaying, rappelling, hitching, it seems to be large enough for them all and is smooth to work with. The red on the unscrewed locker too is a great reminder too (good idea Petzl). I probably don't need many in my collection, but for belaying, it's definitely become the biner of choice.

Cheap, strong, functional. Check, Check, and Check. If you're worried about weight, go for a wire biner. If you're worried about hooking you're rope or gear when unclipping, go for a keylock. If you're a cheapo like me but still want great functional gear, this is the way to go. Basic and solid. If I have to bail on something or leave gear behind too, much less painful to leave one or two of these behind (costs less than the post climb pitcher of brew). I've accumulated a number of random biners over time (some of which cost almost twice what this one does) and this basic one still seems to be one that gets used just as much if not more than the others.

This is by far my pick for a summer shirt. Very light, vents well, a bit classier than a tank top. I originally only bought one and now have four as they were well worth it. If you're looking for a button down summer shirt, this is the one.

I've been wearing these for 3 seasons now and I'm sure they'll last another. I give them plenty of use too (1-3 times per week skiing during the winter months). The zipper side is great for cooling off if you need it. Definitely only a shell, so make sure you have good base layers and mid layers for the cold ones, but it's worked well from the -15 below zero night skiing of January to Rainy days of skiing in March. Conduit is not 100% waterproof, but I have stayed dry in these after an hour or more of rain skiing (just make sure to hang it up well to drip/dry off well once you're back inside). I also have spent plenty of time on my knees in these in the snow working at a ski resort and they have always kept me dry for that. Great Bibs! When these do finally wear out, I'll just buy the same ones again.

It's light and comfy so I can barely tell I'm wearing it most days. The venting is so so, which makes it a bit hot on the warmer ones, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing once fall rolls around. For the price, you probably can't beat it and even if cash isn't a consideration I'd probably still be wearing one of these. This might be just me but it seems to grip my head a lot better than any of the BD helmets did too. The Half dome especially slid around a lot even when ratcheted down. Once this one is tight, it doesn't go anywhere. Keeper.

I'm a fan. Its been fairly easy to work with and hasn't developed any dead spots after a season and a half of use and many falls. The Teflon coating makes it a bit more slick than other ropes I've used, but this is kinda nice sometimes as it allows it to pass smoothly through belay devices, biners, etc, and my partner has never had trouble catching a fall because of it being slick (it may even help to make the lead falls a bit softer). I'd agree that the half mark is difficult to see at times, but without buying a two toned rope, that's generally what you get and it still works well when I'm looking for it to line up a rappel after cleaning a route. When it becomes time to retire this one, if they still make a similar rope I'd probably buy it again.

Great board with the jugs on the ends and several options for working on your crimping. Not as many options as the simulator 3d, but this takes up less space and the price is right (about a month membership to the gyms worth). Although it's just the basics, it works great for me on weeknights or a morning warm up until I can get back to real rock on the weekends. Use one of these on a regular basis and you will notice a difference.

These are my climbing pants of choice. Comfy and stretchy. They also dry quickly and are great for scrambling so they have become my hiking pants of choice as well. Also, quite durable. I've had a couple pairs of these for a while and they're all in good shape. Similar to Patagonia's Rock Guide pants (which are also great), but the legs roll up and snap on these which is very handy while climbing to keep them off the shoes. Definitely a good buy.

Packs super small, breaks the wind a little, surprisingly warm for such a light jacket. Unless it's mid summer, it's always in my pack. For cooler spring and fall weather it's a tough one to beat and always worth having around if the weather changes.

This does the trick, however, it tends to be a bit tougher to handle a rope above 10mm with this over other belay devices I have used, especially when feeding out rope to a leader. This has not an issue on the same ropes for me with a reverso 3. Still a great belay device for everything (nice design on the top belay for a seconding climber), but when using a fatter rope, just be aware it may not be as smooth as you hope.

If I'm belaying somebody on toprope, this is on my head. Super durable and should last a long time. The cross straps inside are comfortable too. For leading, I prefer the foam helmets that are not as heavy and protect the back of the head better (the Ecrin sits high), so I don't always have the Ecrin with me depending on the climbs of the day. For days when I'm just toproping though, why put wear and tear on the foam helmet (one major bump to the foam and it's retired). The Ecrin is solid and will far outlast any other helmet I'll ever own.

I'm definitely more prone to use a 4 cam unit when I have the option, but there are places that TCUs fit where my smaller C4s won't. As far as the U stem goes too, I don't have any issues in placement as long as I can turn it in the direction of potential pull (which usually works out unless the crack is uber tight). Walking could be an issue with these, but as long as your slings are properly extended and you don't take multiple falls on the same piece it shouldn't be a problem. Anyway, Sizes 1-3 are a standard part of my rack, they're super light as far as cams go, and I'm glad to have them. Unless it's a fatter crack climb, usually at least one of those 3 gets placed.

These and the BD runners are both durable and easy to work with. They are the smoother nylon that's flexible and easy to work knots into/out of and slide gear around on for racking. I will be adding more to my gear. The 24 and 48 inchers should be a staple of every trad rack.

Having a wide and stiff dogbone on your draw makes it easier to clip, gives you something to hold on to if you've clipped the draw but are pumping out before the rope is in, and makes accidental backclipping due to a twisted draw extremely difficult (it's never happend with any draws having this bone). I have some of the thinner bone draws from other companies and will be replacing the bones with these. The rubber on the end keeps your biner oriented correctly too which is a piece of mind. I feel these are by far the best out there.

Great nylon runners. It's the smoother nylon so it's easy to work with to tie and untie knots in them for a master point if you're anchor building, or easy to slide gear around on if you're using one for racking. I much would prefer one of these any day over the Dynema/Spectra trend. I don't see any advantage to these over the Sterling runners, both are similar, and are nice basic runners that get the job done.

The ease of the action on the biners and the rigidity offered by the bones on this make for super easy clipping when you need it most. I'm replacing any of my non-Petzl draws with the same bones as these as they make clipping extremely easy and don't twist. If I had an unlimited climbing budget, all quickdraws in my sport rack would be this combo.

Super comfy, the fixed leg loops are super easy, has enough gear loops, vents well, and rarely requires readjusting when hanging as did my previous harness (dude's will get that). One of the gear loops came loose so that it lost its rigidity over time, but everything else is in good shape. When it comes time to replace this in a few years, I'm sure I'll just get another as it will be a tough one to beat.

As said before, it's a great biner. Especially for racking the BD cams you can't go wrong with these. Good trade off between being small enough for weight but still large enough to clip. As my rack continues to grow, so will the number of these that come with me every time.

If it doesn't hold well on the first try, after I turn it around it seems to stick every time. Some of the reviews say they're more likely to get stuck. I'd agree that sometimes they stick a bit too well, but I'm more comfortable with the fact that I've only lost one versus the alternative of one that doesn't stick well enough. Invest in a good nut tool and it's rarely an issue and if it is, ohh well, the argument that your life is worth more than 8 dollars justifies if you have to leave one behind every now and then.

Having used these, I'll never go back to wired hexes. The slings help to keep them from getting knocked loose and leaves the possibility to load over a dull edge if you have to. Given the options for placement too it make it easy to find something that works. Until I can afford to double up on some commonly used cam sizes, these will come along on every climb.

My rack has been slowly thrown together and consists of Petzl Spirits, BD Positrons, and Wild Country Oxygen biners. Between those 3, I can't say I have a strong preference for one over the other. The positrons seem to have the smoothest action on the clipping, but it's not to the point where I notice that much of a difference. These are good strong biners and they come along on every climb. If the gate ever gets pushed open on these at the wrong moment, the 9kN open gate strength is definitely a comforting plus that you won't get with most biners.