Black Diamond C4's are the standard backbone of my (and many other climber's) rack for good reason. Black Diamond's offer wider range than single stem cams but are much more predictable and stable than other double stem or link cams. The downside is that they are heavier than single stem cams. I also bought the #4 cam, but don't place it that often.

If your dirtbag partner laughs at your color coordinated neutrino/C4 rack don't let it bother you! When halfway through a crux you spot a perfect purple placement these babies will help you find that Camalot faster. I was really surprised at how much easier it was to grab the right color biner rather than look for the cam and then find the biner it was attached to. Especially in an offwidth crack when I couldn't easily rumage through my cams. The neutrino's small size also keeps the gear loops less crowded and the cams from hanging too low. If I already had lightweight biners for my cams then maybe they weren't worth the extra cash, but since I was buying biners for the Black Diamond C4's, I think this was money well spent.

I'd seen these biners in one of the climbing rags and liked the idea. Not only are these biners notchless, like the Black Diamond positron or the petzl spirit, but the nose itself is a solid smooth bar. Indeed it is very easy to clean these biners from bolts, especially useful on overhanging sport routes when you have to all but wrestle standard biners. However, these biners feel really odd in your hands, and the gate action is rough. I only bought the straight gate, as I like wires for the clip end of draws.

I like this jacket in combination with a waterproof breathable hard shell. You can regulate temperature easily, since it is very breathable. It also packs down smaller than standard fleece, since it has higher loft. The cut is great and the pockets are accessable while wearing a backpack's hipbelt.