The Wild County Mosquito Harness enters the realm of ultra-light packable harnesses at a very competitive price point. Half the price of a Petzl Sitta Harness (my gold standard for a year round harnesses), $60 cheaper than the Black Diamond AirNet Harness, and able to hold its own in most comparisons. This harness is marketed for sport climbing, but I tested it for both sport and traditional climbing about 50/50 and I think it’s a great traditional harness as well as suited for sport..." go to full review

I liked the new SCARPA Mago more than its predecessors. They embraced their niche as a steep-rock specialist more fully, going all in on the genre with a softer, more flexible build that’s retained good edging bite.go to full review

The Beta - and the Beta Eco - are a comfortable and competitively priced shoe that would be ideal either for the beginner just starting out, or as an indoor training shoe for the more experienced climber looking for comfort. Whilst the Quattro rubber might not be quite so sticky, what it lacks in that little bit of grip it makes up for in durability, which could - if you're using them frequently indoors - be of use to make the shoes last longer. If you've been climbing a little longer, or..." go to full review

To describe the Joker as a beginners model would massively undersell a shoe that has the ability to appeal to a much larger audience - that being anyone whose first priority is comfort. For low-mid grade routes and bouldering they're impressively versatile, with just enough stiffness to give a reassuring amount of support, but not too much to strip out the sensitivity. The fact they're made in the EU, and still manage to come in at an affordable price, makes them even more attractive. Unless..." go to full review

There is nothing wrong with Edelrid Jayne, but it didn't stand out enough in any one particular way to win an award in our review. It is comfortable and fairly versatile though, and may just be the perfect fit for you!go to full review

The Five Ten Anasazi VCS was a top-of-the-line climbing shoe for decades. With the NIAD VCS, Five Ten chose to rename the shoe while continuing to offer a model with the same time-tested design. History has proven that this shoe is capable of hard climbing. However, we believe that many modern improvements have allowed other designs to catch up and surpass the NIAD VCS when it comes to top-end performance.go to full review

Despite all the new technologies flooding the climbing shoe world, sometimes you just want a simple, inexpensive shoe. The La Sportiva Tarantulace is exactly that. For less than half the price of a high-end shoe, you get a quality-made Italian shoe fitted with sticky rubber that would make the Stone Masters of a bygone era madly jealous. Sure, better shoes do exist, but for plenty of folks, the performance benefits of a top-scoring shoe won't be worth the added costs. The affordably priced..." go to full review

2 years later and the Mystix is still an incredibly attractive, contemporary proposition, aimed at the high-end bouldering market with technically specific design features to streamline performance on modern, indoor problems. Powerfully downturned and rather stiff for a modern shoe, the Mystix felt like a weapon on my foot right out of the box with a pronounced point at the toe end of the shoe to dominate holds on overhanging terrain. This was where the Mystix truly thrived, clawing..." go to full review