My climbing partners and I tested the Metolius Session II with many other pads. It was one of the few that didn’t get complaints of an uncomfortable carry from anyone — short, tall, man or woman, sometimes on hourlong approaches in the alpine.go to full review

Five Ten have tried to bring the Anasazi range into the modern era with the NIAD Lace. Have they succeeded? Kind of, although the answer is more nuanced and in reality, it's a different shoe. A more streamlined heel will appease long-time critics of the shoe but disappoint others. The toe rubber is a welcome addition for some purposes, although it's not designed for rigorous toe hooking. I think the NIAD Lace is certainly more comfortable than its predecessor (though everyone's feet are..." go to full review

The launch of the Zenist traces back to an idea from Shiraishi and Kyle Ng, a Los Angeles-based climber, photographer and co-founder of Brain Dead, a firm that specializes in designing exclusive product lines with leading apparel companies. Shiraishi then took the concept of a unique collaboration to Evolv, which began work immediately on a stylish competition-level shoe that will help support the growth of climbing and access to the sport.go to full review

I've used these gloves in Yosemite, Black Canyon and the Utah desert, and also crammed them into some sharp, crumbly choss cracks near my home on Colorado's Western Slope, and they're holding up well, much better than I predicted based on how thin they felt when I first tried them on. The synthetic suede has stretched a little, which is both good and bad in respective terms of comfort and performance; the thin rubber coating is starting to delaminate a wee bit from all the desperate thin-..." go to full review

The TX Guides are an amazing approach shoe I highly recommend for someone with a NARROW foot. They have a very breathable upper shoe and are ideal for areas like Indian Creek, Yosemite, Squamish. Less ideal for areas with scree fields, such as the Canadian Rockies. I haven’t tested them in these conditions myself but got reports the breathable upper gets cut with sharp rocks.go to full review

If you want a shoe that both runs and climbs well, the TX Guide is the best shoe I’ve seen. It combines the nimbleness and comfortable feeling of a trail-running shoe with the sticky-soled edging ability of an approach shoe.go to full review

The Arakys are an extremely comfortable shoe with a secure fit that should suit most foot shapes. The easy fastening and collapsible heel are handy features, and their sticky rubber makes them an excellent choice for short technical approaches, and even the very easy end of climbing and scrambling. However due to their flexibility there are limits to their performance on steeper ground. While they're not ideal for wet weather or long muddy UK mountain crag approaches, I would definitely..." go to full review