The Wild Country Friends are my go-to cam. For the price, I'd also say they are the best bang for your buck. My favorite feature on the Friends is the extendable sling. This really opens up a wide variety of lengths to mess with when extending your piece in the wall. I also am a big fan of the rounded and flexible thumb trigger. I feel like I can get a great grip when placing a friend into the wall. Another feature that is nice is the color-coded sizing they have. It makes it really simple..." go to full review

The Boreal Ninja’s impeccable fit and performance characteristics make it an excellent choice for sport climbing. Plus, the convenience of a slipper makes it an especially good choice for gym climbing and bouldering. For the climber with “duck feet,” the Ninja will be hard to beat on fit, as long as the heel fits in the heel cup. I have access to a massive array of sport climbing shoes, and the Ninja is my current leader for fit and comfort in a high-performance slipper.go to full review

The Dragonflys are an excellent set of micro cams which cover all the placement sizes you could ask for and offer the benefits of a narrow headwidth, extremely flexible stem and extendable sling. The placement sizes also overlap nicely with the DMM Dragons, which is great if you're double-racking cams. My only criticism (and I'm digging deep here) is that the alloy on the lobes of the Dragonfly isn't quite as soft as it could be, and therefore might not bite as well. Overall, if you're..." go to full review

The Singing Rock Penta is a very affordable helmet made with lightweight foam. It only comes in one size, and is not very adjustable, so one must be sure that it fits comfortably before committing to a purchase. If you are lucky, then the Penta can be a fantastic value purchase, while the majority are likely to find that the fit is too small, eliminating it as a choice for consideration.go to full review

The Mammut Ophir 4 Slide is remarkable because it has two waist buckles that allow for maximum adjustability while keeping the harness perfectly centered. It is an affordable option that is versatile enough for many styles of climbing, but unless you need its added adjustability, it is not the first recommendation that we would make.go to full review

The Black Diamond Solution Guide wins our Top Pick award for traditional and multi-pitch climbing because it best meets the needs for these disciplines — increased gear carrying capacity, durability, great hanging comfort — better than the competition. We also think it presents a great value and is versatile enough to be used at the crag for sport climbing as well. If you love the Solution but want larger gear loops, the Solution Guide is a perfect choice.go to full review

There is a bewildering array of options in the climbing shoe market. Unfortunately, the Mad Rock Shark 2.0 did little to distinguish itself from the field of shoes we tested. We concluded that its single strap design feels insensitive and too insecure for marginal edging. To top things off, it's not even easy to take on or off. Due to its low price, however, the Shark could still be worth considering. Maybe you'll be become one of the many happy customers out there eagerly singing its..." go to full review

Despite all the new technologies flooding the climbing shoe world, sometimes you just want a simple, inexpensive shoe. The 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 murderously 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. For less than the hundred..." go to full review

With considerable marketing hype and an Editors' Choice award from Climbing Magazine, we initially had high hopes for the FiveTen Aleon. Those hopes were dashed the moment we tried a pair on. The quality of the Aleon's feels sub-par and that's supported by a considerable set of online customer complaints. Aside from their performance in pockets, we were unimpressed in all other areas. If you're a huge fan of single strap bouldering shoes, they might be worth considering. Otherwise, their..." go to full review

The trad and crack climbing shoe scene has been dominated by the TC Pro for several years now. That's starting to change as several companies have added their own stiff-soled, high-top mimics. Black Diamond's contribution, the Aspect, is a great addition and worthy of consideration for those desiring more sensitivity or a low-top design that's less likely to irritate their Achilles tendons.go to full review