The Edelrid Zack is a very affordable and easily adjustable harness that will serve beginner climbers or the very money conscious climber well. Despite being the least comfortable harness in our side-by-side testing, it isn't nearly so uncomfortable as to be considered unusable, not by a long shot. As the lowest scorer in our review, it's not our first recommendation, but despite that it's a decent harness that is worth checking out if the Black Diamond Momentum or Petzl Corax aren'..." go to full review
The Petzl Corax is a reasonably comfortable harness that has the ability to serve well for all styles of rock climbing. It is most notable for its incredible adjustability, mostly due to its double buckle design on the waist belt. For this reason, climbers with larger bodies who still want the gear loops and belay loop to stay centered are encouraged to check it out.go to full review
If you're in the market for a lighter foam helmet, check out the Edelrid Shield II. Everyone that wore it during our testing period had positive things to say about it. It wasn't the highest scorer in our review, but still a solid performer and a great helmet.go to full review
We would have no reservations recommending this shoe to anyone young and just entering the sport. It's not the highest performing kid's shoe on the market, but it will get them into the sport at a great price, as the kid's climbing shoe market has expanded to offer a nice selection for them as they progress through the grades.go to full review
The new Black Diamond Momentum - Kids is the kind of shoe that will work for most kids. For those who are looking to seek out lots of crack climbing or those that are working overhanging routes, we would recommend looking towards the Evolv Venga (cracks), the La Sportiva Maverink, or the Evolv Ashima (steeps).go to full review
With all the similar options available for kids sit harnesses, there are a couple of nice things that set this harness apart from the crowd. For one, the buckles slide and release super smoothly for use by even the smallest hands. And two, for hanging it is one of the two most comfortable available. However, a couple of things keep it from being a top performer. The craftsmanship doesn't meet the same standard as the others, and its stiff padding leaves kids wishing for a softer feel.go to full review
There's a lot to like about the Cypher Firefly II. It's lightweight and won't feel overly heavy on your harness, but it will keep your wallet feeling heavier. We liked it so much we gave it our Best Buy award for those looking for a great value pick, particularly for traditional climbing.go to full review
The Mad Rock Gemini is one of the most unique locking carabiners we have ever used, with two separate "chambers" accessed by two different gates, which both manage to lock with one single screw lock mechanism. While it works decently for belaying, it isn't super versatile for other applications. While we don't think it's a bad product, we would sooner recommend others for the purpose of preventing cross-loading.go to full review
The Black Diamond GridLock Magnetron is a belay specific carabiner designed to prevent the possibility of cross-loading when catching a fall. We have seen many wildly different designs that attempt to solve this problem, but unfortunately Black Diamond's is the most annoying to use. Manipulating the belay carabiner repeatedly is an inherent part of belaying while climbing, and since this design makes this a challenging task compared to others, it is not by any means the first one that we..." go to full review
The DMM Rhino presents perhaps the most elegant solution to the problem of belay devices cross-loading when catching a fall, and is also one of the most affordable options for that purpose. We also like it because it lacks gadgets that can get in the way of performing other routine locking carabiner tasks, such as tying off at a multi-pitch anchor. It is very versatile, well made, and all-around a great choice for any climber.go to full review