The Trango Low Bulk 11 Sling checks all of the boxes — low weight, affordable price, relatively easy to untie knots — that you would expect of a sling. While there are other options in this review that are cheaper, lighter, or even easier to untie once a knot has been welded into it, this sling strikes an appropriate balance that is hard to beat, and is certainly a product that we wholeheartedly recommend.go to full review

The Black Diamond Dynex Sewn Runner is an excellent sling that is versatile enough to be used for either anchor building or extending pieces on lead. With a reasonable price tag, we think it is a good value that should be a top choice for anyone looking to buy a new selection of slings.go to full review

The Petzl Pur'Anneau Sling is one of the highest rated slings in our comparative performance testing, and is particularly noteworthy for its low weight and bulk, as well as its soft, supple handle. It would easily be one of our top recommendations if it wasn't considerably more expensive than any other sling in this review.go to full review

The Mammut Contact Sling is our favorite climbing sling and also scores as the highest overall, making it our recommended choice as the best climbing sling you can buy. The only time we would seriously consider a different sling is if you are concerned about expense.go to full review

For years the Petzl Reverso and Black Diamond ATC Guide have been two of the most popular belay devices among American multi-pitch climbers. It's easy to understand why: they're both affordable, smooth, and reliable. At first glance, our testers thought they would prefer the Reverso because it's lighter and the shiny anodized finish looks cooler. However, when we compared the two side-by-side with the same ropes in a controlled environment (especially in auto-block mode) the ATC Guide came..." go to full review

The performance difference between the ATC Guide and Petzl Reverso is closer than we could have imagined. Both devices are smooth and reliable when belaying a leader or rappelling. They're also reasonably priced and durable. The differences amounted ultimately to only weight and auto-block resistance. Although the Reverso is lighter, over the lifespan of either device, we believe the ATC Guide's lower auto-block friction will save most users some energy. For this reason, we've named the ATC..." go to full review

The Trango Vergo is a cool active assist braking device that uses a different method for paying out slack to a leading climber that doesn't involve having to manually block the cam, as the other devices in this review do. Because of this, we actually find it the most enjoyable device for belaying a leader. It has few downsides and is relatively easy to learn how to use, and think that those who are curious about active assisted devices but aren't sold on a GriGri should certainly check it..." go to full review

The Petzl GriGri is the best and most popular active assist braking device on the market today. If you are looking to add a little bit of security to your belaying beyond the simple tube, this is the device we would recommend before any other.go to full review

With its versatile feature set, the Aquila can be used for most styles of climbing, with trad being the one style that we would avoid due to not having enough usable racking space. It is probably most suited for alpine mixed climbing and mountaineering, provided your warm clothes don't force you to loosen the leg loops up too much. It also makes for a pretty nice sport climbing harness, and it would work well in the gym as well.go to full review

The Black Diamond Momentum is a minimally featured harness that is comfortable, has super adjustable leg loops, and is very light. It is also significantly less expensive than harnesses that perform roughly the same, inspiring us to award it our Best Bang for the Buck. It's an awesome choice for any entry-level climber or just someone who needs a comfortable new harness and doesn't want to break the bank.go to full review