In the Gorges du Verdon we spent long days on walls filled with hanging belays. Weighing a hair over 17 ounces, the Adjama is twice the weight of my sport harness, but it is four times more comfortable. As we headed north to Céüse I wondered if I would notice the weight and regret having not brought a sport-specific harness. I didn’t. In fact, the width of the harness actually made me feel secure and confident, especially when facing those old-school Céüse runouts.go to full review

The four braided gear loops are ergonomic and an excellent size, but why, Singing Rock, oh why have you not given us even a little tag loop? The Pearl is beautifully comfortable and neat, and there are few harnesses I would rather sit in at a hanging belay, but without an accessory or tag loop the four gear loops quickly become overcrowded on multi-pitch routes. This oversight makes the Pearl best suited to women who value comfort on single-pitch routes of any discipline.go to full review

Those experiences on that cool autumn day in Eldo sold me on the Black Diamond ATC-Pilot (for ropes 8.7mm to 10.5mm; 85 grams) and it became my go-to device for general cragging, whether scary trad, dry-tooling or sport. I liked how smooth the device was to operate, both in regards to paying out and taking rope in, and how quickly it locked off when my partner fell or needed me to take weight.go to full review