Outdoor Gear Lab

Black Diamond did a great job designing this harness. Not only does the harness look quality and high tech, but the padded shoulder harness and leg loops do an excellent job of supporting the climber's weight. Any kid who has a brand new passion for climbing often will love this comfortable, sporty harness.go to full review

The Instinct is a great all-arounder, with an aggressive shape to hold its own on steep terrain and a stiff sole that excels on small edges. These shoes are incredibly well-made and built to last, which adds to their overall value. They break in quickly, fit a wide foot comfortably, and have a heel cup that fits better than most shoes in this review. The XS Grip 2 rubber soles are sticky and soft - able to smear into small holds. These features place the Instinct up there with our award-..." go to full review

Overall the Petzl Verso fulfills its role as a basic tube-style belay device. These designs are great for new or experienced climbers that appreciate simplicity and a good deal. When compared with its direct competition in this class though, we noticed a few small drawbacks in lock-off strength and durability. Nevertheless, the Verso is a capable belay device and well worth your consideration.go to full review

The Wild Country Revo is in a class of its own, with no other belay devices offering similar function and features. We laud its innovation and think it is more than worthy of a Top Pick award because it offers a solid and proven emergency backup while still requiring standard belay technique. For beginners or experienced climbers alike, this is an excellent choice for use cragging or at the gym.go to full review

The Edelrid Giga Jul is a true "all in one" belay device. Being able to rappel double ropes and belay in auto-block mode is a necessity for any multi-pitch belay device, but also adding in assisted braking greatly increases its value. We know many people who commonly carry a tube and a GriGri up multi-pitch climbs, just for this same versatility. With the Giga Jul, this need disappears, and this level of versatility is what makes it an easy choice for our Top Pick award for Multi-..." go to full review

The Black Diamond MiniWire are the smallest and lightest quickdraws we have ever used. They are designed for long alpine single push missions, where saving weight really matters, and make for a poor draw for sport climbing due to their miniscule size.go to full review

For the time being, the HotForge Quickdraw represents the top end of Black Diamond's quickdraw lineup, although it doesn't offer the same high end performance as the highest scorers in this review. It is a good budget purchase for those who like to clip their rope to a bent gate on the bottom.go to full review

The Black Diamond HotForge Hybrid are a new quickdraw that present excellent value, which is why we gave them our Best Buy Award. If you want a solid draw that is easy to clip, very easy to see, and has an easy to remove keylocking upper gate, all at a reasonable price, then look no further.go to full review

The Black Diamond Offset Micro isn't durable enough for every day trad climbing because they aren't as durable due to the soft metal of their heads and their wires being more prone to kinking. For a smaller everyday nut, we'd recommend the still offset but aluminum DMM Peenut coupled along with the DMM Alloy Offsets. However, for thinly protected routes that require tiny protection along with any big wall or aid route, these things are undoubtedly the ticket. After extensive side-by-side..." go to full review

The Cypher Huevos are the winner of our Best Buy Award because they are the best nut you can buy for the price. They are solidly designed and perform equally as well as the Black Diamond Stoppers and the CAMP Pro Nuts but for significantly less money. We still like models like the DMM Alloy Offsets, Black Diamond Offset Stoppers, and DMM Peenuts better for all-around and particularly harder trad climbing. But we really appreciate the utility of the Huevos, and their price means you are less..." go to full review