Outdoor Gear Lab

We like a lot of things about the Sterling Fusion Nano IX. It's lightweight, handles well, and it fared pretty well during our tests. This is a great rope for certain situations, like a hard onsighting on a long route, but it's not the best everyday cragging rope. The new DryXP treatment also makes it suitable for Alpine and Ice climbs, though the rise of the Unicore lines has us preferring them in those situations due to the extra bit of safety that they provide. The Nano is still a great..." go to full review

The Edelrid Swift Eco Dry is an 8.9mm rope that comes in lengths between 60m and 80m, and is best used for situations where weight savings is mandatory. We loved our 80m for onsight attempts on 40m pitches at Chulilla and Montsant in Spain, and also laud Edelrid for taking the steps necessary to produce the most environmentally friendly climbing rope they could. While it isn't a highly affordable choice, it is certainly one that is worth the money.go to full review

The Sterling Evolution Helix is a skinny workhorse rope that hits the perfect sweet spot between light weight and great durability. We think it is one of the best ropes we have used for almost any type of climbing.go to full review

The Black Diamond Half Dome may be the single most popular climbing helmet in the United States. This popularity is surely due to the low price and the catchy name. We think it presents excellent value for beginners looking to get into the game without spending a fortune on equipment and is thus worthy of our Best Bang for the Buck award.go to full review

The Mammut Wall Rider MIPS wins our Top Pick award because it's the first climbing helmet to incorporate the potentially brain protecting MIPS technology. We expect to see many more companies follow suit soon to offer this technology as well. While it costs more than any other climbing helmet we have tested, we think its potential to prevent a potentially disastrous injury is worth the small bump in cost, and highly recommend you give this helmet a shot.go to full review

The Petzl Meteor wins our Best Bang for the Buck award for lightweight helmets because it offers good value while still cutting down on weight as much as possible. While it is more affordable than our Editors' Choice winning Petzl Sirocco, it's also heavier and scores a bit lower in our overall ratings. If you need a new helmet, want something light, but don't want to buy the most expensive one you can find, then the Meteor is an ideal choice for you.go to full review

You may be asking, with all of its drawbacks, why it even gets an award, to begin with, but the fact is, this shoe is a perfect design for so many kids out there. This innovative new shoe may not have the best performance in cracks or pockets, for instance, but it was given an award because it has rewritten the rules for what makes a good young kid's climbing shoe. Ask any new climber to try this on next to any of the other intermediate climbing shoes; there is no doubt, most of them will..." go to full review

The Stickit is a good option for most kid climbers. Its performance is comparable to the other intermediate kid's shoes but has a slightly better price on average. Its comfort and user-friendly design make it a good choice for new climbers and casual intermediate climbers alike.go to full review

The Five Ten Mini Mocc is a good all-around intermediate rock climbing shoe for kids. The soft leather and thin sole ensure comfort, while the Stealth S1 rubber has good grip on all types of rock and holds up well. However, the use of less (thinner) rubber means that they will wear down over time and may not last for more than one kid.go to full review

As far as all around kids climbing shoes go, the Evolv Venga takes the cake. It's a comfortable, flat, slightly asymmetric shoe that has great sensitivity, edging, and crack climbing performance. At $50 we have no complaints at all. This shoe was a contender for best buy because of the value, but because it performed so well well and is so durable, we gave it the Editors' Choice award. In this case, Editors' Choice doesn't necessarily represent the highest performance in our test group,..." go to full review