Rock and Ice

The Mad Pad takes the cake for pure shock absorption. With over 4.75 inches of foam, this lunker of a pad almost never bottomed out. The hinged closure and speed buckles make opening and closing a snap. I would have liked an accessory pocket, but since it costs only $120, I can’t really complain—this pad is a heck of a bargain. Velcro flaps on the bottom and sides let you secure it to other pads if you need to create a larger landing zone.go to full review

Available in medium sizes, from .27 to .62 inches, bridging the gap between micro nuts and regular wires, these deft creatures shed the fat two ways. They are strung on a single cable, rather than a traditional looped wire, and are trimmed widthwise, narrowing their wide profile by about 40 percent.go to full review

TCUs have withstood the most important test, however - that of time. They are stable, durable, strong and now, ultralight. If weight is your primary concern (alpine, big wall, etc.) these units are for you. Twenty-five percent adds up when you're racking triple sets for a serious wall. The TCU is also significantly lighter on the wallet - $10 cheaper than the Zero and $20 cheaper than the C3...." go to full review

Subjectively, the C3s feel good in the hand. The ribbed trigger and thumb rest are grippy and even the #000 fit my big mitts. The C3s were, the easiest to actually use. This makes them especially suited to free-climbing, where dinking around can make the difference between reaching the anchors, falling or yelling, "Take!"..." go to full review

The #1 and #2 Zeros are the tiniest cams in the world. If you aid-climb or free-climb thin cracks or pin scars, these are mandatory cams. The bigger cams, #3 and up, are extremely functional and comparable to the other brands.go to full review

In a strict contest of camming range, the Linkcam is the decisive winner—each of the two sizes expands at least 2.5 times its minimum size, giving the units an astounding range. The #2, for instance, equals the range of the .75, 1 and 2 Camalot. The Linkcam achieves the range by using articulating cams that shape shift: each cam lobe consists of three hinged cams that swing down to get small, or link together to expand.go to full review

The Supercam’s powers lie in its stability and strength, which, coupled with an incredible ability to get out of a tight squeeze, make it a noble addition to any trad rack. Place the Supercam in bomber rock, and you truly feel protectedgo to full review

I’ve used Metolius cams since the early 1990s and have always been impressed with their durability and strength. My only beef has been that my big hands just don’t fit their other U-stemmed cams. Now, with the Master Cams, Metolius not only fills the narrow-head-cam niche near perfectly, but puts out a unit that fits Papa Bear just right.go to full review

I will rack the X4s over the C3s, and if I need additional units or one that’s even smaller, I’ll supplement with the C3. I’ll also carry the X4s over the C4 in the latter’s four smallest sizes. Happily to that end, the X4s are color coded the same as the C4s (blue, grey, purple, green).
I gave the X4s the highest possible rating because they are among the best small camming units I have used, and I couldn't find a fault them...." go to full review

These tiny nuts are a compound of copper and iron machined to offset wedges and swaged with a patented technology that Black Diamond claims is strong, flexible and not prone to fraying. These are the next-generation RP. After a few trips up The Health Issue, a new granite 5.11 close to the office, I was impressed by the nuts' durability. Alloys usually dent and scratch pretty quickly, but the Micro Stoppers held up to some yanking, though (thankfully) no falls.
I really like the..." go to full review