GearFlogger

If you liked the original Grigri you'll love the new version. Aside from being lighter and smaller and handling thinner ropes, the Grigri 2 just works smoother, like buttah. For a truly seamless belay experience pair it with Petzl's Freino carabiner, harder to find but worth it with a little horn that allows full control for lowering a heavier partner. The good folks at Petzl deserve credit for taking a great product and making it signficantly better, and extra credit for clear..." go to full review

This little fella has nice touches such as smooth edges and a covered keeper cable, and it's designed to work with ropes from 7.5mm to 9.5mm. In practice it's a smooth operator, working just fine for any normal belaying or rappelling scenario, and you'll barely know it's there until you need it...." go to full review

They have a smooth-like-buttah trigger, with a comfy grooved thumb-rest and a four-inch Spectra sling, making for easy placements. Link Cams are must-have gear, but this doesn't mean you'll want an entire rack of 'em for two reasons. First, they're heavier than most other models: 6.4 ounces for the #1. Second, they're 'spensive. What you will want is one of each size to save for the last, desperate placement that you can't see yet. Alpinists, this means you..." go to full review

New and improved, the Black Diamond ATC Guide is better than ever. Every rack should have a tube-style belay device that can be rigged off the belay anchor in auto-blocking mode, and the 3.1oz ATC Guide is a perfect example of how to do it right.
Improvements to the Guide are minor but appreciated. The cutouts on the sides reduce weight slightly, and the larger hole for releasing the autoblock will take a small carabiner. Still present are the two friction modes, the higher of which is..." go to full review

But for racking gear, etc. it's light, economical and Denali Approved. If you have the money and are a gram-nazi take a look at the OvalWire's more expensive cousin the Neutrino. Rack up a dozen of these and you'll save a quarter-pound over the OvalWire, at the cost of another $24...." go to full review

I've been using this 'biner for more than a year, and it's just the right size to use on your harness. I clip into the rope with it, use it for my belay/rappel device and keep a couple handy on my harness or pack straps for clipping anchors. I really don't understand it when I see people toting these crew-served ginormous D's around when something smaller like this will do...." go to full review

The asymmetric D design opens wide to take the worm, and the wire gate shaves weight and resists icing in alpine conditions. Also available as a quickdraw and at a slight discount as a "rackpack" of six 'biners, pictured at left (logo hiding the blue one) in anodized colors that match the new Camalots...." go to full review

I've been to three goat-ropes, two cockfights and a state fair and I've never seen anything like Black Diamond's new quickdraw. Based on their Oz carabiner, it weighs in at only 2.2oz. for the whole enchilada, two wiregates and a 12cm. Dynex dogbone...." go to full review

What I do know is that it is a keylock design, and while they recommend sticking to 9.4mm ropes or smaller for Munter hitching I tried it on a 10mm and it seemed to work just fine. There are a lot of applications where you don't need a monster crew-served 'biner, especially if you're not doing rescue work, and despite the hype the Vaporlock is ultralight and nicely sized for general climbing use...." go to full review

The CAMP Nano 23 sets a new high mark for logical product naming: it weighs 23 grams, or .8oz for the rest of us. This is versus 28 grams or almost a full ounce (fattie!) for the Black Diamond Oz. Other specs are equivalent to the Oz, with a slightly slimmer gate opening of 21mm versus 22m for the Oz.go to full review