Climbing Gear Reviews UK

I have used the Wild Country Blaze harness for all the spring rock climbing season and if you are looking for an all round rock climbing harness you won’t go far wrong. It’s comfortable, light, super adjustable and has a great freedom of movement feel to it. Just remember to get the sizing right and the addition of a bigger loop or even a fifth gear loop would make it even better.go to full review

The Edelrid Mega Jul is a ‘guide plate’ type of belay device. That is: it can be used for locking off your second with two screwgates. The top ring is well situated and you need to be careful to read the instructions on the side of the Jul in order to get it right. In fact I would say that the Mega Jul is more of an ‘expert’ belay device than one for beginners as it needs to be used in two different positions. The green thumb ring needs to be at the bottom for normal belaying and at the top..." go to full review

At the budget end we tested an Aero quickdraw too. Again there were no real performance issues, they performed flawlessly. The sewn sling was narrower but the clipping, bent gate was the now familiar ergonomic design. The weight can be further reduced by having Spectre slings and DMM have also pimped up the colour range to help them look more stylish. A great first set of quickdraws that will perform well.go to full review

If weight is an issue you could try the Shadow quickdraw, these performed almost as well as the Alpha Sport. They had the same sewn sling and the same ergonomic bent gate for clipping. They just weren’t as big. But if you’re looking for a lighter weight, all round set of quickdraws that would be suitable for all climbing situations then these would fit the bill.go to full review

In use I found the Alpha Sport quickdraws just brilliant, the carabiners performed in all sport climbing situations from on sighting to redpointing. They came into their own when working routes. The Alpha Pro was big enough to get my hand into when I needed to pull up and the chunky sling was great when my hands were sweaty. Both the Alpha Pro and the Alpha Clip had a ridged spine, the added friction it offered was welcome in the high to reach clips.go to full review

The Wild Country Pro Guide gets five stars for value as it comes with an HMS carabiner. This is for the same price as just a plate on its own with some manufacturers, so great value really. It works very well and the claim that it is ‘do it all’ belay device is true. I’ve used it all season both recreationally and professionally and I often find myself recommending it to everyone, so praise indeed!go to full review

So, to sum things up. The 19G quickdraws from Edelrid are a well made, full strength and ultralight quickdraw, best suited to classic alpinism, but also a great supplementary addition to your trad or sport rack. Their small size means they are not as easy to clip, particularly when wearing gloves but they do a great job of reducing the weight on your back or around your waist, meaning you can move quicker and more efficiently. Light really can be right!go to full review

In terms of durability there is little evidence of wear, and the construction appears of the highest quality, tie-in points in particular are ‘beefy’ the leg loop section having a solid plastic protector which I’ve not seen before that makes threading ropes particularly easy and completely protects the webbing from wear. This beefiness and durability does incur a slight weight penalty with the Edelerid Orion tipping the scales at approximately 430 grams (M). The only negative point I’ve come..." go to full review

So, in conclusion, the DMM Renegade 2 is a great all round mountain harness. It will perform well for all climbing activities, is very comfortable and the seven gear loops work well and are useful (especially for big multi pitch rock and winter routes). It’s been my ‘go to’ harness for instructional/guiding work and is definitely a good improvement on the original Renegade. If you are going to buy just one harness for everything you do then you will find the Renegade 2 good value for money..." go to full review

So, in conclusion I have no hesitation in awarding the DMM Thor quickdraws 5 stars for performance. I have used them for all my Trad climbing this season, they perform well enough for sport climbing (although they work better for on sighting as the thin Dyneema slings are not good for grabbing) and I feel they will perfom great in winter. The sets come with either a Thor top biner or a shadow top biner, my preference has definitely been for the wire gate Thor.go to full review