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 Evolv Capitan
If your idea of an approach is pulling on the parking brake so you can belay safely from your car, then stick with your flip-flops. The Evolv Capitans are shoes for real climbing approaches—as in hiking. With leather uppers, a fully lugged sole, a stiff heel cup, and a shank underfoot, these shoes are built for rough terrain. Bust them out for the approach to high camp below Half Dome or the Cirque of the Towers in the Wind Rivers.  So iLL Dose
The latest creation from the genius Brothers Chancellor isn’t eccentrically molded urethane shapes or a hangboard that scares the bejeezus out of you. It’s a fizzy liquid super-charged with caffeine, and just what the sleepy climber’s doctor ordered. The citrus-flavored Dose energy drink is not for the weak at heart. It’s a full-fledged, high-octane boost (about the same caffeine content of a Red Bull), and it has a shock of flavor to match. It’s definitely not Kombucha, so if you’re the hippy-dippy, pure-and-natural-food type, steer clear.  Pure Gear PX360 Extreme Protection System
I’ve come to terms with the fact that my iPhone 4 is my digital camera of choice. But it gets sketchy when I pull it out at the crag and leave it on a rock. And it’s even sketchier when I’m on a multi-pitch and zipping and unzipping whatever pocket I’ve stashed it in. This nifty little case takes the worry away with its shockproof shell and protective screen covering. As I heaved myself up the four pitches of The Young and the Rackless (5.9+) in Boulder Canyon, Colorado, a few weekends ago, it banged against every inch of rock on the route, and came out with nary a scratch.  Stonelick Yose
“Why don’t more companies utilize a hinge design like this?” asked our initial tester within five minutes of using the Yose. The “step hinge” design, combined with the durable and perfectly ratioed dense-to-soft foam, made this pad an absolute favorite for all testers. “Having this pad below me really does take away any fall anxiety,” another tester claimed. The step hinge doesn’t have any bottom-out deadspots like typical hinge designs, and Velcro in the hinge kept everything locked into place.  Sierra Designs Prophecy
After almost 40 days of testing in Spain (yeah, our testers have it pretty good), the Prophecy was a favorite among the three packs taken into the field. With a T-shaped zipper up the front and along the top that opens up the pack completely, it offered plenty of storage room for 14 draws, a down puffy, long-sleeve shirt, two pairs of climbing shoes, chalk bag, food, and water. Padded shoulder straps made one “grueling” three-hour, uphill approach bearable, and there was no “search and rummage for your Grigri and chalkbag” once at the crag, thanks to a built-in daisy chain inside for keeping smaller items in place.  Edelrid Caddy
Leave it to the Germans to induce a flat-out “Why didn’t I think of that?!” moment in something as simple as a rope bag. The Edelrid Caddy will have you kicking yourself in the pants because of its pure simplicity-cum-effectiveness. (Seriously, you could have made millions.) It throws conventional rope-bag designs to the wind by adding a sort of receiving pod in the middle of the rope tarp. The rope lays out on the tarp as usual, but when you want to put it away, you pick up all four corner handles, snap your wrist, and—blammo!—the rope is tucked neatly in the center pot.  Beta Stick Compact
Sport climbing equals low commitment, and the lowest commitment means stick-clipping. For pre-clipping the first bolt or clipping up while working a route, the Beta Stick is the sport climber’s magic wand. And with a special brush adapter (brush included), even boulderers will make good use of this simple tool. Although it seemed a bit flimsy at first, it turned out to be quite stable, and four testers clipped rope and bolt with ease during trips to the winter sport paradise of Shelf Road, Colorado.  Tsun Micro Edges
While the climbing gym is a wonderful tool for getting stronger, it does nothing to mimic the unique aspects of real rock. (If you find a massive bucket in the outdoors you can wrap your entire arm around, let me know—I want to climb there.) Tsun Micro Edges might just change the game. They’re realistic, flexible, stick-on features that work on most flat surfaces and also can be stuck onto other holds.  Leki Carbon 4
Remote climbing and bouldering are all about approaches and descents. That’s half the battle of crushing rocks in a high-altitude environment, but trekking poles always seemed to make you look doofy. But within 20 minutes of using the Carbon 4s on a steep downhill, I had that “Aha!” moment. I am officially a convert. These poles were so light and comfy that I barely noticed carrying them.  The North Face Convert Duffel
While skeptical of this duffel bag–cum-cooler-cum-backpack, it allowed us to carry iced beer to the crag, so it was a no-brainer. Our tester dragged this bag from climb to climb for 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell in Arkansas (where beer is an acceptable substitute for water and food), and he said, “I threw it around a bunch, and it held up well.” The cooler compartment zips off, and it’s not watertight, so packing it with a lot of ice is gonna cause leaks, but a frozen ice pack should achieve the same cooling effect without the drip.  Five Ten Quantum
The classic pink Anasazi lace-up has finally been redesigned for better performance. The new Quantum sports a stiff, asymmetric edging platform, and improvements include a downturned toe, noticeable arch, and a lower-volume, snug-fitting heel cup. The Quantum is solid on technical face climbs, thanks to a stiff midsole and 4.5mm Stealth Onyx outsole, yet the aggressive toe also grabs steep edges and pockets with authority.  Wild Country Helium Friends
The Friend is the oldest spring-loaded cam, introduced in 1977, and it’s had a great overhaul. Helium Friends retain the classic single-axle design of the Technical Friends they replace, but their new hot-forged cam lobes are a tad lighter, and each unit has greater overlap with its neighbors—a full set is nine cams, versus the old 11. The Helium adds a big thumb loop for more clipping options, and the trigger system has been re-engineered.  Stoic Thrive Shorts
I gave these shorts to our most discerning apparel tester, and he described them as “slim, comfy, and simple,” and said the streamlined fit made them feel almost tailored. They still moved really well, thanks to the Thrive stretch-weave material and a cut that tapers from close fitting around the waist and hips to a looser knee. Our tester said, “If you’re high-stepping or heel hooking, you never notice the shorts; they move with your body as you move up the wall.”  CiloGear 30L City Bag
Developed in the wet winters of Portland, Oregon, the CiloGear 30L City Bag is just the pack for commuting between home, work, and gym. This burly backpack has all the nifty features of a great messenger bag, and it comes from a company that makes some of the toughest alpine packs out there. Our urbanite tester used it for airport travel, trips to the record store (can you say hipster?) and climbing gym, and to and from work. |
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