Elliot Vaughan, 21, a climbing-gym employee, packs up to go bouldering on the high granite blocks of Independence Pass, Colorado. Shoes, chalk, crash pad, fan 鈥�.

In the last several years more and more people are bringing fans to cool and dry themselves and the surfaces where they ply their hard sequences. Moisture in the air can dampen those little tiny holds you must, must minutely progress on. We are talking portable nine-inch fans鈥攎ore the kind of thing you鈥檇 look for at Home Depot or on ($120) than from Petzl or Black Diamond鈥攚ith rechargeable batteries that cost more than the fans. Climbers (not this one!) take fans to boulders, seeking those cool sending temps even in some dank cave. Some lug them around at competitions. Some even them.

I鈥檝e been climbing longer than you want to know, and it used to be that you鈥檇 take a rope and rack, shoes of course, the jacket on your back鈥攁nd maybe a nail clipper鈥攖o the crags. OK, a roll of tape. Today you鈥檇 still take those, but climbers may also bring these accessories:

Leaf Blowers

Again to battle the dread humidity. They are portable and can be aimed, as if you were a sci-fi character with a laser gun.

Humidity Gauges

Handheld meters, that is, are used perhaps not widely, but internationally. 鈥淐onditions aren鈥檛 good!鈥� someone might say in consternation. It鈥檚 unclear whether, psychologically, that information helps or hurts.

Stick Clips

These extendable sticks (named after the actual branches climbers used to tape a carabiner to) with a notch or clasp for a carabiner allow you to clip a rope into the first bolt of a route from the ground rather than going ten feet up with no protection. Some climbers traditionally scorned this resource: they were cool characters, fine climbing a few feet off the ground. Yet as far back as early Rifle, Colorado, days in the 1990s, some routes were designed to be stick clipped, because they had hard moves right off the deck. Moreover, holds can break, or you can slip Today everyone is walking around like a shepherd with a crook.

Oh, and if you want to connect elements, you can put a fan on the end of a stick clip, and hoist it up high to dry off that s0-key hold.

Belay Glasses

鈥淐heaper than surgery,鈥� as Roger Schimmel, a lifer climber, has intoned. These are shelf-like open reflecting specs that allow you to hold your head level rather than craning up to watch and belay a climber on lead. I dislike them; they make me seasick and for other reasons: a climber on lead used to be able to glance down and see the belayer’s nice concerned human face looking up. Yet I may soon concede to neck aches from peering up at overhanging terrain. People in belay glasses are now routine along the bases of popular walls, like the audience in a 3-D theater.

Belay Gloves

Once these seemed a bit 鈥� over careful. Now they鈥檙e standard issue. And judging by the amount of blood I saw at the base of a wall last week, left behind the day before by a very nice, experienced climber whose finger got pinched in her belay device, belay gloves just gained another convert.

Dremels

At the climbing gym, young Elliot brings out one of these electric burr devices between burns on the Kilter Board and calmly tends to calluses on his palms and fingers. From nearby, Noah Jones, 23, lowers his eyelids, murmuring, “Sooo extra”鈥攚hile another youth offers that there are also callus grinders for feet.

Crash Pads

Boulderers simply used to spot each other, but that was dicey over rocky ground or on hot days with slippery people. Now climbers carry bouldering pads鈥攕ometimes several strapped together鈥攐n their backs to spread on a rock, forest, or desert floor to protect them in short and not-so-short falls. Climbers with pads look like ants lugging huge crumbs.

My early bouldering career, at the historic Alcove in Boston, was pre-pads, and one time I sprained my ankle and had to crutch up and down the stairs to my fifth-floor walkup. I don鈥檛 need a fan, but pile on those pads.

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What you bring with you to the crag (and onto the wall) is just as critical as how you train. You could do 1,000 pull-ups per day and drink half a dozen energy drinks right before you tie in, but if you鈥檙e using thumbtacks as pro, clipping carabiners from Dollar General, and tying into 50-pound hemp rope, you aren鈥檛 going to get far. We tied in for over 100 pitches with the newest climbing accessories鈥攊ncluding ropes, cams, helmets, belay gloves, packs, and apparel. Here are the nine pieces that came out on top.

Black Diamond Capitan MIPS Helmet ($100)

The new Capitan MIPS boasts large vents and weighs just 285 grams in size small, without compromising protection. A two-part ABS plastic shell covers a layer of lightweight EPP foam with a stiffer EPS foam puck at the crown, plus MIPS technology.

Wild Country Offset Zero Friends Camming Devices ($390 for five)

Boasting the narrowest head width of any cams on the market鈥�28.1 millimeters on the 0.1鈥�0.2鈥攖he Zero Friends are ideal for weird fits like flares and pin scars. Their soft aeronautical-aluminum heads boost friction, and the wide, 17.6-degree camming angle yields more expansion for small sizes. They range from 49 to 78 grams and feature flexible stems and adjustable Dyneema slings.

Trango Physic Locking Carabiner (from $17)

The small and lightweight Physic takes up less space on your harness than a traditional belay biner. But its wide top keeps rope handling and Munter-hitch management just as easy. A flat keylock nose prevents snags. It鈥檚 available in autolock (pictured) and screw-lock versions.

Sterling IonR 9.4mm Yellow Xeros 60m Rope ($250)

Sterling鈥檚 IonR line gets upgraded with a new dry treatment that鈥檚 applied at the fiber level before weaving rather than to the outside of the finished rope. This reduces waste and ensures the water protection lasts as long as the rope does. The lightweight, do-it-all 9.4-millimeter version is easy to feed and flake.

Arc鈥檛eryx Konseal 40L Pack ($190)

At 40 liters, the Konseal is big enough to devour your rack, rope, harness, shoes, and helmet with room to spare鈥攁nd it stands up on its own, which makes for easy loading and unloading. The tough Cordura body and padded sides and bottom keep your kit safe, and the large top lid yields ample room for lunch and sundries.

Mammut Crag Keylock Wire 10cm Quickdraw ($80 for six)

Mammut鈥檚 newest quickdraw mates a large, snag-resistant keylock clipping carabiner to a stiff polyester dogbone for easy clipping. But a lightweight wiregate bottom biner shaves weight, so the finished piece comes in at a respectable 106 grams. Red fibers appear as the dogbone sheath degrades over time, so you know when it鈥檚 time for a replacement.

Ortovox Valbon Pants ($150)

These organic cotton and hemp bottoms are stretchy and light, yet still weathered rough sandstone cracks without a rip. They lay flat under a harness, with a comfy merino-infused waistband and out-of-your-way elastic cuffs.

Pitch Six EyeSend Belay Glasses ($95)

These are the only belay glasses we鈥檝e found with an adjustable field of view. A flick of the finger lets you change your perspective from 60 up to 120 degrees as your climber moves above, reducing dreaded neck cricks.

Hestra Climbers Short 5-Finger Gloves ($55)

Built from rugged goat leather with foam knuckle pads and neoprene cuffs these snug fingerless gloves offer supreme protection for alpine rock or backcountry missions. But they鈥檙e breathable enough for daily cragging, too.

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Back in the day we鈥檇 make 鈥渄ad draws鈥濃�攓uickdraws with lockers on either end. We used these for toproping sport routes or for first bolts with tough moves over bad landings where, if the rope should somehow unclip itself from a regular carabiner, a fall would be catastrophic. Of course, now that I am a dad, I use dad draws without irony. The goal is always to come home to my kids, even if they probably broke something in the house (again) while I was out climbing and likely aren鈥檛 even sorry.

Metolius has come up with a commercial dad draw, the Anchor 鈥楧raw, that puts lockers on both sides of a 7鈥� dogbone in a smart, well-designed way that makes dad draws both sexy and fun to use. The smart comes from the 鈥渃aptured-eye carabiners,鈥� special screwgates with a threading eye that keep the lockers oriented vertically鈥攚ith the load along their strongest, major axis. This they did 100 percent reliably, and I quickly made them my go-to anchor draws for sport climbing and bolting, where you fix a static line to the anchors. Meanwhile, the well-designed comes from the lockers鈥� (and draws鈥�) sleek, low-profile feel. These are not clunky, old dad draws but are instead the size of your standard draw, and at a relatively light 3.8 ounces (compared, say, to the 2.9 ounces for Metolius鈥檚 Inferno II draw), they are easy to rack and carry.

I鈥檝e been using them for months now, and they鈥檝e held up extremely well to repeated use: The purple carabiner, which I鈥檝e been running the rope through, has some wear to the blue anodized paint but is not the least bit grooved in the basket. The hanger-side carabiner has no signs of nicks or cuts. All of the screwgates are still as smooth as ever. And the dogbone still looks great, despite repeated toprope and bolting sessions. Basically, if you鈥檙e going to be toproping off sport anchors, you鈥檇 be remiss not to carry these鈥攖hey鈥檙e light, low-profile, and save wear on your regular quickdraws and on anchor hardware.

Basics

The Metolius Anchor ‘Draw is an anchor and first-bolt quickdraw that incorporates two screwgate locking carabiners on either end of a 7″ nylon dogbone. The lockers are kept oriented vertically through their “captured eye” technology鈥攅ssentially a hole in the carabiner the sling has been passed through before being bartacked down. The draws are CE/UIAA certified and hold 22 kN (4,950 lbf) of force.

Pros

• Light and easy to carry at 3.8 ounces鈥攖hey don’t weigh much more or take up much more space than a regular quickdraw
• Screwgates are big and easy to use
• Hard wearing and built to last
• Give major peace of mind when toproping or for hard climbing at the first or second clips

Cons

Not sure what happens if/when you need to resling a new dogbone through the captured eye鈥攎aybe you can send them back to Metolius? I wasn’t sure which end was for the rope and which was for the hangers, so I ended up going with purple for the rope, using the mnemonic “Red is for rope”鈥攔ed is pretty close to purple, right?

Our Thoughts

At only $30 each, the Anchor ‘Draw is a no-brainer investment for safety and peace of mind when toproping off sport anchors or on routes with hard climbing down low, where you want the added security of a locker on your gear and on the rope. They carry light and sleek, and are easy to bring up on your harness, even for onsight burns.

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Mountain Hardwear Crag Wagon 45 Backpack ($230)

Minimalist looks hide this hauler鈥檚 true capabilities. A guidebook sleeve, three external pockets, and a clamshell opening keep you organized. Meanwhile, the expandable cinch top accommodates a 70-meter rope.

Black Diamond 9.6 Dry Bi-Pattern Rope (from $290)

At 9.6 millimeters鈥� enough girth to lend durability without too much bulk鈥攖his dry-treated rope is our favorite workhorse. The bi-pattern design is key on rappels.

Black Diamond Onsight 375 Headlamp ($60)

The Onsight 375 has a distance beam for route finding and a wide one for climbing鈥攕witch with just a tap. A rear battery reduces forehead bulk.

Scarpa Booster Climbing Shoes ($189)

Scarpa鈥檚 beloved all-around shoe got a new last that鈥檚 wider up front and narrower in the heel. Increased precision comes from a light, grippy, durable synthetic patch in the toe box.

Arc鈥檛eryx Oriel 28 Leggings ($89)

We love the Oriel for its durable, breathable nylon and opaque black elastane. This year, a higher rise (8.7 inches) means you won鈥檛 moon your belayer.

Prana Sol Defender Hoodie ($79)

The Sol Defender looks like a normal hoodie, but it鈥檚 packed with technical qualities, like its UPF 30+ rating, durable polyester blend, and wicking grid interior.

Petzl Corax LT Harness ($60)

The latest iteration of Petzl鈥檚 popular sport harness is even more comfortable, with a wider waist belt and leg loops. The foam kept our legs happy (and awake) during long hangs.

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Wild Country Session Quickdraws Six-Pack ($95)

At 3.5 ounces apiece, with stiff dogbones and rubber vices that make clipping easy, these are our new favorite quickdraws for projecting.

Arc鈥檛eryx Konseal FL 2 Approach Shoes ($145)

Most approach shoes are either stiff for climbing or supportive for hiking, but the Konseal does both. A layer of TPU lends a springy feel to the thin midsole, which has a beveled edge for support.

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Any adventurer听should have a solid handle on the different types of knots for different scenarios,听how and when to use them, and鈥攐f course鈥攈ow to tie听them. Need a primer? To help you out,听听checked in with professional tree climber and rigger听, who听shares his five favorite knots and their principle functions.

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Mountain Hardwear 惭别苍鈥檚 Tutka Warm Pants ($125)

Made of stretchy twill and a brushed interior, the Tutkas look like khakis and feel plush, but they offer work-pants durability.

Tenaya Mastia Shoes ($200)

An aggressive shoe isn鈥檛 usually this comfy out of the box. And its asymmetrical last performs: toeing, edging, and heel hooks all feel solid.

CamelBak Octane 25 70 Oz Hydration Pack ($145)

This smart 25-liter hauler has a two-liter reservoir and room for food and layers.

Backcountry Double Dyno 奥辞尘别苍鈥檚 Climbing Pants ($110)

Testers liked the Double Dyno鈥檚听 stretch and deep pockets, and how it fit a variety of hips while leaving room for leggings underneath.

La Sportiva TX Guide Approach Shoes ($159)

Rubber outsoles can make approach shoes stiff and uncomfortable after more than an hour of use. But the TX Guides kept our feet happy because they have virtually no break-in period. Credit the cushy heel padding and four-millimeter OrthoLite insoles.

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Arc鈥檛eryx Motus AR Hoodie ($99)

At 5.5 ounces, this ultrasoft polyester midweight is lighter than similar models and kept us from overheating on approaches to the crag. The high neck and thumb loops boost coverage.

Black Diamond Circuit Crash Pad ($150)

Style points are what won us over, but there鈥檚 far more to love about the Circuit than just its flash. At less than nine pounds, it鈥檚 one of the lighter straight-hinge models on the market.

Mountain Hardwear Stretchdown Hybrid Hoodie ($300)

This 700-fill puffy weaves the face, back, and baffles from the same fabric. The upshot: better range of movement and heat retention. Plus, its pockets sit above a harness for sport days.

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Nineteen years ago, I bought my first pair of climbing shoes鈥攖he . Ten years and a bunch of different climbing-shoe models听later, I bought another pair of Moccasyms. Today听you can still buy them. And for certain kinds of climbing (granite friction slabs听and splitter cracks),听they鈥檙e听still one of the best shoes that exist.

You might read that and think,听Some things never change. But when it comes to climbing shoes, you couldn鈥檛 be more wrong. Back when I bought that first pair of Moccasyms, there weren鈥檛 many brands to choose from.听As of 2019, there were at least (and I can think of a few more now). While larger companies (Five Ten, La Sportiva, Scarpa) still dominate much of the market share in the industry, it鈥檚 great to see some interesting听boutique companies popping up with quality offerings. Here are听a handful of brands making a splash.

Acopa

was founded in Guadalajara by Mexican climbers Ernesto Vazquez and Dario Piana in 1997听and brought to the States by climbing legend听 and Steve Allen Karafa Jr. in 2003. In 2006, Acopa was well on its听way to being one of the top shoe companies in the U.S. But en route to the airport from the Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City, Bachar lost control of the SUV he was driving, and Karafa died in the accident. Acopa lost one of its听stars, , a year later, and Bachar died in a free-soloing accident in 2009. By 2010, Acopa had closed up shop. But ten years later, Piana and new business partner Sergio Langarica have revived Acopa, and the beloved brand听and its听tried-and-true shoes are back in business. One of the听headlining models is听 ($199, named after听Bachar), a shoe which climbs and looks very similar to La Sportiva鈥檚 TC Pro. But before you go crying copycat, consider this: the original JB actually predates the TC Pro.

UnParallel

鈥渨as started in 2017 by Sang Lee, who handled development and production for Five Ten climbing until Adidas closed the Redlands outlet鈥� in California, according to the website . A quick glance at its听lineup reveals that almost all of the company鈥檚听designs appear to be modeled after Five Ten shoes. (Adidas owns Five Ten.)听I听听($140), and frankly, I loved it. It edged precisely, while also doing well in tough crack sizes, in a comfortable package that can be worn all day long. Additionally, UnParallel does resoles听and, based on my experience, a good job of it. I鈥檝e tried a dozen or so shoe resolers over the years, and UP is in听my top two or three.

Butora

I learned about during a brief stint managing the retail shop of a climbing gym in Colorado in 2016. I was impressed by some of the South Korean company鈥檚 offerings鈥攑articularly the Acro, which I wore one day to climb听in during a shoe demo鈥攂ut honestly, I didn鈥檛 expect it听to make much of a dent in the American market, because other Asian climbing-shoe brands have struggled to succeed it here. Boy, was I wrong. Today听Butora not only has a devoted cadre of followers, but听. This knowledge has led to some cool features, such as high- and low-volume options in all of its offerings instead of the typical male and female choices. Butora is taking a more gender-neutral path: all of its听models are fairly unisex, and there鈥檚 no gender-based assumptions about foot volume. Price points are听pretty low compared to other shoe companies. The Acro ($154)听is hard to beat,听and the Altura ($155), its听high-top,听is like $40 cheaper than other competitive high-top models from Acopa and La Sportiva. If Butora听keeps it up, it听may unseat some of the industry giants in the coming years.

Tulson Tolf

When I first saw this company鈥檚 glittery (yes, that鈥檚 right) , the California ($125), I thought it was a joke. Turns out,听Tulson Tolf is actually quite serious, as evidenced by some of the names on its听sponsored squad: Kilian Jornet, Karl Egloff, and Denis Urubko are all TT athletes, and although those guys are definitely more mountaineers or mountain runners than rock climbers, Rock and Ice magazine thought well enough of TT to give the听sparkly shoes a . I haven鈥檛 tried them or seen anyone else wearing them, though鈥攁nd it seems like they would be hard to miss.

kN Climbing听

First: this brand鈥檚听shoes cost $350. Second: each pair is custom-made using a 3D scan of your foot. As such, is about as niche as it gets, which is why I鈥檓 including them here. Back in the day, nobody anticipated the rise of print-on-demand books听or the massive explosion of self-publishing facilitated by Amazon and other companies. Could a similar model be the future of rock-climbing shoes? That depends on whether kN Climbing鈥檚 unique methodology will actually yield a significantly more effective鈥攐r more comfortable鈥攃limbing shoe. It was听a three-week process to get the right fit dialed, have the shoes made, and then shipped, but it was totally worth it:听my very first time wearing them, I sent a 5.12a ar锚te听that a friend and I had recently bolted. They definitely nail the comfort-performance ratio as well (if not better) than most shoes I鈥檝e听ever worn. In the听few months since I started wearing them, they鈥檝e become my go-to shoe for almost everything I climb (bouldering, sport, and听trad鈥攖he only exception being very precise edging routes, since the model I got lacks a midsole and, as such, isn鈥檛 great for edging). I can鈥檛 say how well they鈥檒l stand the test of time, but my initial impression is that kN Climbing is onto a very, very good thing that will only get better.

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Mammut Comfort Knit Fast Adjust 颅Harness ($160)

Testers loved Mammut鈥檚 harness for its wide leg loops and seam-free lining, which hugs the lower back without digging in. The 3-D-knit material held up to chimney squeezes in Moab without fraying.

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Livsn Designs Flex Canvas Pants ($99)

These trousers from Livsn do it all, with zippered security pockets in front, reflective straps at the cuff for commuting, a gusseted crotch, and a mesh liner鈥攁ll in a burly cotton-polyester blend.

Black Diamond Camalot Z4 Cams ($70)

Pull the Camalot Z4鈥檚 trigger and the stem stiffens for easy placement. Release it and it bends for safety in horizontal cracks. This also prevents the cam from walking.

Scarpa Veloce Climbing Shoes ($139)

The Veloce is a shoe for all climbers. It weds the comfort and price point of a gym shoe with the thin midsole, mild downturn, and 颅ultrasensitive toe of a technical model.

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Mystery Ranch Tower 47 Pack ($275)

The Tower 47鈥檚 U-shaped front panel zips open for easy access. There are handles for moving your load between routes, dual daisy chains, and five pockets to keep your rack and sundries organized.

Mammut 9.0 Alpine Sender Dry Rope ($260)

Slinky and supple, this lightweight line is ideal for alpine climbs and long-approach days, when cutting weight makes all the difference.

The North Face North Dome Chalk Bag ($29)

Drawstrings are a thing of the past. The North Dome鈥檚 buckle closure keeps your precious magnesium carbonate from leaking, and when it鈥檚 time to send, the cover folds down around the mouth.

Outdoor Research Astroman Hoodie ($89)

This quarter-zip shines in light squalls. Its soft, stretchy nylon-spandex blend is the perfect weight for summer and handles rough sandstone with no problem.

Black Diamond Session Approach Shoes ($120)

A breathable stretch-mesh upper, snug inner bootie, sticky outsole, and elasticized heel that both stretches wide and collapses in make this the ultimate crag slip-on.

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From the folks at , this video shows how they built a bouldering wall in their backyard. Want to try one yourself? You鈥檒l find听听and can get started in no time flat.

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and are out to make climbing iconic areas like El Capitan in California and Devils Tower in Wyoming 鈥渁 little bit more mellow.鈥澨齮o make climbing chimneys a lot more accessible.

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