Shoes, harness, rope, helmet, cams, locking carabiners, draws, chalk bag, wind shell, puffy, rain shell, base layer. What am I forgetting? Oh yeah, headlamp. And food. Sound familiar? If you are a climber, you probably find yourself going through checklists constantly, making sure you have all the essentials to keep you safe and stoked on your days to play. But what brand of shoe should I get? And what style of harness? And what diameter of rope?  

At Switchback Travel, we help answer these questions for you by providing up-to-date reviews on the gear climbers use. From essentials to accessories, we evaluate all types of climbing gear, pick out the top performers, and tell you precisely what makes them the best. We even show you where to buy the items you’re looking for. Too good to be true? See for yourself.

Climbing Footwear and Equipment

Rock climbing shoes (crack climbing)

Best Rock Climbing Shoes of 2024

We love rock climbing shoes, and we bet you do too. The good news for climbers is that there are more quality products and styles to choose from than ever before. Impressive new models such as the La...
Beginner climbing shoes

Best Rock Climbing Shoes for Beginners

As a beginning climber, the last thing you want to spend your time worrying about is your shoes, or the poor feet you’ve crammed into them on somebody’s bad advice. That’s why...
Approach shoes (hiking with La Sportiva TX3)

Best Approach Shoes of 2023

Combining the features of hiking shoes, climbing slippers, and even mountaineering boots, approach shoes are in a category of their own. For climbers, they’re an essential piece of footwear that provides stability and traction on rock...
Mountaineering boots

Best Mountaineering Boots of 2023

No piece of gear is more critical to summiting high peaks than footwear. A great mountaineering boot fills countless roles: It offers support while carrying heavy loads, grips confidently over slick rock and snow, keeps your feet warm when the mercury...
Climbing helmet

Best Climbing Helmets of 2023

When people get into rock climbing, they often ask me what kind of shoes, or harness, or rope they should buy. I always tell them the same thing: the first thing you should buy is a helmet...
Climbing backpack (following route)

Best Climbing Backpacks of 2023

Gone are the days when climbing consisted of swami belts, hobnailed boots, and weeks spent nailing pitons into swaths of granite. Current trends in climbing gear have moved toward functionality, performance...
Hydration bladder lineup (CamelBak, Platypus, Gregory, MSR, HydraPak)

Best Hydration Bladders of 2024

Whether we’re hiking, biking, running, or climbing, on-the-go hydration is an essential part of our kit. There’s simply no better way to encourage drinking consistently during activity, which is vital to performance and enjoyment...
Crash pads (s)

Best Bouldering Crash Pads of 2023

Bouldering is having its moment. Climbing’s simplest discipline is experiencing a rush of new enthusiasts, in large part due to how accessible it is. All you need is a pair of shoes and a chalk bag...

Best Climbing Harnesses of 2023

Whether you’re top roping in the gym, projecting 5.14, or climbing Cerro Torre in Patagonia, you’ll want the right harness for the job. In addition to being a vital part of every climber’s safety, harnesses offer...
Climbing rope (rappelling)

Best Climbing Ropes of 2023

Any piece of climbing gear has the potential to become a cherished relic, but perhaps none carries as many good memories as a trusty old rope. It’s your lifeline on everything from beginning top ropes to full-on alpine epics. A rope is...
Best Quickdraws

Best Climbing Quickdraws of 2023

We love quickdraws. Few pieces of climbing protection can transform feelings of uncertainty and discomfort into peace and happiness as quickly and authoritatively. And yet...
Belay Devices

Best Belay Devices for Climbing

Along with a harness and rope, one of the most essential pieces of rock climbing equipment is the belay device. In short, a belay device attaches the climber’s rope to the belayer...
Percussion massager (using the Theragun Pro 4)

Best Massage Guns of 2024

We’re all suckers for a massage, whether it’s to relax, work out a few kinks, warm up the body pre-workout, or speed up recovery after a big effort. And there’s no shortage of at-home methods, including...
Lying in field of huckleberries (sun shirts)

Best Sun Protection Shirts of 2024

Move over sunburns, heat exhaustion, and sunscreen sweat, sun shirts are the newest solar antidote. With full upper-body coverage (our picks are all hooded), UPF ratings for protection against both UVA...
Windbreaker jackets (sitting in truck at trailhead)

Best Windbreaker Jackets of 2024

Let’s get right to the point: we love windbreaker jackets. In our opinion, a good windbreaker is the most versatile outdoor jacket money can buy. These small but mighty outerlayers pack a punch...
Eagle Creek Cargo Hauler and Patagonia Black Hole duffel bags in Tofino

Best Duffel Bags of 2024

Whether you’re traveling by air, driving up to a cabin for the weekend, or venturing across the world on an expedition, you’ll likely be using a duffel bag to get your gear from one place to the next. Duffels...

In-Depth Gear Reviews

La Sportiva TC Pro climbing shoe (edging)

La Sportiva TC Pro Review

Have you ever noticed that updates and redesigns often make a product worse? I sure have. Apparently, so has Tommy Caldwell: Referencing the redesign of La Sportiva's legacy shoe, the TC Pro, Caldwell offered, “This was an aspect of the project that...
Osprey Mutant 52 climbing pack (in mountains)

Osprey Mutant 52 Climbing Backpack Review

Osprey might be best known for their impressive lineup of backpacking packs, but they took that expertise and tailored it to the alpine with the climbing-focused Mutant. We took the 52-liter version on an expedition in the Alaska Range, using it both...
La Sportiva TX4 (standing on rock)

La Sportiva TX4 Review

La Sportiva’s popular TX lineup runs the gamut from the minimalist TX2 approach shoe to the mid-height TXS hiking boot. Over the past few seasons, I’ve enjoyed my middle-of-the-pack TX3: an approach shoe with a great combination of breathability...
La Sportiva Trango Tech GTX mountaineering boot (in snow)

La Sportiva Trango Tech GTX Review

Designed for long, demanding missions in the mountains, La Sportiva’s Trango Tech GTX effectively bridges the gap between a hiking and mountaineering boot. We took the hybrid (both the men's and women's versions) on an expedition into the Alaska Range...
La Sportiva Skwama climbing shoe

La Sportiva Skwama Review

It’s getting harder and harder to stand out in the saturated climbing shoe market, but the La Sportiva Skwama is quite unique. This flexible and sensitive slipper is ideal for the steep terrain commonly found on sport routes and boulders. But perhaps...
Scarpa Maestro Mid Eco climbing shoe

Scarpa Maestro Mid Eco Review

Released last spring, Scarpa’s Maestro Mid Eco is a supportive, mid-height shoe designed to meet the demands of crack and all-day trad climbing. On paper, it’s very similar to the uber-popular La Sportiva TC Pro...
La Sportiva Miura VS (header)

La Sportiva Miura VS Review

The Miura VS is a time-tested classic from La Sportiva, offering impressive levels of performance on varied terrain. This stiff, aggressive shoe is perhaps best known for its ability to perch on tiny edges...
La Sportiva Solution climbing shoe

La Sportiva Solution Review

The La Sportiva Solution is a high-performance shoe designed for sport climbing and bouldering on vertical and overhanging terrain. Updated last year, the time-tested Solution got a new look, more durable closure system...
Scarpa Instinct VS climbing shoe

Scarpa Instinct VS Review

Scarpa’s Instinct climbing shoe lineup includes a lace-up model, two variations of a standard slipper, and two versions of a Velcro slipper. The Instinct VS—the stiffer of the two Velcro versions—has received rave reviews since its debut, and I was...
Scarpa Crux Review header

Scarpa Crux Review

Visit any crag across the country, and you’re bound to see Scarpa’s Crux on the feet of multiple climbers. This entry-level approach shoe is a well-built, affordable offering that excels on trail and easy rock. And in early 2018, it got a few...
Butora Acro (header)

Butora Acro Review

Butora might not be a household name just yet, but this South Korean company is slowly taking the climbing world by storm. Founded in 2014, Butora now boasts a full line-up of climbing shoes...
Arc'teryx Acrux SL (s)

Arc'teryx Acrux SL Review

Approaches to the granite spires of Patagonia’s Chaltén Range aren’t child’s play, with dry glaciers, steep snow, tricky moraines, and miles upon miles of hiking. It’s no small ask for an approach shoe to be able to perform well in these...
BD Momentum (s)

Black Diamond Momentum Review

For decades now, Black Diamond has been a mainstay for climbing gear and protection. And in late 2017, they finally released their own lineup of shoes. The first to hit the shelves was the...
Five Ten Guide Tennie review

Five Ten Guide Tennie Review

Five Ten’s Guide Tennie is widely considered to be the first approach shoe ever made, and over 30 years later, it’s still a crowd favorite. The combination of durable materials, lightweight design...
La Sportiva TX3 (standing in mountains)

La Sportiva TX3 Approach Shoe Review

As an alpine rock climber and climbing guide, my feet frequent a great deal of trail, rocks, and snow—especially during the summer months. I took on the La Sportiva TX3 as my faithful companion throughout a season of testing, from high-mileage link-up...
La Sportiva Genius

La Sportiva Genius Review

La Sportiva calls the Genius “the most advanced performance-built design on the market.” Climbing companies love to make superlative claims, but coming from La Sportiva, this one definitely gets our attention
Evolv Shaman 2016

Evolv Shaman Review

Chris Sharma is one of the greatest sport climbers of all time, if not the greatest. It goes without saying that he could choose any shoe company, and any shoe in their lineup that he wanted, and get paid to wear...
Salewa Firetail 3 GTX shoes

Review: Salewa Firetail 3 GTX

Salewa isn’t yet a household name, but the company has a serious following among the climbing community and those who like to get into the alpine. Their Firetail 3 GTX is an approach shoe that is robust, functional...
Mammut Infinity Protect climbing rope

Review: Mammut Infinity

I’ve been climbing for close to 16 years and have owned more than 20 different ropes, not to mention the countless other ropes borrowed other climbers. So it was not exactly a shot in the dark for me...
Evolv Addict climbing shoe

Review: Evolv Addict

The Addict is a relatively new climbing slipper from Evolv, and a solid one at that. Built similarly as the time-tested design of Five Ten’s excellent slipper, the Moccasym, Evolv managed to create a shoe that...
Scarpa Boostic climbing shoe

Review: Scarpa Boostic

Combining Italian craftsmanship with an aggressive, downturned shape, the Scarpa Boostic is a solid performance shoe. Priced at $179, it does fall into the extremely competitive high-end of the market...
Five Ten Anasazi Lace (header)

Five Ten Anasazi Lace Review

The Anasazi Lace—aka the “Pink”—has been a mainstay in Five Ten’s lineup since the ’90s. And with notable improvements throughout the years, it still holds its own in today’s modern market. Boasting a medium-stiff build and powerful edging platform...

More on Climbing

Misty Mountain (header)

Homegrown: Misty Mountain Threadworks

Misty Mountain's headquarters in the hills of Western North Carolina is not the kind of place you just stumble upon. It's the kind of place you set off to find. And when you arrive...
Climbing gear (sport climbing in Utah)

Editor's Picks: Climbing Gear Guide

As I pause below a bolt to collect myself and map out the next sequence of moves, everything below me fades away. I straighten my arms, inhale deeply, and steady my breathing. My body starts to...
Tossing climbing rope for rappel in Alaska mountains (rope diameter header)

Choosing the Right Climbing Rope Diameter

There are so many considerations that go into purchasing a rock climbing rope: Do you want a bi-pattern rope or one with a middle mark? How long does it need to be? Should you buy a dry-treated...
Rock Climbing Checklist (header)

Rock Climbing Checklist

Whether you spend your days climbing indoors or scaling multi-hundred-foot monoliths, it’s always helpful to know what you need. Our detailed climbing checklist below covers everything from equipment for different...
Rock Climbing Shoes (La Sportiva Otaki)

How to Choose Rock Climbing Shoes

Forget your pull-ups and hangboard workouts: if you’re a new climber, your footwork is likely the biggest barrier between you and the higher grades. Good technique is a must, but your choice of...
Indoor Climbing 101: Gym Tips and Gear Advice

Indoor Climbing 101: Gym Tips and Gear Advice

In 1987, a small warehouse filled with texture-painted walls and rock-shaped hand and foot holds opened for business on the shores of Salmon Bay in Seattle, Washington. The owners called the place “Vertical...
El Chalten (header)

On Location: El Chaltén

We wake at 6am to the faint jingle of Lorna’s watch muffled by her sleeping bag. My body creaks as I pull my sore arms from my sides, grab my headlamp, and light the JetBoil that I had carefully placed outside our tent the night before...
Cochamo Journals Part 1

The Cochamó Journals Part I

I had the dream again last night.  The dream is always the same—some details change here and there, different faces emerge and fade, lines of travel crisscross and follow different plans or lack thereof—but the dream is always...
Cochamo Chile climbers

The Cochamó Journals Part II

There is a short squat bird I know well who frequents the “Bivy Boulder” in Cochamó Valley’s Anfiteatro. While his latin name escapes me, I refer to him fondly as the "Work Work Work" bird.  His call sounds eerily similar...
Cochamó, Chile sunset

The Cochamó Journals Part III

When it rains in Cochamó, it rains long and hard. Now, it is raining. It has been raining, it is raining, it will continue to rain. The Cochamó season is finally over. And well enough, after a stellar February with fantastic weather, my body needs a...
Cochamo (s)

On Location: Valle Cochamó

A shadow passes over. “What was that?!” “I don’t know. But it was big. Not big. HUGE. And it was close.” “Did you hear that rush of wind?” “Yeah… like a parachute opening!” “But where did it go?” Megan and I look around...
Quinn Brett (Patagonia)

Quinn Brett: Look Up, Stand Still, Breathe

Quinn Brett does a handstand every day. She snorts when she laughs, is known to dye her hair with vibrant streaks of color, and simply does not sit down. As a climbing ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park...