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Benjamin VanderStouw

Reviews

Recon

Metolius
Metolius Recon Bouldering Pad
6

Great starter pad

Pros
Lots of surface area
Easy to carry gear in
Built in carpet for wiping feet
Cons
Bulky
Familiarity
I’ve used it a few of times

This is a great first pad. If you have to buy one this works well as it covers a large area.

Attache 2023

Petzl
Petzl Attache Full View
6

Great belay/anchor carabiner

Pros
Lightweight
Can rap with munter
Wide enough to be used as masterpoint
Cons
Gets stuck closed every once in a while
Less rolled edge not ideal as dedicated belay biner
Familiarity
I’ve used it a few of times

Love this carabiner for anchor building and belaying. Works well, lightweight, and is comparable with a munter in a pinch

Miura Men

La Sportiva
La Sportiva Miura Men Climbing Shoe
6

Thin crack and edge expert

Pros
Very thin toe
Laces system easy to tie/untie
Edges super well
Cons
Tend to flatten out with age
Familiarity
I’ve used it a bunch

I absolutely love my muiras for ringlock/finger sizes because of the narrow toe and and edging on faceholds. They do tent to flatten out over a lot of use, but they still are an amazing technical shoe.

Anasazi Lace

Five Ten
Five Ten Anasazi Lace Climbing Shoe
6

Crack kings

Pros
Thin profile
Flat forefoot
Sticky rubber
Cons
Heel cup loose
Familiarity
I’ve used it a ton

This is my favorite crack shoe, possibly overall shoe. It's comfortable, works well in the cold and heat, and jams wonderfully. From thin hands to OW this shoe is amazing. I do prefer other shoes for thinner, but this will do for fingers and ringlocks. Size them a bit tight, they edge on a dime. Size them a bit loose and they are your all day jamming shoe. You can't go wrong.

ATC Guide

Black Diamond
Black Diamond ATC Guide Belay Device
4.02

Simple, effective, hard to lower

Pros
Simple to use/learn
Cons
Pain in the rear to lower a climber
Familiarity
I’ve used it a ton

This belay device works really well for most tasks, belaying from the ground, top, rappelling, etc. The only issue is that it is much harder to lower a climber from the top when compared to other options. It requires that you have a dyneema sling at the end of the pitch, which means you have to bring an extra one or hope you don't place a lot of nuts/ wander. It works pretty well, just could be better.

Nano 22

CAMP
CAMP Nano 22 Carabiner
5.04

Lightweight and small

Pros
Lightweight
Doesn't snag...
Cons
Hard to use with gloves
Familiarity
I’ve used it a bunch

These carabiners are great. I use them for racking carabiners to differentiate between different types of cams. My only complaint is that they are harder to clip than it's cousin the photon, and are much harder to clip if pacing cams with gloves when mixed climbing. Overall awesome carabiner.

Dyon

CAMP
CAMP Dyon Carabiner
6

Narrow nose

Pros
Narrow nose
Lightweight
Cons
Expensive
Familiarity
I’ve used it a few of times

I really like the narrowness of the nose on this carabiner. I always keep one on my anchor material in case there is multiple parties at an anchor and you need to snake in somewhere on the chains. I would probably use them asmy racking carabinersbiners if they weren't so expensive.

Totem Cam 1

Totem
Totem Cam 1
6

Unsung hero of the totems

Pros
Lightweight
Narrow head
Two independent stems
Cons
Slightly bulky
Familiarity
I’ve used it a bunch

This totem is the bomb! A lot of people only like them to the micros but I've used and needed this cam on a lot of otherwise tricky to protect climbs. It is about the same as the BD 0.5, and compliments it well when you need that size but narrower. I wish I even had the next size up. Don't overlook the big totems.

Big Bro 1

Trango
Trango Big Bro 1
4.02

Little bro

Pros
Lightweight
Cons
Not useful in this size
Familiarity
I’ve used it a few of times

I was given one of these, and use it occasionally when I need a #4 placement in a parallel crack. For the price I would just get a cam for the equivalent size, big bros shine in the larger sizes.

Nomic

Petzl
Petzl Nomic Ice Tool
6

The vertical ice tool

Pros
Well balanced
Aggressive design
Modular handle
Cons
Swing less intuitive than others
Picks less durable than others
Familiarity
I’ve used it a few of times

These are the best tools for vertical ice I've ever used. They swing really well once you get used to the wrist flick required, and have a great design for climbing vertical ice. I think the picks are a little soft, and may end up replacing them with an aftermarket pick once these wear down. Otherwise, I have absolutely no complaints.