Protection

Brands

Wild Country
Fixe
Rock Empire
Black Diamond
CAMP
Metolius
MSR
DMM
Trango
Advanced Base Camp

Price

less than $25
$25 - $49.99
$50 - $99.99
$100 - $199.99
$200 - $299.99
$300 - $399.99
$400 - $499.99
$500 and above

Recent Protection Device Reviews

Wild Country Helium Friends

These lightweight improvements on the original design for spring loaded camming devices are great for trad, alpine, and beyond. I began my trad career on Friends, so these for me are a great system to use. Overall they perform great on limestone, quartzite on granite. I am comfortable with all sizes ranges and I did find them a little tricky to get back into, but now that I am used to them again I find placements easy as ever. In large cracks their longer than average stems are definitely an asset. Full review

Fixe Stainless Steel Hanger

This is a very good hanger that will last. If you need a bombproof hanger, this is what you want. They are heavy, but will last. I have placed several in various caves. You can tell they are a quality product. Full review

Rock Empire Robot Cam

While these cams do not have the range per piece (or as an entire set) of BD C4s or Wild Country Friends, they are much cheaper. Robot cams are also a bit heavier than equal size of other cams. While essentially not as good a cam as its competitors, the price of Robot cams is so low that they are great for the climber on a budget. In the Czech Republic these cams retail for $25 each, regardless of size. In the US I found a set of 8 for $150 shipped. At this type of price the cash strapped climber… Full review

Black Diamond Camalot C4

Still the gold standard in camming devices. Superb construction and functionality; large camming range; competitively priced — I cannot imagine a better all-round cam. Rack up with a set of C4s and your confidence will take a leap up — there is simply no better all-round cam. Great design and construction, 4 lobes for maximum grip, perfect camming angle, biggest camming range, smooth trigger action, a thumb-loop for stability when placing, pretty colours and years of on-the-job performance. Full review

Black Diamond Express

Have used these on several outings. Ice screws bite great, hold well, and clean with ease. These are great ice screws that I feel comfortable relying on when my life is on my rope. They bite very well into ice and are placed easily. They clean well when racking up and are solid, reliable construction from Black Diamond. On one trip I even drove a couple of these guys into some tree roots and made an incredibly bomber anchor. Full review

CAMP Ball Nut

Great idea... never use them though. None of my climbing partners will use these, and to be honest — I've only ever placed them out of curiosity. Because of the specific width — you are limited to finding cracks with that exact proportion for the camming-ball to fit. Realistically, any other nut will do. The wires get bent very easily, so the ball twists and turns. Great idea... never use them though. They still hang on my harness, though I often discard them when selecting gear — they're… Full review

Metolius Ultralight Fat Cam

I love these cams. Although they are harder to contract then the BD they work great in the rock. I have all the sizes and the colour coding system make it so easy to recognize the sizes. They're as strong as any other cam out there and some off the lightest ones available. Great stuff, love Metolius gear. I bought a full spread of the ultralight cams last season and love them. Although it is the first set of cams I have owned I have used other one and researched them extensively before purchasing… Full review

MSR Snow Fluke

I found the MSR fluke to have some interesting and potentially significant improvements over older designs. This extension of their venture into anchors, in keeping with the full name of MSR (Mountain Safety Research), is a further development of their Coyote Picket, introduced in 1987, which in turn followed the 1969-70 MSR Snow Picket and Snow Fluke. MSR also had an ice ax and ice screws in their line in the 1970s. MSR, a division of Cascade Designs, is better known these days for their excellent… Full review

MSR Snow Picket

I found the MSR snow picket to have some interesting and potentially significant improvements over older designs. This extension of their venture into anchors, in keeping with the full name of MSR (Mountain Safety Research) is a further development of their Coyote Picket, introduced in 1987, which in turn followed the 1969-70 MSR Snow Picket and Snow Fluke. MSR also had an ice ax and ice screws in their line in the 1970s. MSR, a division of Cascade Designs, is better known these days for their excellent… Full review