The Black Diamond C4 cams are the industry standard for cam size and color. When these were first released, they were the only dual axle cam available. Now, many other brands also sell a dual axle design, all of which follow the same general color and size range that the C4’s first pioneered. The C4 is exactly what you expect out of a cam and nothing more. They feature anodized lobes, a thumb loop, and a fixed-length nylon sling. These cams are some of our favorites to place due to their exceedingly smooth action.

Almost identical to C4s in terms of lobe shape, the dual axle and thumb loop equipped Wild Country Friends are $5 cheaper than the C4 and come with an extendable sling. The set of 6 cams saves you about $15 when compared to buying them individually. Head to head against a C4, they have a 10% wider head. That is not a terrible thing for bigger cams, but typically narrow head will fit in more places. We don't recommend replacing a single C4 with one of these if you have a C4 rack already, as the size range is ever so slightly different.

The DMM Dragon cams are a natural evolution of the dual axle cam design of the C4. They come in roughly the same sizes and colors, but feature a shorter, slightly more flexible stem, a longer, extendable Dyneema sling, and sandblasted lobes. DMM opted to remove the thumb loop in order to allow sling extension without loss of strength. At up to 14kN, the DMM dragon cams have the highest strength rating of the cams we carry. In most sizes, this looks like a 2kN gain over the equivalent sized C4. The only downside we can find is the Dragon’s lack of thumb loop, which takes some getting used to.

If you purchase the Dragons individually they have a slightly higher price than C4s. However, the Set 0-5 option saves about $25 compared to a full set of C4s.

Just like how Black Diamond revolutionized the hand and fist-sized cam market with their dual-axle C4, Alien cams changed the game when it came to small placements. While you can still buy the original Alien cams from Fixe, we prefer the Alien X. These cams are single axle, come in smaller sizes, have a much more flexible stem and narrower head than most ‘core’ cams. This allows for strong placements in horizontal cracks, small pods, and very thin seams that larger cams just can’t fit in. The Alien X features anodized lobes and triggers, making identifying the right size on your harness easier than the original Aliens. As an added bonus, the larger sizes (Yellow, Grey, and Red) feature passive strength for more placement options.

The Metolius Ultralight Master Cam is one of the least expensive cams available. While its larger sizes lose out to C4 style cams in range and ease of placement, the small sizes fit right in among the other ‘small and narrow’ cams. The cam’s lack of thumb loop can take getting used to, but it also reduces the overall weight of the cam quite a bit. The trigger design makes the cam less flexible in one direction than the other, which might make them walk more in some placements. If you are on a budget and looking for a super good enough small cam, the Ultralight Master Cam is a fantastic choice.

Totem cams function very differently to most other cams. While most cams have a single stem, Totems use an evolved U-Stem design that isolates each set of cam lobes. This means that the lobes on a totem don’t all need to be cammed the same amount to hold well, making them bomber in flared placements where a traditional cam would not hold at all. The Totem’s versatility, when paired with their narrow head width and flexible stem, make them the kings of finger pods and flares. These cams run in sizes from tips to hands, but we think the best are the black, blue, and yellow (~0.2, ~0.3, ~0.4) sizes. The lobe shape gives them almost the same range as a double axle cam. Totems are not cheap, running at $95, but they are by far, our most popular ITEM, not just cam. Careful using someone's totems, you can't go back once you try them.

All of our favorite passive pro is made by DMM. The Wallnuts are no exception: they are exactly what we want out of a traditionally shaped nut. Color coded heat shrink on the cables makes selecting the right size easier than other brands, and their stiff cables make placing these above your head a breeze. Their middles are slightly scooped out, making them fit better in cracks that are not perfectly smooth. Like all traditionally shape nuts, they don't perform well in flares.

A full set of nuts is a great way to double the small options on your rack without doubling the price. Wild country's Classic Rock Set is the cheapest set of nuts we have found so far. Good luck figuring out what size each one is when you are in a pinch and it only comes in a set, but they are bomber.

The DMM Alloy Offset nuts are the gold standard for aluminum offsets. These nuts seem to fit everywhere, and hold shockingly well in outward flaring cracks. There are no other pieces of passive protection that we'd feel as comfortable whipping on as these. Their high holding power can be a curse sometimes; they love to get stuck in cracks. They only come in 5 sizes, so only having a set of offsets may not be enough passive gear for your whole rack.

The DMM Nutbuster is a fantastic nut tool at a reasonable price. While this tool does not come with a leash, we find the rubber handle to be very comfortable and secure in hand. Underneath the rubber is a wrench for tightening loose bolts. The biggest downside of this tool it its lack of a built-in carabiner. This means you will probably want to make a short tether or even just clip it through one of its large holes.

There is nothing worse than dropping your nut tool. Luckily, the Wild Country Pro Key comes with a stretchy leash that you can clip off to your harness. This means you don't have to worry about dropping it ever again! Unlike many others, this tool does not come with an integrated wrench, meaning you cannot tighten any loose bolts you find on route.

The CAMP Mach Express Dyneema alpine quickdraw comes with one small Nano 22 carabiner and one larger Photon carabiner. This makes clipping your rope to the larger carabiner a breeze, while still keeping the overall weight of the quickdraw low. This is also about the same price as buying the components individually, and the 4-pack discount makes this one of the cheapest ways to get alpine quickdraws. Beyond all this, they are just really nice to use.

While we would not normally recommend the Nineteen G Quickdraw for normal sport climbing due its minuscule carabiners, but it excels at being a Jesus quickdraw. This is our favorite quickdraw to clip the anchor as the "first piece" for the leader during a multi-pitch climb. This prevents pulling the belayer down if the leader whips before getting any gear in. It is so tiny, you won't even notice it on your harness. You can totally use these as a normal quickdraw, but their gate clearance makes clipping these while pumped out a nightmare. If you are climbing a multi-pitch route, carry 1x 10cm of these and thank us later.

Dyneema is abrasion avoidant. It is slippery so it holds up well when rubbing against the rock. It's also very strong, light, and compact. The 60cm or shoulder length slings are great for extending a piece or building a simple 2 piece anchor. The 120cm slings are important for zig zag routes to avoid rope drag and can also be used to build an anchor. The 240cm is giant and is quite a tool for anchor building. Many chose to pre-tie it into a quad and just keep it that way. We now have OCUN dyneema slings that are also very similar but cheaper.

You can build an anchor out of any cord if you use enough of it, but for most applications 7mm is the way to go. If you only clove hitch the piece that is way off to the side, you'll know how strong a single strand is with our strength charts in our product images. If you make loops with the cord, you can see how much stronger it becomes. Cord has a sheath and a core so it technically has more abrasion resistance because there is more material to abrade. It is the swiss army knife of solutions on your harness. 18-20 feet will go a long ways.