NEW GEAR

RRP $449.99

Is your old haulbag broken? A bag barely alive? What if I told you BD can rebuild it. They have the technology. They can make it better than it was. Better, stronger, faster… Introducing Black Diamond’s new midsize haulbag; they’ve taken the iconic Touchstone 70 and rebuilt it from the ground up. Featuring an updated ergonomic carry system, offset handles, a redesigned rim to prevent snagging, a much appreciated roll-top closure to keep the weather out (or the stench of your shoes in), and a bunch of clever internal and external storage solutions. It’s a six million dollar bag for 0.0075% of the price (get the reference?).

Coming soon to stockists near you

RRP $229.95

Have you had a haircut recently? Well, the Edelrid Salathe has—around 20% off the top! Edelrid has stripped back the ABS plastic shell and replaced it with a futuristic material they’re calling Curv®—a thermoplastic mohawk if you will. What does this mean for you? Aside from a fresh look, you get exceptional impact resistance and shock absorption to protect your noggin for under 200g (size 1 = 176g, size 2 = 196g). Other features include: two front clips and a rear elastic strap for your headlamp or goggle, large vents to help keep it smelling fresh, and removable/washable padding in case it does get a bit stanky (godsend)!

Available now at stockists near you

RRP $269.95

As a proud and devoted member of the “hoodies > jackets” club, every year, like clockwork, I’ve made the same birthday wish for my favourite technical jackets to magically sprout hoods. Well, it looks like my persistence has finally paid off! Allow me to introduce the latest member of the R1 family: the Techface Hoody. For those unfamiliar, the R1 Techface is a more weather and abrasion resistant version of the much loved R1 fleece. And now it’s got a hood (yes, the hood is helmet friendly). Nonhood features include high positioned handwarmer pockets, an adjustable pullcord hem, and a very movement-friendly cut. We’re currently testing one out so expect a longer review soon—so far we’re very impressed!

Bonus: Did I mention it has a hood?

Available now at Patagonia.com.au

RRP $32.95

If you’ve ever looked at old-school climbing media, you’ve probably noticed how awesome all the retro gear looks, from purple striped harnesses to leopard print leggings. It’s just too bad that 30-year-old softgoods would probably disintegrate if you ever tried to whip on them. Thankfully you don’t have to f#*k around and find out, Wild Country has you covered. They’ve taken their staple Session quickdraw and wound the clock back a few decades (in a good way). I could talk about their keylock nose and I-beam construction, but I’d rather just keep looking at them. Speaking as someone who already owns a lot of quickdraws, I’ll be buying a set the minute they land.

When you think of mid-top climbing shoes for trad, multipitch, bigwalls and crack climbing, there’s probably one in particular that comes to mind… but soon there may be two. Scarpa has spent over two years and around 98 prototypes perfecting their new Generator line of shoes, and it looks like they’re finally ready. If you’re after an edging and crack climbing machine for all-day (and night) use, take a gander at this beauty. Features include a full-length XS edge rubber on the bottom, a stiff and supportive full-length midsole (edge on a bloody dime), and padded ankle support with a bit of stretchy neoprene in the collar and tongue. Most importantly a huge amount of sticky M70 rubber extending up the sides and top of the shoe for your jamming pleasure.

Bonus: They come in four versions: Mens (higher volume) and Womens (lower volume) for both the mid-tops and low-tops.

Bigger Bonus: Heinz Mariacher helped design them! You may not know who that is, but you’ll definitely know most of the shoes he’s helped design—you probably even own some. Coming soon to stockists near you

RRP $330

I’ll be honest, the first time I saw these, I had a bit of a “...wtf?” moment. But the more I thought about it, the more it started to make sense. Hear me out. I, like many climbers, store my gear in plastic crates. But, every trip I’ll find myself frantically transferring all my gear from said crate into a duffel—generally sometime around midnight, just hours before I’m supposed to leave. Herein lies the beauty of the Gear Box. It’s a crate when you need it to be and a duffel when you don’t. They’re essentially the same design as the trusty Base Camp duffel, but with a thin metal “kickstand” structure along the border. They’re bomber, stackable, full of mesh organisation pockets, have more grab handles than you have hands, and you can collapse them down completely flat once they’re empty.

Bonus: There’s a little see-through panel on the side so your gear can have that window seat experience (or so you can double-check what you packed, either way).

Available now at Thenorthface.com.au