GearFlogger

DMM Wallnuts passive pro

The name Wallnuts reminds me of a drinking game in college where you face a wall while holding a ping pong ball above your head. Upon dropping said ball you attempt to pin it to the wall with your forehead. If you miss you drink. Ah, good times.

DMM's Wallnuts are a considerably smarter investment, especially by the set. Every rack needs some good old-fashioned passive pro, and every climber should know how to place nuts and hexes. The Wallnuts are lightweight, inexpensive and work like champs. They have a concave taper on the sides and the front is convex with a little trough running top to bottom. This complex (for a nut) shape makes the Wallnuts work better than anything else in irregular slots.

The color coded heads make it easier to grab the right size with a little experience, and anything that helps with efficiency of placement on the sharp end is allright by me. At under a Benjamin for a full set #1 to 10 you just can't go wrong. As with all nuts, make sure you have a nut tool to extract after loading.

$89.96 (on sale from $99.95) at Backcountry

DMM Revolver Screwgate carabiner pulley

Introducing the ayatollah of lock-and-rollah! DMM has had their kick-butt Revolver wiregate pulley carabiner out for a few years now and it has proven itself in the field. See that review for how to put together an ultralight crevasse rescue hauling system. Now our fine Welsh friends have done it again, this time with lockability.

Available in three different locking formats, climbers will want the screwgate. The action on the screwgate is buttah smooth, and unlike the wiregate it's a keylock nose for snag-free unclipping. The screwgate adds minimally to weight for a total of 2.2oz. The gate opening is a little tight but workable at 16mm.

The Revolver is fully certified as both a carabiner and as a pulley. The pulley makes wandering ropelines pull smoothly for less leader effort, and the ease of lowering saves wear on your 'spensive thread for top-roping. If you're still wandering the icefields with old-school pulleys, do yourself a big favor and chamber some Revolvers.

$34.95 at Mountaingear

DMM Revolver carabiner pulley

Revolver is not just a potty-mouthed rock and roll magazine, a mediocre movie by Guy Ritchie, or a legitimate means of settling arguments in Texas (actual successful murder defense: "he needed killin',") it's also a tricksy carabiner design from DMM.

The 1.6oz Revolver carabiner has a burly little pulley built into the frame. It's definitely smooth, if slightly less efficient than a normal (larger) pulley. Used on the rope end of a quickdraw it reduces rope drag, but I got two to carry as part of my crevasse rescue rig. If my partner goes in the slot I (1) get his credit card number, (2) place an anchor and clip in a Mini-Traxion to a VaporLock (after sliding one of my Texas system prussiks above and one below the master point) and let it take the weight, (3) clip in one Revolver to each prussik and (4) clip the end of the rope into the master. Presto, a ZxC haul system.

All this requires two prussiks, two Revolvers, a Mini-Traxion, two Yates cable pickets and two Black Diamond Express ice screws (for snow and ice conditions respectively), a VaporLock (master point) and a CAMP Nano 23 (end of the rope) for a total of 3.5 pounds of gear. A locking version of the Revolver should be available "real soon now."

$25.95 at REI

DMM Bugette belay device

At just under an ounce you won't find a lighter belay device. The Bugette is perfect for glacier travel and other just-in-case applications. For heavy and/or frequent use you'll want something with a bit more metal to dissipate heat more efficiently.

This little fella has nice touches such as smooth edges and a covered keeper cable, and is designed to work with ropes from 7.5mm to 9.5mm.

$18 at Mountain Gear