GearFlogger

Petzl Reversino belay/rappel device

Not exactly the discovery of a new fundamental particle but far more relevant to having fun, the Petzl Reversino is a tub-style belay/rappel device with a self-locking feature that makes it convenient to belay from the anchor.

The 2oz Reversino works with ropes 7.5 to 8.2mm, perfect for double ropes and smaller single ropes commonly used for glacier travel rigging. For 8-9mm double ropes and 10-11mm single ropes you can step up to its big brother the Reverso. Both are similar to, and lighter than, the Black Diamond ATC Guide, although the BD device uses its extra material to good effect and is really smooth.

I use the 3.6oz ATC Guide for general belaying duty and the 1oz DMM Bugette for low-angle glacier work. I picked up a Reversino for high-angle alpine routes where some pitches might be better belayed from the anchor.

$27.95 at REI

Petzl E+Lite headlamp

Evidently named by the same people who get paid - real money no less - to come up with alternatives to beige like sagebrush or burnt sahara, the Petzl E+LITE is nonetheless a smokin' light LED light.

How light? Just under an ounce for the light and strap, and 1.6oz including the case, which is the big orange thingy at the top of the picture left. It has a clip to attach to a pack strap or hat brim. It even pans and tilts. Waterproof to 3 feet (or, as they say in the godless socialist regimes, 1 meter), it has five modes: dim white, bright white, strobe white, bright red and strobe red.

Powered by two lithium watch batteries it has a supposed burn time of 35 hours on bright white (illumination to 19 meters) or 45 hours on dim white (11 meters). This is not a primary light for working major projects or filming porn, but it's the best just-in-case shiner out there right now. Buy it, throw it in your pack and forget about it until you really need it.

$29.95 at REI

Petzl Caritool ice screw holder

If you're still racking ice screws on 'biners you might as well be a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest. Seriously, you suck. Get an ice screw holder like the Petzl caritool.

It's just a plastic - I'm sorry, resin (like plastic but more expensive to help pay off marketing majors' student loans) - 'biner with a wire gate and a little shelf on top. The shelf is the magic part, allowing you to flip screws up and keep them there while you find just the right one. Sounds minor; it's not.

There's even a little hole to tie in keeper cords for... I don't know, your crack pipe? The clip stabilizes it on your harness; beware it's a bit of a pain to get on and off. Non-load bearing.

$6.50 at REI

Petzl Aztarex ice tools

The Petzl Aztarex is like politics: it's all about compromise. Petzl's designers chose their tradeoffs wisely in this case, producing an inexpensive, lightweight tool that can perform everywhere from alpine snow to vertical ice.

At only 17oz a pair of these will save you a full pound over a pair of Cobras. For alpine use, put on a lighter slipknot leash like the Lockdown and save another quarter-pound for the pair. The lighter weight is great for alpine use, but the tool will require more swings on hard ice. Like I said, it's all about compromise.

The Aztarex has a good bend to save your fingers and reach around bulges. It also has a pinky rest that releases with a screw and can be stored inside the shaft so the tool will plunge better. Since the leash should be taking all your weight anyway I just leave mine off. All told, this is the tool to have for long alpine routes with some steep ice thrown in, and it won't break your back or your bank account.

$189.90 at Backcountry.com

Petzl Myobelt SB5 headlamp

A headlamp haiku: Went out to climb ice. You stayed in canyon past dark. Now you are screwed. Wait, is screwed one syllable or two?  Oh nevermind. The whole point would be moot if you had brought a headlamp.

I was in this situation last week, and lucky for me I had the Petzl Myobelt SB5 headlamp in my pack. That allowed my partner and I to get on a popular climb after dark that had been busy all day.

Headlamps are difficult to distinguish these days, there are so many good ones out there. What makes the SB5 a standout is the hybrid combination of focusable Xenon halogen/five LED bulbs and the remote battery pack. The remote is a big deal in cold temperatures, as keeping the batteries next to your body greatly increases their life.

There's another big advantage to the remote, and that is the reduced weight on your noggin: only 3.7oz. I use it with the Petzl Meteor III helmet, only 8.2oz itself, for a combined head weight of about 12oz. The LEDs are fabulously white and bright. The halogen is the only ho-hum part of the package, as it casts a slightly dim spot. If you need a lamp for mostly long-range work, look elsewhere. All others will be mightily pleased.

$79.95 at Summit Hut

Petzl Meteor III helmet

Brain buckets are a must-have piece of kit for most climbers, and Petzl has always been a leader in protecting your gray matter. The Meteor III is their latest and greatest entry into the gear fray, and chances are you'll either love it or hate it.

First, the hatemonger perspective. Compared to the Petzl Elios the Meteor is slightly larger, awkward to adjust using one hand, comes in only one size and color and costs $30 more.

Now, the love-in. Again compared to the Elios the Meteor is significantly lighter (8.2oz versus 12.3oz), has better ventilation, has slightly more padding on the inside and has significantly more coverage of your brain housing group with the thick foam coming all the way down to the lip of the helmet a la bicycle style.

In my opinion the lighter weight and increased coverage of the Meteor make it worth the extra money, and it has replaced the Elios in my gear bag.

$89.00 at REI

Petzl Glacier Safety Advice

While trying to find a user's manual for a piece of Petzl gear that I own on their web site I came across some useful pages they put up concerning glacier safety advice.

There's nothing here you won't find in any of the usual books, but it's nice sometimes to have it at your fingertips online. For example, when you're drunk at work after a three-martini lunch and arguing with your crack-smoking cubicle mate about the relative mechanical advantages of different haul systems.

Yeah, we've all been there before!

Petzl Ice Flute

Flutes, flutes... what kind of jokes can I make about flutes? Nope, can't think of any at the moment.

I always put protection on my screws. I used to use rubber thingies, now I use this plastic device. Hmm. Rubber. Screws. Plastic devices. Gotta be a joke there somewhere. Nope. Nothing.

Anyway, this thing works great. Protects expensive hardware, works for storage and you can rack it when you're ready to head out. The tubes are open at the bottom for drainage, and can be used individually as well. From 13 to 22cm it holds them all.

$33.00 at Mountain Gear

Petzl Mini Traxion pulley

Petzl specializes in making small, shiny objects that provoke lust in the viewer. The object of my affection here is a 5.8oz. multipurpose pulley/rope clamp/ascender that comes in Mini and Pro versions.

I haven't used it in the field yet, but doing the math on using this in a haul system it seems like it would save a few ounces. The clamp is similar to Petzl's Tibloc but capable of larger ropes (8-13mm), which if true might make it a nice ascender for larger fixed lines that give the Tibloc problems.

It's suitable for use on a tyrolean traverse, for those of you care about such things. For those of you who don't, did I mention it's shiny?

$69.00 at REI

Petzl Ultra Light pulley

Gram-counting weenies like myself just expect to pay more for less when it comes to ultralight gear. Petzl shows us a little love with this nifty .35oz. pulley for only four Washingtons.

Truly minimalist in design the pulley requires a 'biner with an oval cross-section to operate smoothly. It's not prussik-minding of course, but that's not a concern for two of the three pulleys in a ZxC haul system, for example.

I use the SMC CR pulley for the prussik-minding anchor; for comparison it weighs 2.2oz. (thanks Zach you weiner for pointing this out), so two of these instead of two Petzls adds about an extra 1/4lb. to your pack. You do have to use the heavier oval 'biners but we're still talking more than a quarter-pounder saved.

$4.00 at REI