Nuts are usually sold in sets of around ten. These will give you a good range of sizes. This is important for having the correct size on your rack for the placement that you’re about to use.

Most climbers start off with a set of ‘regular’ nuts, then supplement these over time with a second set or some offset and micro nuts. Variety is best, so if you’re going to buy two sets, make sure they’re different brands. This will give you more placement options.

For more of our top climbing gear recommendations, check out the Best Climbing Cams.

Reviews - The Best Nuts for Rock Climbing

Black Diamond Stoppers

Specs

• Type: Standard
• Number in Set: 10

BEST FOR: A FIRST SET OF NUTS

PROS: Great range of sizes, easy to use

CONS: Don’t sit as well as some other brands

SHAPE: Standard curve

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Wild Country Rocks

Specs

• Type: Standard
• Number in Set: 14

BEST FOR: EVERYTHING!

PROS: Huge range of sizes, place easily

CONS: Not available as a full set in the US

SHAPE: Standard curve

View at REI

Black Diamond Offset Micro Stoppers

Specs

• Type: Micro Offset
• Number in Set: 6

BEST FOR: FLARED THIN CRACKS, AID CLIMBING

PROS: Copper/iron mix bites really well, flared shape fits granite cracks perfectly

CONS: Smallest two sizes for direct aid only

SHAPE: Offset

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DMM Wallnuts

Specs

• Type: Curved
• Number in Set: 11

BEST FOR: A CURVIER ALTERNATIVE TO BLACK DIAMOND OR WILD COUNTRY

PROS: Different shape gives more variety of placements

CONS: Can get stuck quite easily

SHAPE: Standard with a bit of extra curve

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Metolius Curve Nuts

Specs

• Type: Curved
• Number in Set: 10

BEST FOR: A SECOND SET OF NUTS

PROS: Curved shape gives a huge variety of placement options, lightweight

CONS: Softer wire means nuts can get stuck more easily

SHAPE: Curved sides

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Black Diamond Micro Stoppers

Specs

• Type: Micro
• Number in Set: 6

BEST FOR: REALLY SMALL PLACEMENTS

PROS: Copper/iron mix provides great ‘bite’ in small placements, comes with racking carabiner

CONS: Smallest two sizes are for direct aid placements only – they’re not strong enough for free climbing

SHAPE: Standard

View at Backcountry

DMM Micro Wallnuts

Specs

• Type: Micro
• Number in Set: 4

BEST FOR: THIN CRACKS

PROS: Color coded, large surface area for a small nut

CONS: Smallest two sizes for direct aid only

SHAPE: Standard

View at Backcountry

DMM Alloy Offsets

Specs

• Type: Offset
• Number in Set: 5

BEST FOR: GRANITE CRACKS

PROS: Offset shape fits perfectly into flared granite cracks

CONS: Only available in larger sizes, heavy

SHAPE: Offset

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Wild Country Superlight Offsets

Specs

• Type: Offset
• Number in Set: 6

BEST FOR: ALPINE CLIMBING

PROS: Thin shape fits into shallow cracks easily, lightweight

CONS: Soft wire makes removal tricky

SHAPE: Offset

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HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST CLIMBING NUTS

SHAPE

Most climbing nuts have some kind of tapered shape, with all four sides flaring out from the base to the top of the nut. Different manufacturers will make their nuts in slightly different shapes. Which is best? There isn’t one shape that’s always better than another. How well a nut fits into a placement depends on the placement itself.

It’s good to have a range of shapes of nuts on your rack. This means you’re more likely to have one to fit any particular placement well. Do this by having nuts from a range of manufacturers.

OFFSET NUTS

Offset nuts aren’t as popular as ‘regular’ nuts and won’t fit in as many placements. But in flared cracks there’s nothing better and an offset nut will slot neatly in when a more regular shape would be too loose. A set of offset nuts is a great addition to your rack, especially if you climb on granite a lot.

MICRO NUTS

Micro nuts are, simply, really small nuts. They’re often made out of brass, which is softer than the alloy used in bigger nuts. Although they’re essential for really tiny placements, they’re not as versatile as larger sized nuts as they can’t be placed sideways in the crack.

Micro nuts also aren’t as strong as bigger nuts. Some are often only rated up to a few kiloNewtons, which can easily be exceeded if you take a big fall onto them.

Because of this, micro nuts are only really used for marginal placements and aid climbing. Having a few on your rack might increase your confidence where there would be no other gear, but they shouldn’t be relied on to hold big falls.

NUMBER OF NUTS

Nut sets usually have around ten nuts on them. Buying a set is usually the cheapest way to buy them, so try to pick one that has enough nuts on it to get you started. You’re looking for a big range of sizes and at least ten nuts.

The exception to this is some more specialized nuts such as offset nuts and micro nuts. These tend to come in sets of 5-6.

You can buy nuts individually too, which is great if you lose one or just need an extra size.

LEARN TO PLACE THEM

The best nuts in the world are useless if you don’t know how to use them. Once you’ve bought your first set (or have borrowed a friends), go out and learn to place them correctly.

The safest way to do this is to walk along the bottom of the rock face and find suitable cracks to place them in. Check the nut seems secure, then clip a sling and carabiner to it and stand on it. If it holds, it’s a good sign!

When placing a nut you need to match the size and curve of the nut to the shape of the crack. Look for a constriction in the crack that will hold the nut. Slot it in when it’s wider above, then slide it down to let it sit in the constriction. You want to get as much surface area as possible in contact between the nut and the rock.

‘Seat’ the nut by giving it a good, hard tug downwards. This stops it being lifted out or moved around by the motion of the rope as you climb. It’s easiest to do this by attaching a quickdraw.

It’s a good idea to get professional instruction on placing trad gear before heading out on your first trad climbs.

GET SOME RACKING CARABINERS

As well as buying a shiny new set of nuts, you’ll need to get some carabiners to rack them on, so you can clip them to your harness. Most people rack 5-10 nuts on one carabiner.

If you have more than one set of nuts, it’s personal preference whether you rack the big and small ones together, or a full set on each carabiner. If you go for grouping them by size it’s easier to find the right nut for a placement, but you’re more likely to drop all your big or small nuts.

Rack nuts on a snapgate carabiner. Using a carabiner with a solid gate (rather than a wire gate) can stop nuts getting caught in the gate and then being dropped. Make sure the carabiner is big enough to comfortably hold all the nuts. This will make it easier to select the right one and stop them getting tangled together.

GET A NUT TOOL

A nut tool is essential if you’re going to place nuts on your climbs. Sometimes nuts can be removed simply by wiggling them and reversing the direction that they went in to the crack. But often they can’t – they will have become wedged in place and need more force to remove.

This is where your nut tool comes in. This is a long metal hook, that can be used to ‘hammer’ the nut out. They’re also really useful for retrieving stuck cams that have walked out of reach, or cleaning out grassy or muddy cracks to find a placement. Every trad climber needs a nut tool.

Look for one that has a fairly wide base to hit with your hand. If it’s too sharp you’ll get a really sore hand trying to bash your nuts out!

The post Best Climbing Nuts of 2022 appeared first on The Adventure Junkies.

As well as using them to belay at the crag or in the gym, belay gloves are often used for rappelling. The friction generated by the rope on a long rappel can hurt. Using leather gloves means you’re more comfortable and safer on rappel.

Gloves are also used for aid climbing, where you spend longer holding on to the rope and gear than you would free climbing. Aid climbing gloves are great for belaying too.

For more of our top climbing gear recommendations, check out the Best Belay Devices. 

Reviews - The Best Belay Gloves for Rock Climbing

Petzl Cordex

Specs

• Finger Length: Full
• Weight: 115g
• Palm Fabric: Double Layer Leather

BEST FOR: GENERAL BELAY USE

PROS: Stretchy back gives close fit, durable palms, reinforced clip-in points

CONS: Back fabric isn’t very hardwearing

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Black Diamond Crag

Specs

• Finger Length: Full
• Weight: 70g
• Palm Fabric: Synthetic Leather

BEST FOR: ALL ROUND BELAY USE

PROS: Cool in hot weather, stretchy for close and comfortable fit, knuckle padding, soft nose wipe on thumb

CONS: Not as hard wearing as full leather gloves

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Metolius Belay Slave

Specs

• Finger Length: Full
• Weight: 80g
• Palm Fabric: Synthetic Leather

BEST FOR: GENERAL BELAY USE

PROS: Hardwearing, inexpensive

CONS: Wrist is quite tight

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Black Diamond Crag Half-Finger

Specs

• Finger Length: Half
• Weight: 50g
• Palm Fabric: Synthetic Leather

BEST FOR: SUMMER BELAY USE

PROS: Cheap, added dexterity, lightweight

CONS: Fit small

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Black Diamond Transition

Specs

• Finger Length: Full
• Weight: 93g
• Palm Fabric: Leather

BEST FOR: RAPPELLING AND BELAY USE

PROS: Hardwearing leather

CONS: Some users report stitching failing

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Petzl Cordex Plus

Specs

• Finger Length: Full
• Weight: 140g
• Palm Fabric: Double Layer Leather

BEST FOR: ALL ROUND BELAY AND RAPPELLING

PROS: Very hardwearing, stretch knuckle areas

CONS: Inconsistent sizing, heavy

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Black Diamond Stone

Specs

• Finger Length: Half
• Weight: 118g
• Palm Fabric: Leather

BEST FOR: AID CLIMBING

PROS: Good fit, good dexterity

CONS: Some users have reported stitching failure

View at Amazon

Outdoor Research Air Brake

Specs

• Finger Length: Full
• Weight: 100g
• Palm Fabric: Leather

BEST FOR: RAPPELLING

PROS: Great fit, stretch cuff, hardwearing, heat absorbing gel pads on palms

CONS: Neoprene wrist can soak up sweat, red dye leaks

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Outdoor Research Hand Break

Specs

• Finger Length: Half
• Weight: 119g
• Palm Fabric: Leather and Suede

BEST FOR: HEAVY DUTY ROPE WORK

PROS: Great knuckle protection, very hardwearing

CONS: Hard to remove

View at Amazon

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST BELAY GLOVES

LENGTH OF FINGERS

The length of the fingers of your gloves is the main choice you have to make when buying a pair. Belay gloves are available with full fingers, half fingers and sometimes three-quarter fingers. Some manufacturers make the same glove in both full and half finger versions.

Full finger gloves protect your whole hand. They’re great for belaying and rappelling when you’ll be handling the rope a lot. They’re also perfect for use jumaring and hauling on big walls. The added protection you get on your upper fingers could mean your skin lasts a little bit longer for that hard redpoint.

The disadvantage of full finger gloves is their dexterity. As anyone who ice climbs knows, it’s much harder to handle ropes and tie knots when you’ve got a pair of gloves on. If you go for a full finger pair, try and buy a pair that’s close fitting at the end of the fingers. If the fingers are too long for your hands, the ends of the glove are likely to get trapped in carabiners or knots.

Half finger gloves give you much more dexterity. This is useful when you have to handle a lot of gear, for example if you are setting up anchors whilst on rappel. It’s also essential for leading an aid pitch, where you have to place small gear.

Three-quarter fingers are a good compromise as they protect almost your whole finger, leaving just your finger tips exposed.

FABRIC

Belay gloves are made out of leather, synthetic leather and synthetic stretch fabrics. Most have the palm made out of either real or synthetic leather.

Which fabric you go for is mainly personal preference. Real leather tends to last longer than synthetic, although there are now some very hardwearing synthetic options. Real leather also tends to mold to your hand better and many people find it more comfortable to wear.

Look out for extra reinforcement on high-wear areas, such as the palm and space between your thumb and index finger. Many gloves have double layered leather here, or a second layer of suede.

The fabric on the back of the hand is more variable. Some gloves are entirely leather. Others use a breathable stretch mesh on the back. The lighter the fabric on the back of your hand, the cooler the glove will be in summer heat. Many people also find a stretch fabric more comfortable than leather.

If you’re using the gloves a lot though, a mesh fabric is unlikely to last as long as a leather or synthetic leather back.

WRIST CLOSURE

Most belay gloves have an adjustable wrist closure. Often this is a velcro tab that can be closed as tight as you want, or left loose.

It’s important to find a wrist closure that isn’t too tight, as that will cut off circulation to your hands. But it needs to be tight enough that the gloves don’t ride up in use and become baggy on your hands.

CLIP IN LOOP

When climbing, you’re unlikely to want belay gloves on all the time. Get a pair that have an attachment point for a carabiner so you can hang them from your harness when you’re not using them.

KNUCKLE PROTECTION

Some gloves have extra knuckle protection on the back of the hand. You won’t need this if you’re mainly belaying at a sport crag or at the gym.

If you’re belaying a lot on cramped trad multipitch anchors, or rappelling complex lines, your knuckles will thank you for having some extra protection. It’s great for aid climbing too.

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