http://www.climbing.com/news/justout/ Climbing Magazine - Just Out - Product reviews by the Climbing Magazine Staff. New gear, fresh on the scene that you need to know about. en-us Whether you’re an alpinist, backcountry skier, or traveler, many savvy explorers now rock personal locator beacons, to call the cavalry in emergencies (storm, injury, getting lost, etc.). A light (10oz), super-reliable option is the ACR MICROFIX 406 GPS PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON ($599, acrelectronics.com). http://www.climbing.com/news/justout/october_2009-279/beacon_salvation october_2009-279 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:46:00 EST http://www.climbing.com/news/justout/october_2009-279/ACR-beacon-sm.jpg Beacon Salvation Whether you&rsquo;re an alpinist, backcountry skier, or traveler, many savvy explorers now rock personal locator beacons, to call the cavalry in emergencies (storm, injury, getting lost, etc.). A light (10oz), super-reliable option is the <b>ACR MICROFIX 406 GPS PERSONAL LOCATOR BEACON</b> ($599, <a href="http://www.acrelectronics.com" target="_blank">acrelectronics.com</a>). The original Fuel, introduced in 2007, quickly became a go-to headlamp, with a sturdy, lightweight, and functional design at a friendly price. The new PRINCETON TEC FUEL ($26.99, princetontec.com), however, keeps the same price but adds a fourth 5mm Ultrabright LED, upping the brightness by 10 lumens. http://www.climbing.com/news/justout/october_2009-279/fuel_economy october_2009-279 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:44:00 EST http://www.climbing.com/news/justout/october_2009-279/princetontec-fuel-sm.jpg Fuel Economy The original Fuel, introduced in 2007, quickly became a go-to headlamp, with a sturdy, lightweight, and functional design at a friendly price. The new <b>PRINCETON TEC FUEL </b>($26.99, <a href="http://www.princetontec.com" target="_blank">princetontec.com</a>), however, keeps the same price but adds a fourth 5mm Ultrabright LED, upping the brightness by 10 lumens. A few weekends ago, while prying choss off a new route, I sliced a finger on a razor arête, opening a gnarly, gushing five-stitcher. A pair of BLACK DIAMOND EQUIPMENT STONE ROCK GLOVES ($39.95, bdel.com) would have saved my bacon. http://www.climbing.com/news/justout/october_2009-279/stone-cold_modern october_2009-279 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:40:00 EST http://www.climbing.com/news/justout/october_2009-279/bd-rockglove-sm.jpg Stone-Cold Modern A few weekends ago, while prying choss off a new route, I sliced a finger on a razor ar&ecirc;te, opening a gnarly, gushing five-stitcher. A pair of <b>BLACK DIAMOND EQUIPMENT STONE ROCK GLOVES</b> ($39.95, <a href="http://www.bdel.com" target="_blank">bdel.com</a>) would have saved my bacon. I&rsquo;ve since had a chance to use these goat-leather gloves belaying, jugging, and drilling. <i>From Climbing Magazine Issue No. 279 - October 2009</i> http://www.climbing.com/news/justout/october_2009-279/mad_props october_2009-279 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:34:00 EST http://www.climbing.com/news/justout/october_2009-279/madrock-ovallock-sm.jpg Mad Props I love my pear-shaped twist-lockers, but they could stand to slim down. With a streamlined size and versatile shape, the new <b>MAD ROCK OVAL TWIST-LOCK</b> ($11.95, <a href="http://www.madrockclimbing.com" target="_blank">madrockclimbing.com</a>) fits the bill nicely, weighing only 2oz thanks to I-beam construction. Although ovals have traditionally been weaker than asyms, the Oval Twist-Lock rates at a burly 23kN/ 7kN/7kN. In Greek mythology, Aries was the ram that yielded the Golden Fleece. The merino wool/nylon blend comprising THE NORTH FACE ARIES HYBRID 1/4 ZIP ($99, thenorthface.com) is likewise magical: it offers exceptional thermoregulation, dries quickly, and doesn’t hold odor. http://www.climbing.com/news/justout/october_2009-279/mythic_wool october_2009-279 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:19:00 EST http://www.climbing.com/news/justout/october_2009-279/TNF-aries-hybrid-sm.jpg Mythic Wool In Greek mythology, Aries was the ram that yielded the Golden Fleece. The merino wool/nylon blend comprising <b>THE NORTH FACE ARIES HYBRID 1/4 ZIP</b> ($99, <a href="http://www.thenorthface.com" target="_blank">thenorthface.com</a>) is likewise magical: it offers exceptional thermoregulation, dries quickly, and doesn&rsquo;t hold odor.