I’d been having horrible skin issues. The dry winter air in Colorado had led to cracks, splits, smoothed-down tips, and hard, callused skin. Despite OCD skincare, I kept slipping off holds. I tried FrictionLabs’ “chunky” Gorilla Grip blend, hoping for a solution, and boom, it delivered. Per the literature, I found myself chalking way less, and the chunk-laden blend offered remarkable—but not overly dry—friction on the tiny-crimp and sloper-knob crux of my granite project, which went down the day I switched. A little goes a long way, and it’s kind on your skin over the long haul.

$5 (1oz), $15 (5oz), $25 (10oz), frictionlabs.com

See more of our top gear picks in our 2018 Climbing Gear Guide: Editors' Choice Awards.