Metolius Ultralight Master Cam by Metolius — These are my favorite cams for smaller cracks. They also fit in between the Black Diamond sizes. I recommend purchasing these cams in sizes 00-4 (00, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4). The corresponding colors are: Grey, Purple, Blue, Yellow, Orange, and Red.
Camalot™ Ultralight by Black Diamond — A standard rack goes from 0.4 to #3 (0.4, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 2, 3). Most people also buy a number 4. You can save a little money, add a little weight, and add a longer shelf life by purchasing the Camalot C4's instead of the ultralights but I prefer the ultralights. It's worth it in my opinion. You can feel the difference. I appreciate that lighter weight on trips that involve flying, long approaches, and long days on the wall.
Stopper Set #4-13 by Black Diamond — I find these stoppers the easiest to place. I used several different brands before climing on my buddies Black Diamond Stoppers. I went home that day and ordered my own set. I can't explain what it is about their design, but I find these the easiest to pick the right size and slot it into constrictions just right. I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that they use the same color scheme as the popular Camelot C4s. The really small stoppers (#1-3) are not rated for lead falls, body weight only. People use those for aid climbing. If you need a recommendation for really small stoppers, check out my link for DMM brass offsets.
DMM HB Alloy Offset Stopper Set - Sizes 7-11 Multi-Colored by DMM — The goal when placing a stopper is to get maximum contact between the stopper and the rock. Not all cracks are uniform. When things get a little wonky try the stopper. Sometimes, an offset is the only thing that will go.
DMM IMP Brass Nut Set # 1-5 by DMM — If you clicked on this, be warned that you are entering scary territory. These nuts are tiny with a lowercase t. Some cracks, however, are too small to fit anything else. Placing these is certainly an art form. They are probably better than nothing, but proceed with caution. The slightest miscalculation and these will rip right out of the crack.
Metolius Torque Nut Tool by Metolius — This tool is designed to help romove stoppers (aka "nuts") out of cracks. It will also spread peanut butter. I like this tool because it will clip right to your harness. Other designs require an extra carabiner.
Petzl Spirit Bent Gate Carabiner - Package of 6 Multi-Colored by Petzl — You will need to buy a carabiner for each of your cams so that you can clip the cam to your harness. You can also use that same carabiner to clip the rope after placing the cam. These carabiners are color coded to match the color of your cam which helps you find the right cam when on the sharp end. I find these carabiners to be the smootheset for clipping. These are the same carabiners found on my favorite quick draw...The Petzl Spirit Express. The only drawback is that these are a bit on the heavy side. When travelling or alpine climbing, I use the CAMP Nano 22
C.A.M.P. Nano 22 Rack Pack Multi-Colored by Camp — These are might lightweight racking carabiners. My standard rack consists of 10-15 cams. The weight adds up. When traveling, facing long approaches, or long days on the cliff, I switch out my Petzl Spirit racking carabiners for these and the difference is very noticable.
Oval Keylock Carabiner 3-Pack by Black Diamond — I use this style carabiner to rack my stoppers. I use one for the Black Diamond Stoppers, 1 for the DMM Offsets, and 1 for the DMM Brass Offsets. Get the 3 pack. The reason I use an oval carabiner is that when you place the nut, you have to rotate the carabiner. It is good to have a symmetric shape for that rotation, otherwise things get jammed up. You want things that work smoothly out there. Get the ovals.
Mammut Contact Sling Dyneema 8.0 Blue 120 Cm by Mammut — It is important to have extendable slings when trad climbing. Extendable slings allow you to manage rope drag and help minimize your gear from walking. How many? I would say at least 6. The most I ever bring is 12. My normal rack uses 8 extendable slings and 2-4 quick draws.
Petzl Ange L Wiregate Carabiner Blue by Petzl — You are going to need 2 carabiners for each sling. My favorite carabiner for extendable slings are these because they handle great, aren't too heavy, and they work well with gloves (ice climbing) or without. The best feature of this carabiner in my opinion is that it is a wire gate with no nose. I have tried a number of "noseless wire gates" and the Petzl Angle L is my favorite. The blue carabiner is for the rope and the gray carabiner is for the gear. Most draws have a "gear side" and a "rope side" that are color coded.
Petzl Ange Finesse L/L Quickdraw Set White 17 Cm by Petzl — These are my go to trad climbing quick draw. You can use the Petzl Spirit Express (or what ever quickdraw you use sport climbing), but the Petzl Ange Finesse Quickdraw is significantly lighter than most sport climbing quick draws. Trad climbing requires so much more gear than sport climbing, it is important to find ways to cut weight. These are also my go to quick draws for ice climbing as well. I would say buy at least 6 of these. If you are going to ice climb with these, get 12. They make pretty good sport climbing draws, too. One last thing, 17 cm is my favorite length for quick draws.
C.A.M.P. Photon Wire Straight Gate Carabiner Blue by Camp — I use these caabiners to rack all my anchors and "other" accessories. I also bring 2 extra to use for building anchors. These are the carabiners I use to bail off. I like them because they handle great, are light, and relatively inexpensive.
Mammut Contact Sling Dyneema 8.0 Blue 120 Cm by Mammut — The 120cm sling A.K.A "The Double Length" is great for making a combo anchor tether + rappell extension. It is an essential piece of kit for multipitch climbing or any rappel situation. It can also be used as a quick draw, alpine draw, or extra long alpine draw.
