What is the best brand of rock climbing apparel?

I think there are several premium brands in rock climbing. Black Diamond is one of them. They make the industry standard cam. I would say about 80% of the cams that I see being used are Black Diamond Camalots. Another fantastic brand is the French company, Petzl, and the Swiss company Mammut. All three companies not only make excellent climbing equipment but also clothing and accessories specifically for climbing. All of this is less critical if you are just gym climbing but if you ever start leading and going outdoors, buying quality stuff matters. Some other great brands for climbing - Prana for clothes, chalk bags, etc and Mountain Hardwear for backpacks, sleeping bags, bivies, tents, clothes, etc.

Rock climbers are generally poor. They live in their cars or in a campground and all their money goes towards gear, which is why they are called dirt bag climbers. Now in a gym you dont need anything expensive and no one is going to notice your gear or comment on it. In fact you can spot a person who is new to the sport because they`ll go out and buy the most expensive "best" gear when its not needed. A shiny new belay device and harness and shoes is a giveaway you`re new to the sport. If you have an entire new "climbing kit" itll be obvious you are new to the sport. Now with that said no one is going to care what gear you have, what matters is how you climb. All you need are shoes, harness, chalk bag, and a belay device. Wear something comfortable, lot of girls in the climbing gym wear yoga pants and tshirts. Buy the gear you can afford and not the gear you think will impress other people, because they wont be impressed.

What rob said, exactly that, only buy from big brands , DMM is really nice and makes nice harnesses, and makes the bug, also get a spring belay device, because if you ever have a problem with the belay deice sticky, that'll stop it

uhh. no, basically. anyone that makes or sells sport climbing gear sells good gear at a fairly fixed price, if it comes from china or doesn't have a brand then dont buy it. your options are petzl edelweiss aspiring black diamond beal grivel DMM these are the ones off the top of my head, there's probably more, but they're not important enough for me to remember so don't bother. the best harness for you is one that is comfortable, fits well and will save your a55 on a fall. not one that other people think looks styley. your best bet would be to find a wall that also sells gear and do a try-before you buy... as far as hardware is concerned, it's a matter of opinion. personally i like racks for belaying and descending, with atcs a close second. i hate grigris with a passion and find fig8s twist and stretch the hell out of my rope. so it depends on what you're doing with it... krabs i like the spin ball or triloc ones, quickdraws i'll take a bent over a straight gate....