The $183 Climbing Rack

Backpacker Magazine has set itself a task of assembling the cheapest safe climbing rack it could.
They came up with rock shoes, a harness, belay device, helmet and locking carabiner for $183 that were then tested climbing around the places including Joshua Tree.
This is their selection:

• Shoes: Rock Pillars Snake – $80
• Harness: Singing Rock Zenith – $35
• Helmet: Kong Magic – $50
• Belay device: Climb Axe Max Air Belay- $11
• Locking carabiner: Black Diamond Enduro Screwgate – $7.50

To upgrade to toproping costs more, adding $161 for the price of a rope, slings and carabiners. The cheapest rope they recommended is the delrid 10.5 mm Standard Skyline at $130.

Leading gets a lot more expensive – with a decent rack of stoppers, hexes and cams adding more than $380 to your bill.