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tradmanclimbs
May 31, 2012, 9:57 AM
Post #26 of 32
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Registered: Apr 24, 2003
Posts: 2599
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Why would you take advice on a trad rack from a new trad climber"? the noob leading the n000b...
Only buy the best. Don't waste money on hexes. tricams are not that cheap so getting more than the pink and red is not cost efective. save up for good cams instead. Do NOT BUY LINK CAMS! they are specialized gear that will kill you if used like a normal cam.
Good set of stoppers #5 to #13 doubbles of #6 to #8
that is BD and ABC sizes. Wild country rock sizes are different but they are good stoppers .
single set of cams from #0 purple TCU to #3 camalot is what you should aim for.
Set of soldered Micro stoppers.
the most important factor is USE THAT RACK! can't tell you the number of shiny un used racks that I see @ the crag hanging proudly on a tree branch while the owner top ropes.
If you want to TR that super hard route that is fine but lead something first to get the rope up there. lead EVERY time you go out and someday you will not have to ask these questions because you will have turned into a real climber
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drector
May 31, 2012, 4:14 PM
Post #27 of 32
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Registered: Aug 27, 2002
Posts: 1037
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asuman10 wrote: i want to start my own rack. i've trad climbed a couple of times and i've read and talked to many professionals in the field about trad climbing. one question i have is where to start? what to buy first? i live in boone nc and have a ton of places to climb.
If trad climbed before, what gear did you use? Buy some of that.
Yes, it does sound a bit dumb but the only way to know what you personally like is to go out and try stuff.
That said, my first purchase after a gear sling was a set of nuts. I also bought hexes although you will not use them much once you have a lot of cams and another set of nuts. But using all passive pro on a route is a proud send.
I like extendable draws for trad climbing because I hate to see nuts get pulled out of cracks below me because the slings are too short. For cams, you can get away with sport draws, as you can with nuts if there is no outward pull from the rope when it gets tension.
Being a belay slave and then borrowing gear is the bet choice. Like someone suggested, when you really need to buy gear, you will know what to buy.
Dave
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guangzhou
Jun 1, 2012, 4:06 AM
Post #28 of 32
(2355 views)
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Registered: Sep 27, 2004
Posts: 3389
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Boone NC is full of trad climbers, ask around and use some of their gear.
Nuts, I like Wild Country and DMM best, but BD stoppers are nice too. Really comes down to personal preference. For small nuts, I like the DMM peanuts.
Cams, like one post said above: Black Diamond, Trango, Wild Country, and DMM all make great cams. All have advantages, all have disadvantage. Bottom line, hold each one in your hands and pull the trigger, see what you think of them.
I like Link Cams too, but mine were a gift and I wouldn't run out a buy a pair or set personally. They work fine, but...
Hexes, I love hexes and learned to climb on them. I currently only carry four medium sized hexes on my rack.
Especially on this site, everyone recommend hexes, hexes, hexes, but when I'm climbing at the cliff, I don't see them much anymore. People seem to place hexes on routes that are easy for them, but fire cams in when the climbing is difficult for them. A popular cliff sequence is fire the cam in, clip the rope, then fiddle the hex. This tell me the climber isn't comfortable with their gear placements.
NC has some great place to learn trad climbing. Enjoy.
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tradmanclimbs
Jun 1, 2012, 11:27 AM
Post #29 of 32
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Registered: Apr 24, 2003
Posts: 2599
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I did not have any cams the first few years that I climbed. I am very comfortable with hexes but after 30 years of climbing hexes have become specialty gear. I feel that you would be off your rocker to spen $$ on them unless you had specific climbs or climbing areas in mind where hexes out perform cams.
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guangzhou
Jun 1, 2012, 11:36 AM
Post #30 of 32
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Registered: Sep 27, 2004
Posts: 3389
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tradmanclimbs wrote: I did not have any cams the first few years that I climbed. I am very comfortable with hexes but after 30 years of climbing hexes have become specialty gear. I feel that you would be off your rocker to spen $$ on them unless you had specific climbs or climbing areas in mind where hexes out perform cams.
I very much agree.
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JimTitt
Jun 2, 2012, 3:59 PM
Post #31 of 32
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Registered: Aug 7, 2008
Posts: 1002
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tradmanclimbs wrote: I did not have any cams the first few years that I climbed. I am very comfortable with hexes but after 30 years of climbing hexes have become specialty gear. I feel that you would be off your rocker to spen $$ on them unless you had specific climbs or climbing areas in mind where hexes out perform cams.
IŽll go for that as well, I learnt with hexes when they first appeared (like 40 years ago) and bought a new set of those nice curvy ones ten years ago. Never been placed, I might even have to take up winter climbing just so I can beat them into an ice-filled crack.
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tradmanclimbs
Jun 2, 2012, 5:01 PM
Post #32 of 32
(2287 views)
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Registered: Apr 24, 2003
Posts: 2599
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Beating into ice filled cracks is one of those rare specialty uses for hexes. I bring a single #11 hex on long climbs with wide simply because I don't have enough big cams and it makes a nice hammer.
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