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seatoskyboy
Jul 26, 2003, 8:01 AM
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I just started building my rack and I want some advice as to what eveyone likes and dislikes about certain makes and sizes of cams and why. I carry #.25 through #5 Rock Empire Cams (doubles of #1 & #2) a #2.5 forged WC friend and #1 & #2 BD camalots. Thanks for the imput. :lol:
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ricardol
Jul 26, 2003, 2:14 PM
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Registered: Nov 11, 2002
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aleins up to the red size
BD from there up to 4
thats what i carry
(doubles in all sizes up to #2)
-- ricardo
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camhead
Jul 26, 2003, 4:48 PM
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Metolius (is the plural metolei?) for small stuff, Black Diamonds down to the purple size and up to #5, with Hugh Banner and Clog throwwn in for quantity at Indian Creek. Those Aliens rule, though; I'd really like to get a few more of them in the future.
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stevematthys
Jul 26, 2003, 7:38 PM
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cch aliens for small cams
bd camalots for sizes .75 and up
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javaguy
Jul 26, 2003, 7:44 PM
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Registered: Jul 24, 2003
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I carry DMM 4CU cams #1 -> #2 WC technical friends #0.5 #1.75 #3
I love my DMM cams..they absolutely rule. I'm going to get all the sizes below #1 soon...preferably as DMM cams :)
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reno
Jul 26, 2003, 10:11 PM
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Mostly WC Friends (Flexible) but I just bought a Trango Cam. Placed it on the First Flatiron recently, and I really liked the feel and security. I might buy more of these, once I get enough cash.
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mntnman1973
Jul 26, 2003, 11:29 PM
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I have a full set of Aliens, BD from #1 - #4.5, and the Trango flexi cams from (tcu) 1-4 and (fcu) 4-8. My rack is very well rounded. I like the Trango cams for their price and range. I have taken a few bombers on the #2 tcu and it held. You could have droped a truck on this placement and it would not have moved.
If you have the money get BDs, if you want more for your money, get Trango.
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brutusofwyde
Jul 27, 2003, 12:04 AM
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I have a full set of BDs from .5 up, full set of old rigid stem Friends, full set of DMM 4 cams, full set of Stregor Titanium cams, and doubles and triples of aliens including offsets up to red. Plus WC offset friends #1.5 to 2.5. And many doubles and triples of various bootied pieces.
Friends, Camalots, and Valley giants in the larger sizes (doubles and triples).
For lightweight backcountry, I use DMMs and titanium. Cragging, BDs. at least a single set of aliens in the sizes mentioned always goes along. My rigid stem friends are currently cached at the base of some secret backcountry wall. Lots of high quality cams on the market today. I don't take the offset friends except in places renowned for flared cracks, like Joshua Tree and Fisher Towers.
Brutus
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freudian
Jul 27, 2003, 12:47 AM
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My Cams:
CCH Aliens: Blue, Green, Yellow, Red
BD Camalots: 0.75 , 1.00, 2.00
WC F-Friends: 2.5 (same range of 1.00 camalot)
My TriCams:
0.5 (pink) Camp
1.0 (red) Camp
1.5 (brown) Camp
My Nuts:
Omega Pacific / Smiley
2 sets of 1-13, plus doubles of #3
<< FREUDIAN >>
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pinkamy
Jul 27, 2003, 2:06 AM
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What's the difference between a cam and a friend? Thanks.
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brutusofwyde
Jul 27, 2003, 2:20 AM
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In reply to: What's the difference between a cam and a friend? Thanks.
SLCD = Spring loaded camming device = "cam"
some brands of cams:
Trango
Metolius
BD Camalot
Wild Country Friend
CCH Alien
Splitter
Designs of cams:
3-lobe (TCU) and 4-lobe (FCU)
Rigid single stem FCUs (e.g. forged Friends)
Flexible single stem FCUs (e.g. Technical Friends, Trango, Aliens, new style Camalots)
U-shaped stem FCUs and TCUs (e.g. Metolius and DMM 4 cam units, old style Camalots)
Get thyself some gear catalogs. :wink:
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desertclimber
Jul 27, 2003, 3:06 AM
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Registered: Jul 26, 2003
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I counted my cams the other day, as I just bought ANOTHER rack off a poor friend who just wasn't into it anymore. You know what I found? Too damn many, most of which stay tucked away nicely in a duffle bag and never see the light until I'm at Indian Creek or something... And what have I found? On my normal trad rack, I just like a simple mix of brands/styles and sizes. Some work better for this or that, and you'll find your own personal preference as you climb more. Some cams I like because the trigger you can pull with one finger, others I like cuz they are so smooth, and others were FREE booty pulled off routes! (Sometimes certain climbing areas take to different pieces of gear better than others, also!) Just climb, climb, climb... Your own personal style will come to you! Just keep a nice mix, and what works for you the best will eventually become your standard rack!
Cheers!
Ian.
Hey PinkAmy, a cam and a friend are the same... Wild Country's "name" for their cams are "friends"... That's it!
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dlintz
Jul 27, 2003, 3:07 AM
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Often people and guidebooks use the two terms interchangably. BTW, Friends rule.
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brutusofwyde
Jul 27, 2003, 4:38 AM
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In reply to: For the big stuff, #4 camalot, 4.5 camalot and #6 tech friend. The 6 friend is head and shoulders above the 5 camalot, for useful range, doesn't walk, and looks bad ass.
Naah, that's just for the medium stuff. For the big stuff, #4 and #5 big bros and #9 and #12 Valley Giants. :)
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apollodorus
Jul 27, 2003, 5:59 AM
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In reply to: What's the difference between a cam and a friend? Thanks.
"Friend" is a trademark of Wild Country, the first company to make and sell SLCDS. The term in now used generically to refer to any cam, any SLCD. This is like using the term "Kleenex" for snotwipe tissue paper, or "Thermos" for insulated beverage bottles, or "Gore-Tex" for breathable waterproof fabrics.
FWIW, the idea of the trademark is to differentiate the trademarked product/item from other, similar ones that are presumably inferior. If a company fails to protect its trademark from its being used to refer to all products of a type, it can be rendered invalid. A perfect example is the term "nylon", which at one time was a trademark of DuPont's. It's now a generic term for a type of plastic. DuPont's version of nylon is now trademarked as Zytel. Same thing with "Teflon", another DuPont trademark in danger of falling into the public domain (i.e., anybody can use it to label their non-stick plastics).
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bustinmins
Jul 27, 2003, 2:00 PM
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I, like you, am just building my rack.
My gear includes:
BD Camalots .5, .75, two 1's, two 2's, 3, 3.5
BD Hexentrics doubled 5-10 one set cable with another set cord
BD Nuts doubled 4-13
Tri-Cams .5 - 2
15 BD Hotwire quickdraws
20, 25, 30 foot slings
25' of 6mm Cordelette
9 BD Hotwire Biners
6 locking biners
BD ATC-XP
Petzl Grigri
4 - 48" spectra runners
Have fun,
JD
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nunyoboy
Jul 27, 2003, 6:19 PM
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Registered: Jul 11, 2003
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:shock: Wow, you climb on Rock Empire cams. Do you have a death wish? I'm Friends with somebody at Black Diamond who is in charge of pull testing gear. I had heard that those things fly apart when you fall on them and he didn't belive me. When he tested one it exploded at around 1200 lbs. Thats not very strong. Thats about what a Metolius 0 and 00 will hold and they are meant for aid pieces only. Any cam made in the czech republic should not be bought, they are all made in the same factory. This includes, Rock Empire Robots, Ocun Metal Jacks and Clog. I work at a climbing shop and can tell you all the beta on every cam and I believe that if you value your life you would retire these cams. I also vouch for the Friends and DMM FCUs & TCUs. These are literally the same design and offer the best strength and holding power out of all cams and cost 20% less than Black Diamond and Metolius. Also if you are into aid climbing, you really cant beat the Aliens from CCH.
P.S. Now that you have been warned, I advise all owners of Czech cams to discontinue use of these cams before more deaths occur.
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javaguy
Jul 27, 2003, 8:30 PM
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Registered: Jul 24, 2003
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I belive that Rock Empire Cams are CE and UIAA approved. So they should be safe to climb with. But rock empire cams are not as "smooth" as more expensive cams like WC-Friends or DMM TCUs. So they tend to get stuck. :?
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joshklingbeil
Jul 27, 2003, 9:03 PM
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Registered: Jul 6, 2002
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I took a 15 footer on a Czech Cam.The same POS cam that loves to walk.I keep them at home except for the 3 smallest sizes.
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calpolyclimber
Jul 27, 2003, 9:24 PM
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Metolius TCU's (1,2,3, 4) and Wild Country Tech Friends sizes 1 and up.
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calpolyclimber
Jul 27, 2003, 9:27 PM
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No offense, but none of what you just said about Czech cams is true... They are plenty strong, and are therefore CE and UIAA certified...
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caughtinside
Jul 28, 2003, 9:17 PM
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Registered: Jan 8, 2003
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I've got 3 DMM four cams in addition to BD and aliens. I really like the DMM cams because of their low weight, doubled sling, nice action and cheaper price. The colors are cool too.
Right now they just fill in sizes, serve as doubles. But, I find myself preferring to place them over BD cams, usually where the doubled sling will help out.
The smallest DMM i've got is their 1.25. I've read on this site someone who said smaller than 1.5, they don't work too well. My 1.25 works great, almost identical size to the BD #.5. I can't speak for smaller sizes.
For me, the only question is which cam holds up better. I don't mind replacing worn out gear, but I want to get some mileage out of these suckers.
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petsfed
Jul 28, 2003, 9:26 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: For the big stuff, #4 camalot, 4.5 camalot and #6 tech friend. The 6 friend is head and shoulders above the 5 camalot, for useful range, doesn't walk, and looks bad ass. Naah, that's just for the medium stuff. For the big stuff, #4 and #5 big bros and #9 and #12 Valley Giants. :)
Truly.
I like the #5 WC instead of the #4.5 camalot, but that might be because its lighter and cheaper and walks less.
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vegastradguy
Jul 28, 2003, 9:48 PM
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I run with Aliens from Blue to Yellow (Double on Yellow), then BD from #.5 through #3.5 for my standard rack.
specialty cams: BD #4.5 (nice if you need something a little bigger, but i wouldnt carry any BD cam bigger than that. too unstable. i'd go with the WC #6)
Trango Big Bros #3, 4, & 5 for nasty large off width cracks.
I also use my partners Clogs and Trango Flexcams, which are fine as well. I do like my BD's a little better, but if it saves my life, that's all that matters.
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orangekyak
Jul 28, 2003, 9:57 PM
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Registered: Jun 30, 2002
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So many great cam opinions ... you can also check out http://www.rockclimbing.com/shopping/index.php?c=13 which is the link to the cam section of the gear review area of rockclimbing.com. there are some good reviews to read, and it's easy to make your own reviews.
But I too love to spray about my cams ... I am another DMM fan. I have a full set of 4cus, which I mix up with some WC flex friends, a clog cam and a camalot. The active portion of my "standard rack" is DMM 4cus .5, .75, 1.25, 1.75, clog 2, WC 2.5, 3, Camalot 3. This leaves half of my cams on the ground, but I like to mix it up depending on the route.
Regarding above remarks about cost-benefit, I think the ideal inexpensive cam rack is (depending where you climb, depending on the route, duh):
DMM 3cus .5, .75, 1.25, 1.75
WC rigid friends 2, 2.5, 3, 4
retail price: 300 american dollars (but who pays retail?)
The above remarks that warn against czech cams seem a little uninformed. certainly anyone who has all the beta on cams ought to know that clog cams are from the UK, like WC, and are quality pieces for anyone who knows how to use a cam. I have not climbed on czech-made cams, except for yesterday when I cleaned a couple of my friend's trango cams out of a crack he had just led. I have looked at some other cams made by Hudy and they appear to be well made, and are certified to keep you alive if you use them right.
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