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taualum23
Apr 29, 2004, 12:51 PM
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Hey all, I just have my first few leads under my belt, and am putting together a rack. Got a few questions.
1) I bought a Camalot, and the black piece covering the wire is a little short, moves slightly, showing the cable...any problem? I doubt it, but figured I'd ask. ALso, it's brand new, (hasn't been placed yet) and it squeeks. it must have been loud in the store, becasue I didn't hear it when I bought it). Do I just clean and lube it like any other cam, or should I be worried that a new cam is squeeking?
2) If I rack each cam on its own biner, this rack is pretty damn cumbersome. Also, then If I have trad-draws made up, I'll have an "extra" biner with every placement. Any help on the logsistics here?
And please, if all you are going to do is tell me to climb with someone w/ more experience, I thank you for your advice, but rest assured, that is exactly what i do, I just thougth of these questions today, and would like to ask them before I forget.
Thanks,
Josh
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elron
Apr 29, 2004, 1:09 PM
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Josh,
Some of my cams (WC Tech Friends) squeak and some don't. I noticed last fall that the action wasn't as smooth on some of them as it once was, so I bought some Metolius cam lube and cleaned and lubed all the cams. The action is great on all of them, but a couple still squeak... I wouldn't worry about it
As for racking, I rack all my cams excapt the two biggest (3.5 and 4) two per biner. I find that not only does this make the rack less cluttered, but I have twice as good a chance of grabbing the right cam when there are two per biner. If it turns out the first doen't fit, I already have another on in hand to try. As for the extra biner, when there is already a biner on the cam, I just leave it on and clip the runner into the sling. Less weight to carry on the rest of the climb :)
Kevin
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tcollins
Apr 29, 2004, 1:15 PM
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Umm, you ain't pretty my friend.
The plastic is fine, mine do the same thing. Squeek is fine, a little lube like Kevin said should take care of it. I rack one to one as I like having the extra biners around and I don't think it's that much extra room on my harness.
You still ain't pretty. :lol:
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shakylegs
Apr 29, 2004, 1:32 PM
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Don't be too hard on him; I'm sure, after a few beers he might look attractive. Not that I would know.
First starting out, I kept two-three cams per biner, I'm now at one per biner except for my three smallest TCUs. If you have four to five slings over your shoulder with only one biner per sling, then you don't have to worry about the surplus at the end. If you do use the tripled slings, you can leave the extra biner on the cam or, if you think you might need it, remove the extra biner and re-rack.
A trick for lube is to buy bike-chain teflon-based stuff. It's the same stuff as Metolius (I think), and won't pick up dust, dirt, etc.
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j_ung
Apr 29, 2004, 1:42 PM
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In reply to: Hey all, I just have my first few leads under my belt, and am putting together a rack. Got a few questions. 1) I bought a Camalot, and the black piece covering the wire is a little short, moves slightly, showing the cable...any problem? I doubt it, but figured I'd ask. ALso, it's brand new, (hasn't been placed yet) and it squeeks. it must have been loud in the store, becasue I didn't hear it when I bought it). Do I just clean and lube it like any other cam, or should I be worried that a new cam is squeeking?
I don't think you have anything to worry about here, Josh. Lube the cam a bit, a la what the other guys said.
In reply to: 2) If I rack each cam on its own biner, this rack is pretty damn cumbersome. Also, then If I have trad-draws made up, I'll have an "extra" biner with every placement. Any help on the logsistics here?
This might be a good idea for now, since you're just starting out and all. Once you get good at picking the right size and start to jump up in the grades, rack 'em singly. You'll save crucial time on strenuous placements.
If I have a good stance, I clip the extra biner to the runner, reversed and opposed to the one that's already there. If I don't have a good stance, I just leave it. Maybe someone else has a better use for it. I wouldn't take it with you, though - it'll take that much longer to re-rack for the next pitch, which is already how beginning leaders tend to lose the most time.
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taualum23
Apr 29, 2004, 1:49 PM
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TD: That's not what you told me last night...you brute.
Everybody else, thanks for the tips. I kinda figured, on both counts, but in this game, I'd rather ask. I'll go re-organize the cams tonight on a study break. T-minus 5 days until I am completely done with lawschool.
And shakylegs, remind me not to drink with you.
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reno
Apr 29, 2004, 1:50 PM
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The plastic cover issue isn't an issue. Nor is the squeak.
Racking and trad draws... here's what I do: Cam gets racked on it's own biner (actually, I rack two cams/biner for the smaller stuff, and one cam/biner for larger.) My Trad Draws are mixed: Some are tripled over with two biners, some are over my shoulder with one biner. Depending on my position/stance, I will select which I prefer and if it's a trad draw, I just re-rack the extra biner on my gear sling.
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vegastradguy
Apr 29, 2004, 2:30 PM
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rack 'em on their own biner. the only time i've ever racked more than one cam per biner is when i'm aid climbing, and thats because i've got like 30 cams on me.
as for the alpine draws...i usually save these for stoppers (when i need the extra biner) and then use my over the shoulder slings (w/ one biner each on them) for cams. of course, this is also the home of the wandering pitches, so i tend to sling everything w/ a 24" sling. or, i dont sling them at all. just depends.
good luck. and trust me, as a new leader, you'll want all those extra biners anyway....
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keithlester
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Apr 29, 2004, 2:47 PM
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In reply to: 2) If I rack each cam on its own biner, this rack is pretty damn cumbersome. Also, then If I have trad-draws made up, I'll have an "extra" biner with every placement. Any help on the logsistics here? Josh
Its a big ask, I carry about 10 cams, used to rack them on 3 biners, but went over to one each some time ago. I put extending slings on all my cams and frequently manage to use them without a quickdraw, so now I dont carry so many quick-draws.
What I carry more of than previously is 2ft and 3ft slings, mostly spectra cord, but a couple of tape slings and a few spare biners. This gives me a better chance of reducing rope drag.
You didn't say how many cams you carry, but I hope you got plenty of hexes and stoppers too, especially tricams. Maybe you climb those smooth regular cracks alot, (that's what cams were invented for) and dont feel the need, but if its weight you are bothered by, then cams are your worst culprits, you have to pay a penalty for the versatility they provide.
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taualum23
Apr 29, 2004, 2:57 PM
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keithlester: I do carry nuts and tricams. right now I have 00-4 tcu's, (6) 5 forged friends, and 3 bd camalots, so 14 in all. Depending on what I know of the climb, of course, I don't carry all of them.
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cjstudent
Apr 29, 2004, 3:00 PM
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I am a semi-new leader myself and deal with the same issues that you are running into.
The plastic cover on your cam is normal.
As far as racking, i put all of my cams on their own biners. when you are trying to shove a cam in quick not having to mess with multiple cams on one biner is a plus. And as far as the draws. Yes usually when i place a cam, i grab for my tripled up draw and clip it...sometimes just leaving that extra biner hanging there. sometimes i may take the extra biner off the cam if i am at a good spot to take my time but usually i just leave it
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simzboardr
Apr 30, 2004, 3:36 AM
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Yo dude, welcome aboard to the trad world. If you get the cance buy some BD wiregates, not sure what they are called buy i just bought a bunch and re racked all my cams on them, they fit soooo tight together. I can slam a ton on my harness with ease. Actually now, i know this may sound absurd, but i carry about 16 draws 13 cams some hexs and two biners of nuts. All my cams are on their own biner, if you need to throw somethign in real quick you can and then you can clip right to it untill you get a draw out. OR if you are climbing reallly strait just clip the cam and keep going. When you clip a draw onto the cam, clip it into the webbing NOT THE BINER, a biner clipped to a biner can unclip itself very easily.
Just keep trying things to see how you like them, i chance styles all the time still to this day.
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alpnclmbr1
Apr 30, 2004, 3:54 AM
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When I am carrying a double set of cams, I clip the biner of the second cam to the biner of the first cam of that size. It makes the rack a lot more compact and maneuverable.
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moses
Apr 30, 2004, 4:01 AM
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I rack my each one of my cams with a quickdraw, one that is small and light. this makes for quick placement and prevents rope drag if the route wanders.
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jumaringjeff
Apr 30, 2004, 4:46 AM
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yah yah each cam has its own love affair with a biner on my rack mah rack has got lotsa love-making going on. i get all hot and bothered when I throw on my gear sling....whohooooooooooooooooo.
ANYwho
I carry a buncha draws made from tripled mammut dyneema slings (gosh darn things are so totally groovy), some 12" quickdraws (supple ones; stiff 'sport' quickdraws have no place on a trad rack as they are too stiff and can easily succumb to rope draggage), and a buncha over-da-shoulder runners each connected by a biner (a trick darkside showed me....it rocks....too wacky to explain, so I'll just show you sometime).
when clipping a runner to a cam, I always leave the cam's biner alone; instead of wasting energy trying to remove it, I just carry a handful of extra ovals for when I need some.
as was said before, always clip yer runners to the cam's webbing, NOT its biner OR directly to the cam (not an issue with camalots).
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dynoguy
Apr 30, 2004, 5:11 AM
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In reply to: Josh, Some of my cams (WC Tech Friends) squeak and some don't. I noticed last fall that the action wasn't as smooth on some of them as it once was, so I bought some Metolius cam lube and cleaned and lubed all the cams. The action is great on all of them, but a couple still squeak... I wouldn't worry about it As for racking, I rack all my cams excapt the two biggest (3.5 and 4) two per biner. I find that not only does this make the rack less cluttered, but I have twice as good a chance of grabbing the right cam when there are two per biner. If it turns out the first doen't fit, I already have another on in hand to try. As for the extra biner, when there is already a biner on the cam, I just leave it on and clip the runner into the sling. Less weight to carry on the rest of the climb :) Kevin
What if you need that cam later in the pitch?
Does anyone besides this dude rack more than one cam per biner? That just sounds like a stupid idea.
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keithlester
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Apr 30, 2004, 7:58 AM
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In reply to: In reply to: Josh, Some of my cams (WC Tech Friends) squeak and some don't. I noticed last fall that the action wasn't as smooth on some of them as it once was, so I bought some Metolius cam lube and cleaned and lubed all the cams. The action is great on all of them, but a couple still squeak... I wouldn't worry about it As for racking, I rack all my cams excapt the two biggest (3.5 and 4) two per biner. I find that not only does this make the rack less cluttered, but I have twice as good a chance of grabbing the right cam when there are two per biner. If it turns out the first doen't fit, I already have another on in hand to try. As for the extra biner, when there is already a biner on the cam, I just leave it on and clip the runner into the sling. Less weight to carry on the rest of the climb :) Kevin What if you need that cam later in the pitch? Does anyone besides this dude rack more than one cam per biner? That just sounds like a stupid idea.
You missed the point, he takes the other cam and the biner off and re-racks it, and uses a quickdraw for the piece he has placed. I used to do it this way too, with 3 or 4 cams per biner, but since I reslung my cams with extending slings, I do it the other way now and carry less quickdraws
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jumaringjeff
Apr 30, 2004, 7:06 PM
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In reply to: he takes the other cam and the biner off and re-racks it
I've tried this method before. I can't count how many times I've been at a bad stance, hanging from fingertips, pumping out, 10 feet above my last piece, trying to 're-rack' stuff, wishing I had racked that damn cam it by itself.
never again. one cam per biner. hooray.
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shakylegs
Apr 30, 2004, 7:42 PM
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Jeff, good point. But, since taualem (sp) is pretty (his words, not mine) and relatively new at trad, we can probably assume that he'll stick to more moderate grades. Meaning, he'll most likely have good stances from where to place gear. So, the 2-3 cams on a biner is a good idea until he becomes familiar at picking out the right piece.
Of course, YMMV.
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taualum23
Apr 30, 2004, 8:27 PM
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OK, OK, I'm editing the title of the post. Under protest, though...cuz I is pretty.
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brutusofwyde
May 2, 2004, 11:51 PM
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In reply to: never again. one cam per biner. hooray.
For free climbing, I generally rack one cam per carabiner except in the very small (blue to yellow Alien) range.
Walls are a different story.
There isn't a gear rack made that could carry everything if cams were racked individually. But then again, you're usually sitting comfy in slings when pawing through them for the right piece.
Brutus
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