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feanor007
Dec 7, 2004, 11:52 PM
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i'm thinking about building a rack pretty soon, and i cn get #1-8 trango flexcams for about $300 new. is that a good deal in terms of quality for a beginner.
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caughtinside
Dec 8, 2004, 12:24 AM
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It's a little more than 30 bucks a cam. It's an ok deal.
Keep in mind though, that you're not just getting 8 cams for 300 bucks. You are also committing yourself to spending another 1000+ bucks for biners for those cams. Slings to extend those cams. Nuts for when you need more than 8 pieces for a climb. 8^)
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charliebrown
Dec 8, 2004, 4:10 PM
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another $1000 for biners and slings and nuts??? are they gold plated? :o
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sarcat
Dec 8, 2004, 4:31 PM
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$1,000.00 - easy
draws
belay devices
ropes
rope bags
pack
biners
nuts
nut tool
sling
jacket
emergrency stuff
helmet
headlamp
You add it all up and $1,000 is just a start.
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andy_reagan
Dec 8, 2004, 5:36 PM
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How much for a half pound of "Emergency Stuff"?
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caughtinside
Dec 8, 2004, 5:40 PM
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In reply to: How much for a half pound of "Emergency Stuff"?
Only in certain states, and only with a prescription. 8^)
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greenmachineman7
Dec 8, 2004, 5:43 PM
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Feanor-
Imagine you were rich, and build an imaginary rack with that in mind.
Then, shop around for the best deals on the gear you'd ideally want, and wait until something good comes along.
I've never regretted spending a little bit more money on something I really wanted, but I have certainly regretted spending any money on something that was just to make do for the time being.
Gear will last a loooong time if you treat it right. Keep that in mind.
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reno
Dec 8, 2004, 5:43 PM
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For the question you pose, my answer is "yes." I like Trango's Flex cams.
But, as mentioned, that's just the start. You'll need much more gear than just those 8 cams.
You should also climb a few routes with those cams, to be sure they "fit" you and your personality (hand size, comfort level, etc.) There is no "one size fits all" piece or brand of gear.
I know many climbers who have three cams from one brand, three cams from a second brand, and three cams from yet another brand. It all depends on what works for you.
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charliebrown
Dec 8, 2004, 9:53 PM
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well no shit if you add in all that sarcat!...he said biners and slings and nuts...not jackets, ropes and all the other misc climbing stuff.
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caughtinside
Dec 8, 2004, 9:56 PM
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Well hell dude, I didn't feel like listing everything.
Bottom line: If you buy 8 cams, you WILL still have to spend $1000 to get everything else you need, sans prodeal.
Trad climbing is so elitist! 8^)
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jimdavis
Dec 8, 2004, 11:26 PM
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Try and demo them first. The bottom sizes have the directly opposing cam lobes...many people do not like this.
Also, I didn't find them that "nice".
I bought 3 of the older style trango's a while back, and now I use them as doubles over my Metolius Power Cams.
Play with gear, and buy what you like. I've regretted every cheap gear purchase I've made.
Dirtbag, and save up.
When your trying to plug a fickle cam, with a cheap crappy oval biner, and your 15 feet above your last piece and pumping out fast, you'll really wish you had spend those few extra bucks.
Best of luck, (and don't rule out Forged Friends in the larger sizes)
Jim
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saskrock
Dec 9, 2004, 6:14 AM
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Just a note:
I think the original post was asking if 300 dollars was a good deal, NOT how much the entire rack will cost. Obviously the original poster did not think that 8 cams would be a rack, and that the total costs would be a lot more then 300 dollars.
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amber
Dec 15, 2004, 5:49 AM
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In reply to: i'm thinking about building a rack pretty soon, and i cn get #1-8 trango flexcams for about $300 new. is that a good deal in terms of quality for a beginner.
not sure about the question. are you asking if $300 is a good deal, or are you asking for opinions on the flexcams?
since i dont have much of an opinion on the latter, i'll post my .02 on the former. $306 is standard retail for the set at mgear.com - and it ships for free.
i've managed to save a ton on gear by climbing with people who already have gear, bootying stuff here and there, begging/trading for the occasional piece of gear, buying gear from friends who i trust, and writing letters to santa. :)
hope that helps,
amber
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apieceinbozeman
Dec 15, 2004, 9:23 AM
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Fuck building a rack, feanor. What you N :twisted: :twisted: BS should be concerned with is building a sack! Run it out for a while- that way you'll appreciate the cams when you REALLY need them.
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peroxide
Dec 15, 2004, 12:44 PM
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Buy for the long term. Essentially what was stated above about your "dream" rack.
I climbed FOREVER without cams because I was a young buck from a humble family. Nuts and hexes were it and I made all my own slings etc.
When I started buying cams I asked around and nearly everyone makes the following mistakes:
1) You buy them before you try them
If you buy something you won't use that just sucks (I figure the REAL WORLD % of people who bought AND use (at least a 12 times a year) big bros is in the single digits.) Try them out. I borrowed a #2 camalot and some WC and other cams for about a year and got a feel for their strengthes and weaknesses. Find out what you like. Its like future life partners...there are some things that are flexible and others that are not.
2) You go for the cheapest set
Sure it looks cool to have a complete rack of cams. But I guarantee some day down the road you will want BD, METOLIUS, OR WC cams and will fork over cash for them. Start off by deciding which brand and design you like (I am a BD man) and buy what you need (the discount on sets can sometimes be misleading if you never will need a cam above 4 inches). I keep an eye out for deals or trustworthy used gear (which pretty much means friends and climbing partners). This will save you 100s of dollars in the long run.
Rock on.
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sarcat
Dec 15, 2004, 3:07 PM
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charliebrown:
I have $1,000 invested in biners slings and nuts.
It was caughtinside who changed the issue from $300 for the cams to $1,000 for other stuff. And the OP did say "building a rack" which would insinuate an entire rack not just a set of cams.
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feanor007
Dec 15, 2004, 3:34 PM
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i'm not an idiot. i know that 8 cams do not make a rack. i just figured they were the most expensive part (i've all ready got 10 spare biners) and the part i knew the least about. If i need more biners, i'll canabalize the rope end biners on my draws. i'd just heard good things about trango flexcams. my plan was to buy a set of trangos, and then as i get money, supplement with 'better' cams.
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cyanamid
Dec 15, 2004, 4:00 PM
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In reply to: another $1000 for biners and slings and nuts??? are they gold plated? :o |
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markc
Dec 15, 2004, 4:12 PM
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In reply to: charliebrown: I have $1,000 invested in biners slings and nuts. It was caughtinside who changed the issue from $300 for the cams to $1,000 for other stuff. And the OP did say "building a rack" which would insinuate an entire rack not just a set of cams.
You did list a whole lot of crap that isn't considered part of a rack by most people. A rope isn't a rack, neither is a headlamp, a jacket, etc. They're not relevant to the discussion. Also, because you've spent a grand on biners, slings, and nuts doesn't mean that's the minimum price tag so get started. I know folks who have spent more on bicycles than I probably make in a year, but I don't need to do that if I'm just looking to take a ride in the park. Final price tag and minimum buy-in are apples and oranges.
Lots of folks have slings, biners, a rope, etc. when they start picking up trad gear. You can break down your sport draws for biners, rack more than one cam per biner (the horror!), and even rack on ovals if price is more of a concern than weight. We don't all need to rack and climb on $12 biners to get by.
2¢,
mark
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rangertau
Dec 15, 2004, 4:35 PM
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Tri-cams are the most versatile piece of gear yuo can get. If you can place tri-cams, nuts and cams are easy. When ever I go sport climbing, I bring tri-cams just in case. They are just so flexible.
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tchamber
Dec 15, 2004, 4:58 PM
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I haven't bothered reading everybody's response to your post, so someone may have already said this...
Spend the extra money and get the cams you really want. The new BDs are very nice, and they're used pretty much universally by everybody. If you're using flexcams, all you sizes are going to be different and people are going to hate swinging leads with you.
You may have to spend an extra $200 to get a good "set" of cams... but $200 isn't that much when all is said and done. Also, you won't be replacing your cams for a long long time.
I'd also suggest just getting a few pieces of pro at a time. Particularly with BD Camalots, since there really isn't a discount getting them as a set, just purchase a few at a time when you have some spare cash.
There are some good discussions at www.tradgirl.com in the FAQ about what cams to buy and why as well. Check it out.
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wormly81
Dec 15, 2004, 5:07 PM
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A little bit of advice to those who think they will want to put together a trad rack in the spring...
Rob a bank. Use the proceeds to buy some very risky stock options. If everything goes right then you might have enough money to buy a rack and then travel the world with it, because thats what your going to want to do.
Jeff
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eric
Dec 15, 2004, 6:43 PM
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In reply to: I'd also suggest just getting a few pieces of pro at a time. Particularly with BD Camalots, since there really isn't a discount getting them as a set, just purchase a few at a time when you have some spare cash.
Places like GearXpress offer a discount if you buy three or more cams, apart from what they offer as a set. At REI it's 5 cams... but don't shop there.
Also, many places are closing out their old style Camalots now that the new ones are available in quantity. Usually the discount is not huge, but I've seen 10-15%
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tradrenn
Jan 19, 2005, 12:26 AM
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:lol:
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lucas_timmer
Feb 13, 2005, 5:35 PM
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In reply to: $1,000.00 - easy draws belay devices ropes rope bags pack biners nuts nut tool sling jacket emergrency stuff helmet headlamp You add it all up and $1,000 is just a start. |
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