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oafy
Mar 26, 2004, 4:49 PM
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Well, I'm finally buying my own rack after many years of climbing with others. I have a few DMM 4CU's and Metolius Power cams. But I wanna finish the rack off. What Cams should I go with, or should I just mix it up and get both. Anyways some help please?
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outdoormikeg
Mar 26, 2004, 5:21 PM
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Do a search...this subject has been hashed over plenty on this site...
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reedcrr
Mar 26, 2004, 5:22 PM
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Sorry but cams are really a personnal choice, since most all cams out there will work properly if you set them correctly. Since we don't know your local area and what type of climbing you will get into (thin crack to big off width) it is really hard to recommend the larger cams by type. Chances are that if you have been borrowing a rack and it has not got you stuck, then that rack is equipped well. Find some cams that you feel comfortable with, check how they open and so on and then go buy them online (cheaper). Most companies sell sets and you would be stoked to have any one of them.
If I can reccomend any camming device, I would add a set of microcams to your new rack, they are super strong and once you have them your confidence on what would normally be a runout will increase! These are worth there weight in gold. Also buy multiple #2 friends...again life save for most routes. Have fun!
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vegastradguy
Mar 26, 2004, 5:42 PM
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as a general rule....
small stuff: Aliens, Metolius TCU's (in that order)
medium stuff: BD/WC (your choice....i'd call this one pure personal preference)
Large stuff: Wild Country, BD (in that order...the large BD's (#4-#5) are not as stable, weigh a ton and are tougher to place than the corresponding WC tech friends.)
Mega stuff: Big Bros (and, if you are a sadist, Valley Giants)
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madmax
Mar 26, 2004, 6:02 PM
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Ditch you DMMs as quick as possible. They may be inexpensive, but they just plain suck. They lack versatility and they get stuck more easily then other cams. Go with a frankenstein rack (with the exception of DMMs) to get the most versatility. I prefer Camalots and Friends in the larger sizes, and Aliens and TCUs in the smaller ones.
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tahoe_rock_master
Mar 27, 2004, 2:46 AM
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Camalot's (large/medium)and Aliens (medium/small). I have the four largest Aliens (clear, violet, orange, and red) and am planing on getting the green yellow and blue ones. They are the best cams out there. The Camalots are good, but for the smaller, they are a lot heavier than the Aliens. Hope this helps.
Matt
P.S. might want to add a couple Metolius TCU's (only used them once, but hear they are good).
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keithlester
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Mar 29, 2004, 3:05 PM
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In reply to: Well, I'm finally buying my own rack after many years of climbing with others. I have a few DMM 4CU's and Metolius Power cams. But I wanna finish the rack off. What Cams should I go with, or should I just mix it up and get both. Anyways some help please?
Dont forget to check out passive cams, Camp tricams, they only weigh like rocks, can be used like rocks or as cams, so that makes them alot moere versatile. Its a bad idea to rely to much on active cams, cos they are so damn heavy, when you can use passive gear, you should, saving your cams for the nasty parallel cracks that no other gear will fit. Remember, even hexes can be used with a camming action. 8)
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davidji
Mar 29, 2004, 3:49 PM
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In reply to: Dont forget to check out passive cams, Camp tricams, they only weigh like rocks, can be used like rocks or as cams, so that makes them alot moere versatile.
I have Tricams on my rack, but some people don't like 'em.
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lstockett
Mar 29, 2004, 4:09 PM
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Depends on what you're climbing, but basically what vegastradguy said:
Blue, Green, and Yellow Aliens
.5-3 (and maybe 3.5) BD Camalots.
5 (and maybe 6) Wild Country Technical Friend
plus tricams:
Pink, Red, Brown, Blue, and Purple Camp Tricams
Tricams take practice but they're worth it. They sometimes work where nothing else will fit. They're light, cheap, and can be placed as nuts.
Some people swear by TCUs. I've only placed them a few times so I'm probably failing to notice the advantages, but it looks like Aliens would work just as well or better most of the time.
I don't carry the really big stuff unless the approach is short, my partner is carrying the rack, or I'm really sure I'll need it. I'd buy the .5-3 camalots first, then the aliens, then add the boat anchors later on if you need them.
Oh yeah, I also like the BD .2 microcamalot. It has the same range as the Blue Alien, a smaller head, and cam stops. It's not as flexible as the Blue Alien though. Try not to take a whipper on either of them. They're at (or maybe below) the the minimum size that will reliably hold a lead fall.
Finally, you'll probably want doubles in some sizes, unless you have a steady partner with whom you can pool your gear. Which ones will depend on the routes you usually climb. Climb for awhile, and see which pieces you consistently use most, or run out of.
Oh, yea, and if you do a search, you'll probably find this exact information repeated several times. :)
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ykwak
Apr 5, 2004, 3:06 PM
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For your middle-range cams,
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ROCK EMPIRE ROBOTS!
I have been leading with a set of robots for a while now, and, although the
range is slightly less than a camalot or WC Friend, they give solid placements!
www.rockempire.com
http://
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ropeburn
Apr 5, 2004, 3:26 PM
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In reply to: Ditch you DMMs as quick as possible. They may be inexpensive, but they just plain suck. They lack versatility and they get stuck more easily then other cams.
Please explain DMM's "lack of versatility" and the reason "they get stuck more easily than other cams."
I love my DMM's, they are lighter copies of friends.
I don't believe I will be ditching them any time soon.
-burn
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