Let's talk about Big Bros

Enough chit chat - go buy the thing. You only need a blue, the green is covered by a #6 cam.

Go buy this: Camp Saver Big Bro sale

Enter the sale code and you end up paying $80 for a $115 dollar big bro. No shipping cost, no sales tax. Pretty sweet.

Then go climb this: Done Lubin'

;)

Ray Lovestead wrote:Enough chit chat - go buy the thing. You only need a blue, the green is covered by a #6 cam. Go buy this: Camp Saver Big Bro sale Enter the sale code and you end up paying $80 for a $115 dollar big bro. No shipping cost, no sales tax. Pretty sweet. Then go climb this: Done Lubin' ;)

Craig Luebben named them Big Bros because the movie 1984 had just come out and the concept of big brother was popular.

Crack hadn't been invented yet..

Ted Pinson wrote:I think we should call them "crack pipes."

looks like he invented the Big Bro in 1984. And (per Wikipedia), crack saw widespread use in 1984/85.

So yeah, missed opportunity!

Mathias wrote:I've never placed or cleaned any Big Bros, and never tried setting one as practice. They don't seem to common, in fact I can't remember seeing any on another climbers harness ever. But some people must use them. As far as big gear goes for OWs, I've got a set of super cams and a C4 #5 and #6, so whilst I'm interested in Big Bros, I'm not looking at them instead of cams. I did read an article recently about setting them periodically under the cam you're bumping up, which seems pretty smart. I'm also interested in their application in chimneys where even the #6 is of no use (the wife and I both enjoy chimney climbing). So if you've had experience with them, good or bad, I'm interested to hear about it. As well as size comparisons to the bigger cams.

Ray Lovestead wrote:You only need a blue, the green is covered by a #6 cam.

climbing friend,

ye may also be storing your drugs inside the big bro, yarrrrr. then your second they may sample them as they thrust up the route and clean.

Shelton Hatfield wrote: I disagree with this. The green bro is still bomber when #6 C4 would fall right out of the crack. Yes, the #6 covers part of the bro's range, but the green bro goes bigger. At least mine does

Ray Lovestead wrote: Not exactly.. the #6 quoted range is 4.5-7.68" and the blue big bro is 7.5-12". So there is a tiny overlap. But the reality is you probably don't want to use the #6 up to 7.68". Probably more like 7".

Not sure we have a disagreement.

I'm simply saying use your #6 and buy a blue big bro to cover all the way up to 12".

Ray Lovestead wrote:Not sure we have a disagreement. I'm simply saying use your #6 and buy a blue big bro to cover all the way up to 12".

I try to climb a bit of wideness in sandstone and am always disappointed with the overlap between a BD6 and the blue big bro (I have no green big bros).

Often when the BD6 gets very tipped out and I need something bigger, it seems like I have to climb a long ways above a tipped out floppy cam before the BB will go in at all.

Some may have a different experience.