Least used standard pro

Normally I don't give much thought to my rack other than "it works" except for the inspection a piece gets after a fall, but I just moved and decided to clean and lube up my cams and noticed that only a pretty small subset of my gear has been really thrashed on.

While I probably place a .75 C4 every pitch, I've never placed a #3 wallnut in the 2 years I've owned this set - it's still perfectly anodized.

What is your most under-used piece that would be considered part of a standard rack that wasn't a a route-specific purchase?

Doing this I've also realized that I could probably bring a #3MC, 0.5-1 C4, and a #4 and 5 wallnut and climb like half of DL's easy and moderate routes based on my gear wear...

Least used is not the same as least important. I very seldom place a #5 BD stopper, but when I do I am REALLY glad I had it on my rack! Same goes for my offset DMMs. I tend not place them because they are harder to clean, but when I do use them nothing else would have worked as well.

I haven't been trad climbing long enough to make the least used assessment, but I think my #4 C4 is in the running for most used (along with my #3, and Blue DMM Torque Nut). I have a penchant for off-width apparently..

You could climb a ton of stuff around NC pretty safely with nothing but a quintuple rack of .3, .4, .5, and .75 Camalots.

Probably my #13 BD stopper. Which I conveniently lost after my last climb, and don't intend to replace. Think I've only placed it once, and that was only because I made a point of placing it because it was too shiny.

I find myself leaving the #2 camalot behind more often than any other cam. It's a size I feel really comfortable in, unless you need it for a belay, you probably don't "need" it.

I use all of my gear pretty regularly but if I had to pick one it would be my #4 C4. it usually stays in my bag unless I know I need it or im getting into a large crack

Large stoppers (large being over about #9 BD for me).

my 2 biggest nuts... don't get used that often

[...]

its about thin hands for those and in that size i am usually trying to slam in a cam. though i do use them for anchors... or when the climbing is easy but I should put something in because i'm pretty run out. theres not many pieces on my rack that don't get used.

i'm not counting specialty pieces (e.g. wide gear). most of the cracks locally will have normal size pro around it even if the crack is wide so you rarely "need" wide around here

The rope. I don't fall very often, but I place lots of gear.

Lol. I'm with the consensus on large nuts...usually end up getting a cam in that size. Oddly enough, though, the smaller hexes that overlap around that range...I often find bomber placements for.

When I am building an anchor, I am always reaching for the big nuts first. Though I dread fumbling around with a huge stopper while I am pumped and run out and very rarely place them.

Though I think it is super strange I never even placed my #3 Wallnut. Even my #1 is pretty beat up and the #4-6 are my most used. Maybe it's just because it is silver and I naturally reach for the bright green or gold instead?

Ted you climb at DL, do you reach for a cam instead of a big nut when building an anchor?

3nl wrote:When I am building an anchor, I am always reaching for the big nuts first. Though I dread fumbling around with a huge stopper while I am pumped and run out and very rarely place them. Though I think it is super strange I never even placed my #3 Wallnut. Even my #1 is pretty beat up and the #4-6 are my most used. Maybe it's just because it is silver and I naturally reach for the bright green or gold instead? Ted you climb at DL, do you reach for a cam instead of a big nut when building an anchor?

Yeah. Single pitch, so you don't have to worry about saving gear...building anchors with cams is super quick and if I'm on the East Rampart I'm belaying the second up so I can keep an eye on them. I like to use Hexes and nuts if I'm building a TR anchor to be managed from below, but even then I'll sink a cam in if it's a bomber placement. I've seen people use big nuts in horizontals like at the top of Lost Face, which always seems a bit weird but works.

Nick Sweeney wrote:The rope. I don't fall very often, but I place lots of gear.

this ...

if you dont fall ... you dont need a rope ...

thats saves like 8lbs of weight on the approach anyways !!!

;)

Brian Abram wrote:You could climb a ton of stuff around NC pretty safely with nothing but a quintuple rack of .3, .4, .5, and .75 Camalots.

Safely is a relative term. I can think of quite a few people that would consider almost anything in NC unsafe...

Ballnuts. My #5.

#1 c4s are beat to hell for how long I've had them,

when i was learning to lead at ragged mtn in ct i always found placements for large nuts. upon reflection i havent placed many of them in a long time although i dont know if id want to leave home without them. but interesting to hear people do. the #5 i think is clutch. i lost a .5 C4 a while back and i didnt replace it but thats mainly bc i bought a set of metolius tcus that cover it. if i had to throw a piece of gear off the cliff it be the #6 nut. screw it drop all of dem nuts, i did once..

Big nuts. Alpine anchors only. Don't goof with them on single pitch.

How about MOST USED?
Yellow Alien for me!

It's funny to hear people say 4s are big gear

My #1-#4 BD stoppers and my #4 C4 are rarely used. But I was just thinking the other day that I should carry 3 #8 BD stoppers. I swear I place both of mine on every pitch. And my red Master Cams go in all the time.

Hard choice... unless a #4 counts as standard, considering I've only ever placed one a few times. probably either the 0 TCU or the #3. I mean I don't place my nuts as often as I probably should but, when I do place them, I'd be fucked without them.