Double Nuts

Still new to trad...Are there situations/crags that it would good to have doubles of your basic set of stoppers?

For big wall/aid, for sure. For regular free climbing, you're better off getting something that compliments your current set, such as offsets. The DMM alloy offsets are great.

Short answer is yes. You will get more specific answers, if you post the areas and routes that you intend to climb.

Handy references:
andy-kirkpatrick.com/articl…
andy-kirkpatrick.com/articl…

A fair number of people that use the DMM/Wild Country coloring + sizing will use the offsets mentioned earlier or carry doubles of the sizes that come in the ultralight (single wire) variety... they have a different, very thin, profile. So yes to your ?

Strongly depends on where you go. Very few routes at Indian Creek (UT) take any nuts at all. Eldo and Lumpy in CO is mighty fine with doubles.

At least where I climb (New England; granite, schist, gunks conglomerate), offset nuts are awesome as the second set. DMM Peenuts in the small sizes, DMM alloy offsets larger (except maybe the largest one or two don't get used as often).

kevin neville wrote:At least where I climb (New England; granite, schist, gunks conglomerate), offset nuts are awesome as the second set. DMM Peenuts in the small sizes, DMM alloy offsets larger (except maybe the largest one or two don't get used as often).

I second this at least for the DMM nuts. I climb with two sets of DMM wallnuts and the peenuts/offset combo and they were a good mix on California granite. Having two different shaped nut sets will give you more options on anchor building and those odd shaped cracks on lead.

I have the DMM Wall Nuts, the DMM Offsets, DMM Peanuts, and WC Ultralight Nuts.

I climb with a combo of the DMM Wall Nuts / Off sets / Peanuts in one rack so I essentially fill in the spacing of the DMM offset / peanuts with the Wall nuts. I have found the off sets fit almost everywhere a standard nut will but a standard nut wont fit everywhere an offset will.

Essentially a mixed nut rack...

i always carry the WC ultralights separate as they are phenomenal in the seams

-Z

Tim Meehan wrote:Offset nuts, for sure, and a few tricams also make a nice nut supplement.

This

D-Roc wrote:Essentially a mixed nut rack... -Z

So from hypothetical to my actual situation,

I have a bunch of nuts I've kinda hodge-podged together while building a rack and trying to find a trad mentor. Yes, I know it would have been better to get the trad mentor first, followed a ton of stuff in my local areas, and then made prudent choices. It didn't happen that way. I buy cheap used gear. I have a problem.

Anyhow - Critique what I have: Full set of BD 1-13, Trango set 1-8, assorted WC Rocks 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11

Seems like a lot of overlap in some standard sizes. With something more specialized (off-sets) being a primary recommendation, I'm planning on selling off as much of the extraneous stuff to free up money, so another consideration.

Thanks!

Dmm offsets. I find i reach for them more than anything else. Spend the money, you won't regret it. And carry a #10 hex.

Muscrat wrote:And carry a #10 hex.

I am curious about this one. Why do you specifically recommend a #10 hex?

Mine is named Mjolnir.
I have retrieved gear, nuts and cams which have been "irretrievable".WOrks a charm; also great pro, basicall covers a BD #3.
add: suppose it could be a #11, mine just happens to be a 10

I thought maybe it had something to do with the Grizzly population in WY/MT.

Which of the nuts listed should I look to sell?

Muscrat wrote:Mine is named Mjolnir. I have retrieved gear, nuts and cams which have been "irretrievable".WOrks a charm; also great pro, basicall covers a BD #3. add: suppose it could be a #11, mine just happens to be a 10

So, if I understand correctly, you are primarily using the hex as a hammer on your nut tool to remove stuck gear? This is worth the extra weight and dreadful cowbell noise?

I'm surprised how many of my sentiments are echoed here, from using the hex as a nut hammer to having an extra #3, to liking a few supplemental tricams which seem extra versatile to me. I like extra passive. I started loving DMM but have slightly less preference now, maybe just because I seem to get more standard nuts to work more consistently at this point.

I've climbed with a lot of people's racks and have noticed that nut type really doesn't seem to matter to me. the DMM's are nice but I think in the end, whatever you get that you like will be just as good.

Rob D. wrote:I've climbed with a lot of people's racks and have noticed that nut type really doesn't seem to matter to me. the DMM's are nice but I think in the end, whatever you get that you like will be just as good.

I'm with you on that, until it gets down to RP sized pieces it does not matter to me at all.

I have a few doubles I keep on my daily rack, usually the small/medium sizes, all booty.

MClay wrote: So from hypothetical to my actual situation, I have a bunch of nuts I've kinda hodge-podged together while building a rack and trying to find a trad mentor. Yes, I know it would have been better to get the trad mentor first, followed a ton of stuff in my local areas, and then made prudent choices. It didn't happen that way. I buy cheap used gear. I have a problem. Anyhow - Critique what I have: Full set of BD 1-13, Trango set 1-8, assorted WC Rocks 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11 Seems like a lot of overlap in some standard sizes. With something more specialized (off-sets) being a primary recommendation, I'm planning on selling off as much of the extraneous stuff to free up money, so another consideration. Thanks!

Keep in mind that offsets are basically a specialty piece of gear. As someone said, regular nuts fits 90% of the time (I would say 99% as I'm happier without offsets on my rack). Your posts hint at you just starting out, so there's no need to buy offsets yet. At the same time, there's no need to sell off what you have. Beginners tend to lose a nut every now and then, so it is good to have a backup in a box at home.

My adverse opinion on offsets and DMM Wallnuts comes down to cleaning them. It takes me 2x times longer to clean a stubborn Wallnut and 5x times longer to clean a stubborn offset than it takes to clean a stubborn regular nut (BD or WC). Since me and most of my partners place way more nuts than cams, time adds up. Of my five most regular partners (each of us having 15+ years trad experience), only one has gone into offset nuts. So seeing the strong tilt towards offset nuts in this thread (and other threads) might not reflect reality.

A funny thing happened last summer. A buddy I met a few years ago stopped by and we climbed for a day. He expressed that his offset nuts were the greatest thing since wheeled luggage. But I noticed how he placed almost no nuts at all and on one route he got quite nervous in one spot running it out further than needed (I knew there were two A+ regular nut placements along this runout that he didn't use). Afterwards he explained that he was reluctant to place his glorious offset nuts as most people have trouble cleaning them.

As for micronuts, I agree that having a regular set and an offset set is beneficial (at least on the type of rock I'm mostly playing).

Patrik wrote: Your posts hint at you just starting out, so there's no need to buy offsets yet. At the same time, there's no need to sell off what you have. Beginners tend to lose a nut every now and then, so it is good to have a backup in a box at home.

Thanks, this is the sort of advice I really need. Although I'm glad to have learned a lot of opinions on off-sets along the way.

I'm no super trad crusher nor do I have even a decades worth of experience, but in my meager time, I have found a set of BD stoppers doubled in the mid-larger sizes works great. I've never used offset nuts and have never found myself wishing for them, but maybe I'm just fully ignorant to their magick...