Single set of cams sufficient?

I've seen some mixed things between advice saying singles / standard rack is fine and others suggesting doubles are needed or advised for lots of routes. I've got a single set of C4s from .3 to 5 (except for .4), set of nuts and a set of hexes (laugh if you must, but they're handing at my home crag).

We're planning for like 4 days of climbing, mixed between super-easy multipitch (like, 5.7) easy single pitch trad (5.9) and single pitch sport (up to 5.11).

Is my rack likely to be sufficient for my plans?

Depends on the routes and your ability.

Well, where are you going?

Yer Gonna Die

Do other members in your party have any gear? I prefer to have doubles in most sizes, depending on the kind of rock you're climbing on, and the style of routes. I've used 4 #3's on a route before, and a single rack of nuts has gotten me up others. All depends on how far/if you wanna run it out, how good you are at placing, and the route itself.

Personal advice? Climb more with people with gear, learn what kind of rack works at your crag. Gunks rack =/= creek rack. There are no "perfect" rack guidelines.

Like others have said, it depends on lot on area and route. Another thing to consider is whether you will need to build gear anchors or if there are fixed anchors or natural anchors.

It's route dependent so do your best to get gear beta on routes. But doesn't inspire confidence to be that reliant on passive pieces as a new leader unless you plan on back cleaning or climbing well below your ability for some long ass runouts. 

The biggest problem you'll have is using 3 pieces to set up belay anchor (2 cams + nut) then still have enough pieces left to build a solid top anchor.

Some very experienced climbers might go light and attack a multi with a single set of nuts and cams but usually know exactly what they're getting into

D'oh, I'm sorry I didn't realize I failed to say this was for Red Rocks Canyon in my first post.

We don't know exactly which routes yet, still figuring that out. Obviously the gear will be a factor - if my rack is sufficient for some routes but not others, it's easier to choose those routes than drop another thousand dollars getting doubles of everything.

So many things there are listed as "singles to 3".  But personally I always carry doubles for the multipitch routes.  The anchor situation that others have mentioned and the piece of mind of being able to grab exactly what I want.

But 4 days of climbing is not that much so if you choose your routes carefully, you may have no problem.

Here are some single pitch routes in the range you are asking in Willow Springs that I have done, that are recommended with singles:

Geezer's Face 5.8

Black Track 5.9

Little Big Horn 5.9+

The first "pitch" of Plan F 5.9+

Sumo Greatness 5.9+

The funny thing is, even though these are more or less the same rating, some of these felt to me "easy" and some of these felt "hard".  When things feel hard, I like me some extra gear!!

For multipitch, Birdland at 5.7 has bolted anchors and I could see that going with singles no problem.

I'm not a huge hex fan, but your set of hexes will do nicely to replace a second set of cams. When I fly with a rack, I generally take a single set of cams supplemented by half a set of hexes in alternating sizes. I think you will be fine. 

A lot of the multipitch will require you to set up trad anchors (i.e. you'll have to find 3 placements/leave 3 pieces of gear at each belay station), so you might want to stick to single pitch. But, I managed to climb Frogland my first time there when I had a pretty similar rack to yours (except doubles in number 1 and 2 cams)

With the rack you described, unless there are fixed anchors, I would not do a multi-pitch trad route. The few multi-pitch routes I have done I always carry at least doubles in # .5-3, set of tri-cams, and set of nuts. But, like everyone else says, depends on where you are at and your comfort level. 

In addition to difficulty of routes, length is a concern. I'd feel comfortable going up a 35m or shorter route with a single rack + a set of nuts where I climb, but if we're talking longer than that I'd start to want more gear options.

Glass Tupperware wrote:

A lot of the multipitch will require you to set up trad anchors (i.e. you'll have to find 3 placements/leave 3 pieces of gear at each belay station), so you might want to stick to single pitch. But, I managed to climb Frogland my first time there when I had a pretty similar rack to yours (except doubles in number 1 and 2 cams)

FWIW, I climbed tunnel vision with a single set of cams, nuts, offset nuts, and tricams. 4 out of the 6 belays were gear anchors. The only piece I wish I had doubles of was .75 but it wasn't much of an issue. If you place a lot of passive pro you can make most stuff work with strategic planning

A single rack has to be sufficient when you start out. Once you dial a route in, too, you can break it down to the pieces you need. But having doubles once you can afford it gives you a lot of confidence that you won't run out of a size you may need later.