Where can I find information on what a "standard rack" for a specific area is?

Would it normally be on the area's broadest page on MP? Or do I need to get a guide book to find out the most accurate information?

Sometimes areas require certain pieces, but it'll mostly be route specific. Go to a route, read the description and below that will be information on bolts or what you need to protect it

It could be on the MP page for the area, though I've seen a lot of them without that information. It will definitely be in the guidebook.

Other options: Ask someone, either in the area page or a forum. Or check some of the MP pages for individual routes you are interested in. I've found that route pages are more likely to have rack info than an area page.

Good luck!

YGD

Ax someone?

John Wilder wrote:

It can  vary widely, but if you want a standard rack that'll get you up most everything just about anywhere except the desert... 

1.5 sets of stoppers (doubles in the small/mid range) 

Double rack from tips to #3 camalot. Single tiny cam and a single #4. 

This sounds about right to me, except that I'd make it a full double set on the stoppers (offsets for the upper side). There are also a few variations of things I might add for areas I've climbed:

1. The doubles in the small/mid range for stoppers can be a different kind of nuts, usually alloy offsets of some sort. I'd go with DMM's brass offsets for soft rock, or Black Diamond's iron/copper alloy offset nuts for hard rock.
2. If you're going for offwidths, singles in #4, #5, #6 can be helpful, in decreasing order of usefulness. I wouldn't bother with these until you have a specific route in mind that needs them.
3. If your area has a lot of horizontals, small tricams are useful. In the Gunks I carry 1 x white, 1 x black, 3 x pink, 2 x red, 1 x blue, 1 x brown and I frequently place all three of my pink tricams in a pitch. They're useful for pods/huecos/pin scars too, but I've less experience with these.
4. Hexes in the size of the DMM Torque nuts are useful for vertical cracks that vary in width but are larger than nuts.

I haven't climbed in a ton of different areas, so there might be other stuff to look out for.

I'd start with what John said, then expand once you know the rock in your area better.

I won't speak generally, but at the Gunks it would be tricams (mostly pink), #1 ballnut, blue through red CCH aliens, a bunch of draws for pins and other fixed/abandoned gear and a cordolette. Keep a #3 C4 in your pack for the routes the guidebook specifically calls it out.

John Wilder wrote:

It can  vary widely, but if you want a standard rack that'll get you up most everything just about anywhere except the desert... 

1.5 sets of stoppers (doubles in the small/mid range) 

Double rack from tips to #3 camalot. Single tiny cam and a single #4. 

^^^ This, but probably more stoppers than needed. I'd throw in 6 quick draws and 6 single length slings with biners. No Tricams.

Being from Thousand Oaks you are gonna climb (if you're lucky) at Josh, Idlewild and Vegas, maybe Needles/Yose if you truly want the real thing.

Don't go crazy into offsets of any kind until you are proficient with standard stuff. Your partner should have one of everything to compliment that for most anything where you need triples. Generally that need is in a route description.

This question keeps coming up.   Don't people realize that a standard rack is virtually the same no matter where you are?   I am so confused by this perceived notion of specialization.  Gear is gear.

You're overthinking it. Just bring your regular set of cams and nuts and if there's a need for micro stoppers or huge cams or tiny cams or something else fairly specialized then it will probably be mentioned on MP or in the guide book. 

Universal rack: 1 set of nuts. Doubles from 0.3-3. This will get you up 80%+ of moderate routes.