CAMS!

I got pretty excited about summer and thanks to a killer deal, decided to buy some Black Diamond C4s. From .4 up to #3 (one of each, .4 and .5 being the x4s) I'm in southern Idaho and was wondering if anyone had input of which cams to double up on or add. Looking to build a good all around rack to keep my head off of the ground. Also, trad tips are greatly appreciated.

I think you should double up once the anodized paint is gone from the lobes!

But seriously I think this really depends on the area(s) you climb and the type of climbs you do... Depends on your budget of course but you'll see with use what you feel that you lack. At least that's my plan - I got like 1.5 simple rack and will probably add stuff sooner or later, but plan on holding on for now...

EDIT: and actually, depends again where you climb, but if you have wide cracks you might wanna consider a 3.5 or a #4...

Don't know idaho... but what's the rest of your rack and your experience? What do people around you climb with?  In general, add a set of nuts and a bunch of runners / alpine draws if you dont already have them and you've got a good starter rack. Find a partner with a rack too and now you've got doubles and can figure out where to fill in your rack if needed.

Personally, I go down to the smallest Metolius cam, and then double up in the .3-1 c4 sizes with other brand cams, mostly metolius. I also like the dmm offset nuts, and, since I'm on the east coast, I do love my tricams.

Personally, I go down to the smallest Metolius cam, and then double up in the .3-1 c4 sizes with other brand cams, mostly metolius. I also like the dmm offset nuts, and, since I'm on the east coast, I do love my tricams.

I have a nut set as well as some quickdraws. I've done lead for sport but only followed & cleaned for trad. Most folks in my area do toprope stunts but I wanna squirm into other stuff. I'm looking to find someone close by that is a trad wizard so I can learn from them. So far I've been practicing placements on the ground and in nooks of the home.

Get a set of Metolius Mastercams, from purple up to green. Those will complement your C4's nicely.

Donavon Hursh wrote:Is there a good way to go about selecting a brand of cam? Also, I know nothing about the beloved tricam aside from what they look like, care to enlighten me?

It’s like buying a car- you really should test drive because it’s almost all personal preference. You have enough to start, test out your partners brands before you buy your doubles. 

That “trad wizard” will hopefully have a rack of their own.  You don’t need to double up now; focus on getting a single rack that covers the range of cracks you’ll most likely be protecting.

Add a set of ultralight master cams from little purple to big purple and you've got everything you need to climb most routes in Idaho.

Donavon Hursh wrote:Also, I know nothing about the beloved tricam aside from what they look like, care to enlighten me?

Tricams are harder to place, but are excellent in horizontals and weird placements or really textured uneven rock.  They're also about 1/3 the cost of a cam. I carry 2 pinks, 2 reds, brown, and violet; (I tend to carry too much stuff probably) I don't see much need for the larger ones.  The rock where i climb is filled with horizontal cracks, so i use them practically every pitch.  They're very divisive, many people hate them too.

What part of Idaho are you in? If your in Boise I’m down to show you what I know. I’m a gear junkie so you can try out my gear and see what you like. 

Have you climbed much in your area previously?  What pieces have you set the most often?  Are you someone who looks for a specific size crack (in which case, get cams that fit that size) or do you just climb whatever line looks interesting?

In general (and I climb in So Cal, your YMMV), I find doubles from .5 to 2 to be the most useful.  Keep in mind as well, that as climbs get longer, you tend to need more gear (unless you like runouts). and you need enough gear to account for belay stations on multi-pitch routes or if you are going to bring your partner up and then both rap/walk off (unless there are permanent stations).

Matt Himmelstein wrote: I find doubles from .5 to 2 to be the most useful.  

I would agree with this.

Just chiming in here...

I've recently noticed I constantly reach for my 'ultralight' Metolious TCU, the *three* lobe version. #1-#3. I own doubles in C4 and some Aliens but I still reach for those TCUs for all types of rock.

That said, I echo the notion that you should test others' gear and find what you like.      e.g. I probably wouldnt' have started off with doubles in C4 like everybody told me. All my partners already have a single rack of c4 so there's no need for me to have doubles anyway. I would have liked to supplement these with some totems and more Aliens.

Stranger Danger wrote: Just chiming in here...

I've recently noticed I constantly reach for my 'ultralight' Metolious TCU, the *three* lobe version. #1-#3. I own doubles in C4 and some Aliens but I still reach for those TCUs for all types of rock.

That said, I echo the notion that you should test others' gear and find what you like.      e.g. I probably wouldnt' have started off with doubles in C4 like everybody told me. All my partners already have a single rack of c4 so there's no need for me to have doubles anyway. I would have liked to supplement these with some totems and more Aliens.

I really like my TCUs for some placements.  They just fit in perfectly where a quad is not going to fit, but I still consider them more complementary that essential.