Gunks - How do I know what to rack and what to leave?

I've started leading this last month in the Gunks. AWESOME!! Led Madame G's last time, to give you a sense of where I am.

So far, I've pretty much been racking up everything I've got, maybe leaving my #3 C4 behind for some routes, but bringing a full set of nuts, tricams, .4-2 cams, and lots of slings/draws. I figure that I could get to know some routes so well that I'd know exactly/more or less what I need. But can you provide guidelines/rules of thumb/advice for how to size up a route and bring what I'll need without going overboard?

Thanks,
Andrew

Guidebook or MP beta. With experience, you'll get a sense for what you need to bring (e.g., if you never use all of your slings on a pitch, you can cut back). 1 set of nuts, 1 set of cams, and a couple tricams sounds like what I would bring for pretty much any climb at the gunks, unless I had some specific gear beta on a climb (e.g. nothing over 1").

Doesn't really hurt to bring a little more than what you need.

More selection is better than less, especially when you're just starting. Then again, there's something to be said about learning to "run it out" (usually, until you fall!)  

Remember, it's not like you're packing this stuff  8-10 miles one-way into some mountain.  Think: "Good for Training", and someday you'll be somewhere were there aren't fixed rap stations every 50-100 ft along the top of the cliff and learn how fast a rack gets eaten up rapping off something more than 2 pitches high in the rain/snow/or because of an accident.

Carry it all. If the gear is a problem then you prob shouldn’t be climbing it. 

Honestly for the level you are at don't worry about it... Too much gear probably won't prevent you from climbing 5.6 and 5.7. when I was there at the gunks I was almost always bringing a double rack through the mid sizes and happy for it (note: I tend to run pitches together with double ropes so more gear gets placed) Especially since gear anchors are common at the gunks.

A single rack will work on most gunks routes. I wouldn't cut it down much more than that unless you can see the whole pitch from the ground or you have climbed it before..

As you break into 9s and 10s the amount of gear might matter but it's more about being able to easily access it...the weight can matter too but honestly I have pumped out more frequently because gear was a cluster than because of weight.

This is all making sense. In fact, I'm thinking of doubling up on tricams--I seem to use them a lot and placing them always makes me smile.

Thanks, all.

Your rack is light! Many experienced climbers bring doubles of their favorite cams. 

I’ve done a majority of my climbing in the gunks.  Recently I have been thinking about how ironic it was that when I was climbing 5.6 I never left the ground with out doubles up to 3 no matter the length of the route, what the guidebook said, or by what simply looking up at the route from the ground would tell me.  As I’ve progressed through the grades my rack has slimmed out more and more.  I now rarely carry a 3, sometimes don’t carry a 2, and often carry singles of .5-1.  Most of this simply comes from mileage and learning what you really need.  Its also important to learn that just because a route could take a larger cam it doesn’t mean you need to carry it to make the route safe.  I can think of many a route at the gunks where you could place a 4, 5, or 6 camalot if you so desired, but I also can’t think of many routes at the gunks where this would be necessary because of smaller placements nearby.  

The last think I’ll note is that proficient and creative nut placement has probably been the most important factor in slimming my rack down. Some of the most bomb proof gear I’ve placed is a nut in a horizontal.  Again this comes from mileage.

I’ll echo what others have said in the fact that there is no harm climbing with the kitchen sink at this point in your climbing career, but I’m sure in a few years you’ll have the same laugh thinking back about all that training weight you hauled up those 5.6s.

SethG wrote: Many experienced climbers bring doubles of their favorite cams. 

This.

If you need some motivation to carry that #3, check out “ bad day on Feast of Fools “ on YouTube.

SethG wrote: Your rack is light! Many experienced climbers bring doubles of their favorite cams. 

Ditto. I bring double Aliens blue to grey and two sets of wires (different brands=different shapes).

Bring everything up to 3 unless you have specific gear beta. I like doubles up to #1. My rack is now a mix of various gear. Also a healthy assortment of BD nuts, brassies, offsets and alpine draws.

Red c3
Black Totem
Green Alien
Yellow c3
Yellow Alien
Orange metolius TCU
Two .5 c4's
#.75 c4
Green Totem
#1 c4
Red Totem
Orange Totem
#3 c4

Aliens over x4s? Or one of each? Or are they comparable?
Maybe this is a digression...

Need to remember that on some climbs, particularly on the second pitch, you'll need a gear anchor at the start of the pitch and then save pieces for a gear anchor at the top. Good to use tri-cams for these where you can, but you can definitely tie up a lot of cams on your anchors.

Andrew Hess wrote: Aliens over x4s? Or one of each? Or are they comparable?
Maybe this is a digression...

Comparable for the most part. For the gunks idt you need both really

Andrew Hess wrote: Aliens over x4s? Or one of each? Or are they comparable?
Maybe this is a digression...

I wanted to love the X4's, and was the first person to buy a set from Rock & Snow. But in the end I am back to Aliens.

A rack that light, just bring it all. Depends what you are climbing but doubling up small-.75ish sizes is usually a good idea. When the gear gets smaller the climbing is often harder (smaller features) and smaller gear, while good, isn't as strong as bigger gear so you should place it more frequently. You shouldn't notice much weight and it shouldn't take up too much space on you harness until you either really overload or have a lot of bigger cams.

Once you become more experienced though you'll figure out what kind of climber you want to be - someone who treats trad climbing like sport and just brings the exact rack they need for known routes, or someone who just "brings the rack" up, maybe parsing out a few definitely not needed pieces. I tend to forget intermediate non-critical placements on known routes so I bring what I am sure I need plus a basic single set of cams typically as an insurance policy. Sometimes that cam you were sure fit may one day just not want to go in there and you'll be glad to have an option other than running it out. Also, if something goes wrong it is nice having a couple extra pieces to handle any shenanigans or if you want pieces for directionals on say, an possible adjacent route to TR. 

Figuring out what gear you need to use on the fly is just part of trad climbing, and I don't think it's realistic to know what you need while you're on the ground every time. Given you're bringing less up the wall than most people, I don't think this is something I'd worry about if I were you.

For some comparison, I'm leading slightly stronger than you (did City Lights 5.8- last time I climbed) and I typically bring up a double rack of Totems + #5 Dragon (similar to #3 C4), nuts, and tricams. I'll just bring up a single set of totems if the pitch looks short, but the vast majority of the time I'm bringing up everything.

Unless I am at the creek or gunning for an ow, I bring a single  rack, ditch the big nuts  add tricams, and if its really hard  bring  some brassies, but thats just me.

For on-sights at my limit, I like two sets of small/medium nuts (including offsets and brassies), and a double rack 0.2-1.0.  Depending on the appearance of the climb, I'll add 1 or more #2-3, pink/red tri-cams, and/or my 'tiny gear' biner with a 0.1 cam and ball nuts.  

When climbing familiar ground below my limit, I might challenge myself by taking a lot less gear (in preparation for future aspirations to move fast and light over alpine ground).

The only C4 cams I double up in the gunks are purple and green. Other than that.... single rack to 2 and double set of tricams. I find the DMM Wallnuts place great at the gunks and I have the alloy offsets worked in there as well. Lastly I have a mishmash of aliens, X4s and c3 (yellow and red) for small stuff.