Orange totem

What are your thoughts on the orange totem or experience with it?  Do you think it will hold a fall or is it a little to floppy to hold a fall?

Ummm...it will definitely hold a fall if placed correctly.  

It is pretty top heavy and floppy.  It makes it a little harder to place due to this.   I prefer a yellow camalot to the orange totem in this size, but that's a personal preference.  I think the advantages of the totems diminish as the cams get larger.  Totems in green and smaller are awesome, I’m not as convinced in the red and orange sizes.

The Orange Totem is very floppy if you try to place it without retracting the cams first.  Once you do that, it will not flop at all.

After it is placed, that flexibility is to your benefit, since it makes it less likely to walk.

Thanks everyone for your experience 

Orange totem is an excellent piece, don’t hesitate to acquire one.

The orange totem is bomber imo. I use the whole set except the black one, where I switch to No. 1 - 4 ball nuts. 

I have one and I wish I had just gotten a C4/Dragon/New Friend instead. It's not a bad cam, its just that the narrow head doesn't often do a whole lot in that size and it's not worth the extra 20-30 bucks a cam. 

Collect the whole set or you're nobody.

It's not too floppy, just pull the trigger and you can place it easily.  I'll carry an orange Totem and a #2 C4 if I'm carrying doubles, if I'm using a single rack which one I'll bring will depend on the type of climb/rock.

I fell on one and lived.

What the hell is an Orange totem? You mean black? 

Orange Totem > #2 C4. There hasn't been a single time placing the orange totem that I had wished I had placed the #2 instead. The orange totem is perfectly rigid enough when you retract the lobes before placing. Would def whip on it in almost any placement. 

Also wondering why the anticipated whips onto perfect hands?

Do you even know how to climb, bruh?

Nick, you can play with mine if you like, it's super bomber. 

Colonel Mustard wrote: Also wondering why the anticipated whips onto perfect hands?

Do you even know how to climb, bruh?

Keep climbing different shit. Eventually you'll find one of those pitches where you get a single hand jam in offwidth or shallow fingers. That can get pumpy.

Nick Haha wrote:   Do you think it will hold a fall or is it a little to floppy to hold a fall?

Wait, what??

Briggs Lazalde wrote: Ive already mentioned this a few times on MP so sorry to repeat myself. Nick buy a orange totem, grab your rack, and head to Leavenworth. Go to classic crack near 8 mile campground....walk up to the route and throw a c4 #2 into the flared horizontal...then place a equivalent friend or dragon and lastly, the orange totem....test each of these pieces and then bounce test them...if they hold then get a friend to join in on the bounce test....we did this multiple times to be sure but the c4 and dragon both popped with ease...no real weight on them....the totem held both our weight while bounce testing...my buddy has rocked c4s since forever and he bought some totems the next day

I'm trying to think of where you are talking about, but I've never looked for sub optimal placements :)
By where his right foot is at?

Not necessarily saying anything about their ability in horizontal placements, but I just love seeing one of Totem's managers swinging around on a (BD) belay seat at this random space between buildings! Totally want to do this!

https://youtu.be/rsy8TT-nmSY?t=12

Also worth noting that it moves a little bit when pulled at an angle (see 1min 25sec). This is probably the case with any cam, I haven't placed too many cams horizontally, so I can't speak to that.

Jaren Watson wrote: Cam lobes aside, I think it’s interesting that Totems are so highly touted, partly due to their flexibility, while Trango Flexcams are routinely dismissed, partly due to their flexibility.

Flexibility is hardly close to being a key part of the totems benefits.  Flexibility is highly overrated especially when all you need to do is add a sling and you have a very "flexible" placement.

(Most cams are designed specifically to have added rigidity over what the wire stem gives.)

acrophobe wrote: The Orange Totem is very floppy if you try to place it without retracting the cams first.  

Who places cams without retracting them??? Do they just "shove it in"?  Not with MY gear, bucko!

acrophobe wrote: The Orange Totem is very floppy if you try to place it without retracting the cams first.  Once you do that, it will not flop at all.

After it is placed, that flexibility is to your benefit, since it makes it less likely to walk.

Are you just jamming the cam in a crack without retracting it?   I have never heard of that,  that’s what cam triggers are for.