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Tricams?

Ryan Rex · · Gardnerville, NV · Joined Oct 2016 · Points: 192

i have a set that have been gathering dust forever, but when you need them...they are the ONLY thing that will fit. in a blown out pin scar or something similiar. totems, offsets, hooks all useless...sometimes nothing will stick, but a tricam will somehow perfectly slide in and be solid.

never used them for free climbing ever, only aiding. so depends what youre into

Gunkiemike · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 3,697
Buck Rio wrote: guys come on, can you not tell i was kidding?

I couldn't tell.

Don P · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2015 · Points: 0

I live in CT and first started climbing here in 1977 as a real newbie. I have the pink, red, brown, and purple tri-cams that I have had for a few years and almost never use them. When they first came out they were a great addition to a standard rack, especially for use at the Gunks. We used them a lot, and they were a great addition to a rack of cams at a time when there were very few cam choices (unlike today). My cams were a #1, #2, #3 rigid stem Friends. I just got home last night from 3 days at the Gunks. I brought the tri cams along in case my partner wanted to use them, but they sat in the car. I never use them anymore, even at the Gunks. Yes there might have been a nice placement of a tri cam, but we always found an alternative with the gear we had. I will generally only carry them at a crag when I know I would use them. Climbing in CT, I never carry them. In CT almost all climbs are only one pitch, with ample tree anchors at the top. So if you are leading, you really don't have to worry about saving gear in order to build an anchor in order to bring up your partner. Also, I have not used a hex in probably 30 years. I recommend saving your dough, and invest in your set of cams a piece of a time. For cams, I usually carry a full set of Camalots from .3 to #4 (and a #5 for Carey Corner!). I supplement the Camalots with a combination of Metolius Master Cams and #1, #2, and #3 Friends (not the latest version) that act as half sizes/complementary sizes. I find that even if some of the cam sizes look the same between these different brands, the "sweet spot" in a secure placement is different for each of them. I am not anti tri cam, I just have other options that I prefer.

Todd Kreider · · West Lancaster, PA · Joined May 2019 · Points: 10

I climb mostly in the Gunks and have always loved tri cams. Because of the age of the nylon, I recently sent my set off to Mtntools.com and they reslinged them at a pretty reasonable price. 

Redyns · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 60

Hey, can we get a ST turd's opinion on this?  those dudes are the real traddies.

Marc H · · Longmont, CO · Joined May 2007 · Points: 265
Jared Chrysostom wrote: My tricams are placed about 6X as often as my hexes...

Does anyone know what 6 X 0 = ???

Redyns · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 60
Marc H wrote:

Does anyone know what 6 X 0 = ???

Boulderer.

nbrown · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 7,988
Buck Rio wrote:

That is a textbook C3 placement, probably yellow...

Looks more like a textbook tricam placement to me! 

Done that route many times and can confirm that many of those pockets on that route, as well as others at TR, open up in the back making them very poor cam placements.
Buck Rio · · MN · Joined Jul 2015 · Points: 16
nbrown wrote:

Looks more like a textbook tricam placement to me! 

Done that route many times and can confirm that many of those pockets on that route, as well as others at TR, open up in the back making them very poor cam placements.

Judging from the amount of lichen, it hardly ever gets done. So it must be the mythical "only tricam will fit" placement we have been searching for lol. 

nbrown · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 7,988

That amount of lichen is not uncommon around there, even on trade routes. You should see some of the "obscure" walls...

Curtis Baird · · Wyoming · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 1,101
Scott Phil wrote: Not my placement, but I suspect the climber was glad he had a tricam:

Photo by Curtis Baird on What's Up Doc a 5.10+ on Table Rock NC

This was my placement from last week.  I was a bit runout on 5.10 terrain and was very glad I found this placement.  The piece looks a little funny but did not move after serious testing.  Nothing else I was carrying would have fit either.

Daniel Heins · · Seattle · Joined Aug 2016 · Points: 1,575

As if 6 pages aren't enough some recent climbing has re-affirmed the great utility of tricams in some circumstances.  Doing some light alpine ridges on Ben Nevis in Scotland and some chossy limestone trad in Avon Gorge in England both really drove home the point that if you are ever climbing on filth (be it mud, sandy rock, ice, or lichen/moss), tricams are useful for their tolerance of unclean rock.   Limestone also has shallow horizontals, weird pockets, and bad friction which all can make decent tricams when cams would be a bit suspect.  On the Ben, they also were good for keeping a super light but versatile rack to quickly move up the long ridges.

Buck Rio · · MN · Joined Jul 2015 · Points: 16
Daniel James wrote: As if 6 pages aren't enough some recent climbing has re-affirmed the great utility of tricams in some circumstances.  Doing some light alpine ridges on Ben Nevis in Scotland and some chossy limestone trad in Avon Gorge in England both really drove home the point that if you are ever climbing on filth (be it mud, sandy rock, ice, or lichen/moss), tricams are useful for their tolerance of unclean rock.   Limestone also has shallow horizontals, weird pockets, and bad friction which all can make decent tricams when cams would be a bit suspect.  On the Ben, they also were good for keeping a super light but versatile rack to quickly move up the long ridges.

No need for halal placements for Tricams then...  

Since I have a limited amount of time to climb, I usually go places that would be considered prime, and mostly stick to 3-4 star routes. They tend to get the most traffic and are purified and made clean.

I tried climbing in a place in central America once that was mostly choss limestone back in the mid 80's....wish I had Tricams then, nuts and slung hexes are all we had available. It was full of pockets and weird vegetated cracks.
Daniel Heins · · Seattle · Joined Aug 2016 · Points: 1,575
Buck Rio wrote:

No need for halal placements for Tricams then...  

Since I have a limited amount of time to climb, I usually go places that would be considered prime, and mostly stick to 3-4 star routes. They tend to get the most traffic and are purified and made clean.

I tried climbing in a place in central America once that was mostly choss limestone back in the mid 80's....wish I had Tricams then, nuts and slung hexes are all we had available. It was full of pockets and weird vegetated cracks.

haha nice one

That makes sense w/ choice of climbing.  In Bristol it's just as easy to get to limestone cliffs on Avon Gorge as it is to walk to a gym.  While historic and pretty well trafficed, it's amazing how loose the rock can still manage to be in some of it, particularly on any of the harder routed.  It's a crag with a lot of character for sure, that I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with (but am thankful for having something so close).  For places like Ben Nevis, ridges will never be purely clean rock no matter how classic they are just since it's so wet up there and it's more often in good winter condition than good summer condition; I had the misfortune of it being neither when there (snowing/raining in May...)
Jcastleberry · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2010 · Points: 192

Despite all these stories, tricams still suck! They're antiquated climbing gear and you're misleading new climbers by recommending that they purchase tricams over regular cams (or trying to recruit into your tricam whipping circle hug). I will never join the tricam team. Yes, i understand they're the cheapeast semi-active climbing protection you can buy. They contribute to an unproportional amount of fixed gear that turns into trash, along with linkcams (which also suck).

Jcastleberry · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2010 · Points: 192
Manderson198 wrote: Oh yeah Jdingleberry, if you’re worried about looking like a gumby because you pull out a tricam, you need to check your ego. 

Hey trashstashandersongonnacarrytricamsupelcap, tricams suck and when you try to place one  way high up on that C3 aid line, it's gonna POP!

Manderson198 · · Chattanooga, TN · Joined Dec 2013 · Points: 637
  
Terry E · · San Francisco, CA · Joined Aug 2011 · Points: 43
...tricams still suck! They're antiquated climbing gear and you're misleading new climbers by recommending that they purchase tricams over regular cams
I used to think Tricams were "antiquated gear" too, until I read what I'm pasting below.  After the following advice I bought Tricams, practiced placing them, now like them a LOT and find Tricams quite useful at times.

"The Mountain Guide Manual", by Marc Chauvin and Rob Coppolillo, published in 2017, and effectively an AMGA training manual, says:

Page 17 - Tricams can be a great way to enhance a rack in the midrange without adding much bulk or weight. Since they can be placed in constrictions like a nut (in two orientations), they can duplicate some of your larger nuts.  They also cam, which allows you to use them to duplicate your spring-loaded cams.

Page 18 - Tricams: Lightweight and Versatile
 We suggest you consider carrying the .25, .5, 1, and 1.5 (black, pink, red, and brown) CAMP Tricams. As cams, they fit between several sizes of Black Diamond Camalots. The .5 Tricam fits between the Camalot .5 and .75; the 1 Tricam fits between the Camalot .75 and 1; and the 1.5 Tricam fits between the 1 and 2 Camalot.  When placed as a nut or wedge, the .5 Tricam fits the same-size crack as the BD Stopper size 11, the 1 Tricam is like the 12 Stopper, and the 1.5 Tricam is like the 13 Stopper.  Tons of versatility in the Tricams at a fairly light weight, and if you end up leaving gear, they're far cheaper than cams.
Devin Rogers · · Temecula CA · Joined Jun 2016 · Points: 20
Sam Skovgaard wrote: 
 You basically never NEED them.
I would disagree. Although as a desert climber I guess I probably encounter a higher than average amount of placements where tricams were necessary 
Chris K · · Clemson, SC · Joined Oct 2017 · Points: 136

To add to what Terry just said, the recommended standard tricams (black, pink, red, and brown) can also be purchased as tricam EVO’s with a tapering on the sides, adding a 3rd passive placement option.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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