Orange (largest) Totem? Worth it?

If you’re building a double rack one set of BD and one set of totems is worth considering.

I find they’re a bit floppy. At that size I’ve also never encountered a flaring placement as my only option (where totems’ versatility vis a vis other non-offset cams excels). They also take up more room on your harness with their chunky slings.

I have a pair because I’m a gear slut (and I climbed at Indian creek once so the notion of having quadruples of a size doesn’t strike me as excess), but if you’ve already got BD cams and budget is a consideration I wouldn’t bother. And I’m generally of the mindset that gear is worth it if it saves you a broken ankle.

Speaking of weird placements, I once used a bd #1 in “passive” mode. Can’t do that with a totem - yeah, janky move but it’s an example of ways in which totems aren’t always a strictly better than camalots. The red totem would not have magically worked in that placement either.

The larger the size, the less necessary. Green and smaller are worth it for sure. The red and orange are nice but the c4s will fit in the same spot 90% of the time when the placement gets the size of red totem, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a placement of orange where it really mattered which brand I use.

I like Totems, and I like C4s. I see no reasons not to have both (and I actually do have and use both). The orange is a bit floppy, but not excessively so, so it doesn't bother me in the slightest.

Orange is kinda floppy but still solid.  I like the wild country friends size 2 and up. 

For your consideration: I dropped above poster Briggs Lazalde's orange Totem from, like, 20 ft. up two weeks ago and it didn't even break. Bomber.

Also, the orange sorta handles like a big ol' floppy dildo. Not that there's anything wrong with big ol' floppy dildos. But, you know, for your consideration.  

FWIW: I had orange to purple in totems. Love red through purple but I ended up selling the orange one. I felt the versatility of the totem design and its ergonomic feel wasn't really that useful in that size, and you do sacrifice a bit more range (I think) with a single axle cam as opposed to dragons, friends, or camalots at that size. Thought the range loss is less significant in the smaller sizes.
YMMV

Briggs Lazalde wrote:

I've seen this been said before and I've challenged people to post pictures of totems racked up in comparison to c4s racked up. My stance is that I've racked both on my sport harness w small gear loops.  Max amount of C4s racked is more of a mess. Totems sit flush. The slings in no way create any sort of problem for me. 

Agree with this. I think the issue is that Totems and C4s don't rack well  mixed TOGETHER. But Totems racked with just Totems sit very flush and compact. This is one of the reasons I've started carrying all-Totems rather than a mixed rack (except for the #3 and up)

The argument that they take up more space on the harness is BS.   If you are carrying so many cams that it's crowding your harness it means you are carrying too many cams to begin with and you need to rethink exactly how much crap you are racking on your harness.   

Miguel D wrote: FWIW: I had orange to purple in totems. Love red through purple but I ended up selling the orange one. I felt the versatility of the totem design and its ergonomic feel wasn't really that useful in that size, and you do sacrifice a bit more range (I think) with a single axle cam as opposed to dragons, friends, or camalots at that size. Thought the range loss is less significant in the smaller sizes.
YMMV

The Totem have longer lobes provide it the same range than double axles cam.

Kevin Mokracek wrote: The argument that they take up more space on the harness is BS.   If you are carrying so many cams that it's crowding your harness it means you are carrying too many cams to begin with and you need to rethink exactly how much crap you are racking on your harness.   

Maybe you only climb in places with short pitches, but a double rack and draws (standard to protect 200 feet of climbing plus anchors) definitely crowds my harness. And what about aid climbing?

Sam X wrote:

Maybe you only climb in places with short pitches, but a double rack and draws (standard to protect 200 feet of climbing plus anchors) definitely crowds my harness. And what about aid climbing?

I carry totems black to green on one side, aliens up to red on the other, and doubles of C4 to #2 above that on 70m leads. My harness isn't crowded and I've had no issue at all with how the totems rack. 

Sam X wrote:

Maybe you only climb in places with short pitches, but a double rack and draws (standard to protect 200 feet of climbing plus anchors) definitely crowds my harness. And what about aid climbing?

You’re such a hard man. 

Sam X wrote:

Maybe you only climb in places with short pitches, but a double rack and draws (standard to protect 200 feet of climbing plus anchors) definitely crowds my harness. And what about aid climbing?

I carry a double rack of Totems on some climbs and have never felt my harness was crowded.  If I’m carrying draws on a trad route most are alpine draws and they go over my shoulder, if I need to extend a piece I’m going to extend it and not half ass it with a sport draw.   I’ve had crowded harnesses before but it was never because Totems were too bulky.     Walls are even less of an issue, you have your harness and your double gear sling.