What to do with old cams

Ola,

I was recently given a box of gear with some cams that seem to be pretty old (pics below).  I havent been climbing trad long enough to know how old they are. I personally wouldnt fall on them even if reslung. I feel bad just throwing them out but dont really know what else to do with them. If i wanted to donate them what sort of organization would be interested (based in PNW)?

​Any help appreciated!

cheers,

k

I will use them. Theres nothing wrong with the cams.

I'd be interested. 

I just PM’d you.

Dont sell them. resling the whole lot for about 60$ and bam you have a set of cams. they look hardly used!

U-Stem camalots should be retired.

There have been recalls, old JR design is not that good, bare wire is not/should not be slung, thinner lobes

This post violated Guideline #1 and has been removed.

Aluminum and steel without serious rust/oxidation does not get weak over 10, 20, 30, 40 years.
They are fine.  And the slings look better than on most of my cams.
They will not break in falls, same as new cams.
Friends like that have held thousands of falls over the years....

You can sell them for around $25 each on ebay if you prefer to climb with newer gear.

K Weber wrote: U-Stem camalots should be retired.

There have been recalls, old JR design is not that good, bare wire is not/should not be slung, thinner lobes

ive got a set (1 thru 4) of first gen bd cams i bought somewhere around the early 90s. ive used them up to as recently as a few years ago, and have taken numerous falls on probably all 4 of them over the years, and never had a crack in the heads. they are still in great shape aside from rack wear mostly on the anodizing (i never even knew of the problem with them until not long ago)

id still use them without thinking twice.

They look better than what's on my rack ATM.

I recommend you keep them; don't sell, throw away or trade. If you don't need to use them now, just keep them in the box. If you ever trad you'll need a 2nd set at some point and well, there's your 2nd set. Even if you don't want to lead with them they're great for fixing anchors, hauling, top roping. Keep them till you're old, then pass them on to some other climber. That's my recommendation.

Kabir T wrote: I havent been climbing trad long enough to know how old they are. I personally wouldnt fall on them even if reslung.

Why? You're probably willing to fall on a 40 yr old bolt.
Absolutely nothing wrong with the technical Friends, the TCU, and the rigid stem Friends if you resling them (and frankly the slings look almost pristine). Maybe a little bit of a weight penalty compared to modern cams, but certainly usable.

As others mentioned, the other cams should probably be retired.

Sell em and buy some newer cams. I have owned all that gear. At some point and selling them was one of the better things I’ve done. I waited a long time thinking I’d need them some day, and never did. I did resling some of them and it was a waste of $.

A perfect begining rack.  Many people still use all those same pices, with tons more wear. That gear looks new, almost un-used, like the nuts: perfect, un-placed?!  
As for the nylon slings; They do not need to be replaced, They look like new, replaced before stored. Nylon stored properly loses very little elasticity & almost no strength
The "U"-cable" BD Camalot JR have limitations, The regular "Skinny Lobe"=Crush-cams'... the lobes deform. need to be clipped to old school 'biners, never slung ...yadyda but can be bomb-proof in pairs or "nests" of gear. Good tools Specific flex friends have broken both @ the swage & axle. Still - can be used ... all sorts of solid uses. and good to learn with.

If Tony S isn't buying I might....

Really appreciate all the responses! Ill get to the PMs but, for context, I did want to add that I already have triples BDs 0.3-3 and a set of aliens so may be limited use from that perspective.

k

Kabir T wrote: Really appreciate all the responses! Ill get to the PMs but, for context, I did want to add that I already have triples BDs 0.3-3 and a set of aliens so may be limited use from that perspective.

k

Ha, in that case definitely sell them unless maybe you plan on frequent IC trips.

Kabir T wrote: Really appreciate all the responses! Ill get to the PMs but, for context, I did want to add that I already have triples BDs 0.3-3 and a set of aliens so may be limited use from that perspective.

If you ever go to Indian Creek, you'll need all the cams you can scrounge (eg: routes where the rack is 8 #2 and 3 #3 cams) and I can think of routes in Yosemite that can benefit from multiples of one size.

MP free gear thread.  you'll feel better than if you threw them away, and you can for sure find a party willing to take the whole mess of 'em in one shot, saving you too much box and ship work.  

I'd call dibs but I'm kinda late to the party.

I made it clear If Tony Isn't Buying ...... I Am
Supertramp? do you want anything?

I am pretty flush with my own old stuff but the solo aid ground-up new router in me is interested in whatever odds or ends I can get.  :-)

Former CLimber, with all respect, pics or GTFO.