Tri-cams and hexes

A well-placed Tricam makes my engineer brain feel all warm and fuzzy. If I had to choose a piece of gear to catch a huge fall, Tricam all day. You wouldn’t get it back but it would hold. 

For me the thing about Tricams is there’s no real reason NOT to bring them.  They’re light as shit so you won’t really notice they’re there and they’ve saved my ass enough times that I don’t regret always bringing them even if I don’t end up placing them.  This does NOT apply for hexes.  They’re big, bulky, relatively heavy for a full set, and you can hear them from a mile away.  Only time I ever use them now is for setting TR Anchors.

Sam Skovgaard wrote: I don't have hexes, but I'm a member of the church of the immaculate tricam, and I'm here to proselytize!

Tricams:
1) fit rare funny little pockets where nothing else will
2) are the hands-down best pro for horizontals, especially shallow/flaring ones
3) Are lighter and cheaper than cams, and thus supplement cams well for when you run out of cams or want to reserve cans for later on a pitch
4) are euphoria-inducing when you set a perfect pink placement
5) are just generally bad-ass

Agreed 

Former Climber wrote:

Gunks metaquartzite is not sedimentary.

Yeah, its been metamorphosed a bit, but primary bedding is evident everywhere, so aside from hardness, it has more in common with sedimentary rocks from a climbing and protection standpoint.

Ryan Mac wrote: Same here in Australia, solid quartzite-conglomerate loves tricams. Carbonates also seem to be good for them, although I've never climbed on one.

Basically if the rock you're on was deposited in a fluvial or shallow marine environment you'll probably want tricams.

It's borderline, the sedimentary/metamorphic boundary is a big grey area.

The geologist is strong in this one.

I have a set of hexes and tricams.  I almost never carry my hexes;  they are big, loud and obnoxious and rarely necessary.  Conversely, I almost always carry my tricams.  They are very useful in New England.  

I just started carrying tricams this year, and I like them; I feel there are enough shallow, horizontal cracks at Devil's Lake to warrant them.
I also carry a few hexes; I used to carry a bunch, then I realized I only ever placed the same three or four, typically as passive offsets. 

Former Climber wrote:
When you think “sedimentary” in terms of climbing, do you think “western sandstone” or “gunks metaquartzite”?  Very different things.
Fair amount of granite out East too, which is also not sedimentary.

I think "sedimentary," which includes both.

Keith Wood wrote:
The geologist is strong in this one.

Much obliged.

I carry black-brown on one biner. Light and small enough that there’s no reason not to. In my opinion white is a bit too time consuming to clean and pretty weak too and bigger than brown seems less bomber and gets heavier compared to cams. 

I’m in the west. I don’t carry tricams at all anymore. I bring a few of the largest hexes only on climbs with long approaches that need multiples of big sizes (much lighter than cams) and I typically use them in the anchors. When I’ve climbed in the Gunks it’s a different story. Tricams work great there.

People always pushing tricams in the gunks but I don't think I ever see anyone climb above 5.10 with them.   I'm sure there are a few small outliers that have one spot for one tricam but the idea that tricams are necessary (or even worthwhile) in the gunks feels like a myth with modern gear. 

Keith Wood wrote:

and those 38 people probably yell "ROPE"

Rob D wrote: People always pushing tricams in the gunks but I don't think I ever see anyone climb above 5.10 with them.   I'm sure there are a few small outliers that have one spot for one tricam but the idea that tricams are necessary (or even worthwhile) in the gunks feels like a myth with modern gear. 

The hardest Southeast climber I know swears by them. 

Buck Rio wrote:

And Eugenel just proved my point...you will never see someone from Bishop or Truckee saying "get some Tricams".  But anywhere east of the Ohio they love them Tricams. The sedimentary rock is more suited to it. 

I lived in Truckee 25 years. Some had Hexes and Tricams. Tricams work great above 10'000 ft in the High Sierra above Bishop where the rock is much more course and friable and the cracks shallow and flaring. I have been happy to have a couple of small Tricams for pockets in Toulumne and Courtright granite and found good use for a red one on the crux aid move on Washington's Column. The pink and red ones are worth the weight any time, and I prefer the larger sizes for backcountry trips where every ounce counts and I am not climbing at my limit.

I think it's worth carrying a tricam or two in the most popular sizes (e.g. pink) on moderate multipitch because they're light, they make good anchor pieces, and they sometimes (rarely) are the best piece you can place. The biggest knock against tricams is they are harder to place on lead than nuts or cams. Doing some moderate alpine climbing? Tricams are excellent. Trying to redpoint your overhanging singlepitch project? Not so much.

Former Climber wrote: Do you see a difference between a combination of flour and eggs, and cake?

Cake has heat added, and the result markedly different.

Not a geologist and ymmv. 

To run with your analogy, a lot of quartzite is like flour and eggs that got put in the oven for a couple of minutes and then taken out. Yeah, it's baked a bit, but calling it "cake" is still a stretch.

The more important question is which tricams vs. which hexes.  I don't use hexes, but I have a full set of tricams and get the most use out of pink (of course!), black, red, orange, and the #6 yellow (for anchors).  The middle spectrum tricams I really don't seem to ever use.  The green tricam looks so beautiful but I've never placed it ever.  I think I may have used the #1.5 once and the #2 once.  I imagine the same is true of hexes; certain sizes are practical and others aren't.

The great thing about either tricams or hexes though . . . you can usually get some used ones on ebay for cheap! 

Shawn Adrian wrote: The more important question is which tricams vs. which hexes.  I don't use hexes, but I have a full set of tricams and get the most use out of pink (of course!), black, red, orange, and the #6 yellow (for anchors).  The middle spectrum tricams I really don't seem to ever use.  The green tricam looks so beautiful but I've never placed it ever.  I think I may have used the #1.5 once and the #2 once.  I imagine the same is true of hexes; certain sizes are practical and others aren't.

The great thing about either tricams or hexes though . . . you can usually get some used ones on ebay for cheap! 

Good point. I only own black through brown tricams. I would say I place pink the most, then red, then probably a tie between black and brown. I occasionally think about getting other sizes, but I'm not sure if they will get much use. 

I use the pink and red here and there and like them, but I seldom use the larger ones. They just don't seem to seat in a placement as well as the two small ones.