School me on Totem Cams

petzl logicwrote:

nitpicking but two lobes (perpendicular to the wall) is for aid, clipped into the stem nearest to the cliff. three lobes can get you a full rated fall provided that the outermost lobe is making good contact. see the instructions or video. 

https://www.totemmt.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/TotemCam_LoadingTwoLobes_En.pdf

I've seen the video and read through the paper you linked. They're both very interesting. I didn't get the impression from those materials that a three lobe placement could be full strength; only more secure. My understanding is that the third lobe serves to prevent rotation caused by the other two lobes applying forces in different planes.

Totem cams have two loops of cable that run from the back of each lobe to the sling, then up to the opposing lobe (one loop per pair of lobes). These cables are shrouded by a black polymer tube. Because it is a loop, no one lobe can be loaded on its own. For this reason, three lobe placements require clipping just one side of the cam, as you would with a two lobe placement. This means you'd have at most half the rated strength to work with.

This is just my impression looking at Totem's provided info and looking at the cams themselves, I certainly could be missing something! For now, I'm planning to avoid placing a three lobe piece with plans to fall on it!

the gospel of the totem cam is not written by the noble scribes, nor is it read by the zealots in their hovels dark

the gospel of the totem cam bursts from every Holy Placement in a cacophony of color and sound; it echoes in joyous tones from the walls and parapets of our ancient cathedrals of stone, and in and by these Holy Placements we are incrementally made clean

yea! and so it is said: she who would hear the gospel of the totem cam must but set her sights upon the sharp end, there her doubts to be forever washed away

Jason Zevenbergenwrote:

This is just my impression looking at Totem's provided info and looking at the cams themselves, I certainly could be missing something! For now, I'm planning to avoid placing a three lobe piece with plans to fall on it!

I think this really should be de default view. To me, falling on 2 or 3 lobes is equivalent to rappelling on a single nut, no matter how well placed. It means there's not other option. I'm also aware of that video, and I do trust they tested it from a strength/theorical perspective, however they haven't conducted extensive testings on real rock with real falls. Who know how it'll really behave.

Kai Larsonwrote:

I just picked up a set of Totem Cams.

I read the instructions, from which I gather that I'm not supposed to clip into the webbing "shelf" or the stems, etc.  

Anything else I should know?  Are they pretty much used like a Camalot or any other cam?   Any situations where they work better or worse than other cams?  

read those directions a little closer - clipping the "shelf" is fine, but only clip the shelf.
clipping the shelf AND the other strand together isn't safe.

it's essentially a quad made out of webbing.

Mx Amiewrote:

read those directions a little closer - clipping the "shelf" is fine, but only clip the shelf.
clipping the shelf AND the other strand together isn't safe.

it's essentially a quad made out of webbing.

Thanks.  You're right.  

Here's the graphic.  (Doesn't help that these pictures are 1 inch by 1 inch and I have old eyes.)

666/999

I am surprised noone has mentioned this yet but because of the different lobe shapes on the totems they look different than other cams at the same percentage retraction. Consequently a good totem retraction may visually look like an undercammed C4 and a fully retracted totem may look like a C4 that atill has 25% of its retraction range to go. Be careful that you dont retract the totems too far and get them stuck because you are used to C4 lobe shape

I’m disappointed that this turned into an actual thread about Totems. 

Would you feel confident falling on this placed like this?

Also it looks like some people are confident whipping on totems with only two lobes engaged but the manufacturer seems to say that that is really only for body weight, not a fall. Has anyone tested these in flares w only two lobes engaged? 

Ryan Seriowrote:

Be careful that you dont retract the totems too far and get them stuck because you are used to C4 lobe shape

How about you shut your spray hole, how do you think I afforded half my totems!?!? ;)

Very solid placement, Melissa. ;)