How many Black Totems

How many black totems is too many on your rack. I already have two black totems and 2 yellow C4’s. Am I crazy for wanting another black totem. How many black totems are too many?

One does not place the black totems. Rather, these talismans are used for garnering the luck and blessings of the climbing gods. One for each gear loop is the ideal number to most greatly harness these powers. 

the only thing in your rack should be black totems and pink tricams. All other pieces are irrelevant 

two is fine, though of course three is nice... but make sure you grab a yellow Dragonfly (#3 dragonfly) since you already have two, as they are identical in size and the extendable sling is the shiznit. Also a bit less expensive than another beautiful black totem ;) 

I saw a strong local climber out with a big crew of folks at Castle Rock in Boulder Canyon last summer. He started up Final Exam, an 11a finger crack with the hard climbing all in the first twenty feet. His first piece was a black totem. He got up a few more feet, and placed another black totem, then hung on it. After surveying the crux climbing above, he asked one of his crew to throw up a third black totem. He climbed up a few more feet, placed #3, and hung again. At that point he decided to lower to the ground to retrieve yet another black totem himself, which he then proceeded to place at the final hard move after heading back up. So, I think "four" is the appropriate amount (as someone said, one for each gear loop, perhaps). Five would be too many.

Can you have too many?

Kevin Mokracekwrote:

Can you have too many?

Jelly

Matthew Jaggerswrote:

Jelly

That's a pretty common clean bigwall rack these days. 

I keep 2 blue metolius cams plus the two metolius offset cams that have a blue lobe in them on me. I think they're about the size of a black totem?  I'm a gunks climber and besides the pink tricam and blue offset nut it's really all you need there.

Fail Fallingwrote:

That's a pretty common clean bigwall rack these days. 

Working on mine. Only doubles of a couple sizes at this point. Im really digging the small Dragonfly's- green and red, and trying to decide if I want my triples to be in the bigger sizes of those, or more totems. Anybody have ".2" and up of Dragonfly? Curious how they compare to the Black and up.

The colonel makes my day. I'm still laughing.

I have posted this on Facebook and Instagram.

the ideal rack is 100% black totems per modern fast and light standards. They are significantly lighter than, say, a #4 camalot. So a standard modern rack would be 6x black totems.

Be fast. Be light. Be totem. 

Colonel Mustardwrote:

One does not place the black totems. Rather, these talismans are used for garnering the luck and blessings of the climbing gods. One for each gear loop is the ideal number to most greatly harness these powers. 

Amen to this. I am buying a new one.

Matthew Jaggerswrote:

…Anybody have ".2" and up of Dragonfly? Curious how they compare to the Black and up.

Did you mean “anybody else?” Because this was answered in the third reply on this thread. 

Christian Hesch wrote:

Did you mean “anybody else?” Because this was answered in the third reply on this thread. 

saign charlesteinwrote:

the only thing in your rack should be black totems and pink tricams. All other pieces are irrelevant 

Um, you forgot blue offset nuts

Christian Heschwrote:

Did you mean “anybody else?” Because this was answered in the third reply on this thread. 

All that was said was theyre the same size, which they're not. Anyone like the yellow, blue and grey Dragonfly?

Matthew Jaggerswrote:

All that was said was theyre the same size, which they're not. Anyone like the yellow, blue and grey Dragonfly?

I own 3 and frequently use all of them. Same with Blue, which might actually be my favorite Totem size. 

Fail Fallingwrote:

That's a pretty common clean bigwall rack these days. 

for aiding classic 5.8 cracks?

bwahahahhhaahaahaaaaa...!

slimwrote:

for aiding classic 5.8 cracks?

bwahahahhhaahaahaaaaa...!

The understanding of the terrain of clean bigwalls would appear to be severely lacking based upon the words of your post .