Rumors of petzl cams ?

Heard some rumors that petzl might be starting to produce cams ?! Anyone seen the prototypes yet ?

J D wrote:

Heard some rumors that petzl might be starting to produce cams ?! Anyone seen the prototypes yet ?

Probably going to be 250 a pop, built like a brick shithouse, and have some awesome engineering. Haven’t heard anything but that sounds awesome.

If true, please god Petzl follow the BD/WC/DMM/Trango color scheme, my leftover racking carabiner situation has gone absolutely haywire due to a combination of BD, WC, Metolius, and Totem cams.

Alternatively, just go no colors because I think I have about 6 gray racking carabiners laying around

You can see here some Petzl patents :

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/085569606/publication/FR3144014A1?q=pn%3DFR3144014A1

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/085726780/publication/FR3144015A1?q=pn%3DFR3144015A1

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/085727179/publication/FR3144016A1?q=pn%3DFR3144016A1

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/085570091/publication/FR3144017A1?q=pn%3DFR3144017A1

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/085569944/publication/FR3144018A1?q=pn%3DFR3144018A1

J D wrote:

Heard some rumors that petzl might be starting to produce cams ?! Anyone seen the prototypes yet ?

I was climbing next to someone at the weekend who was trying out a full set of prototype Petzl cams. He let me have a good look at them, they are very distinctive and what really impressed me was the weight, much lighter than any comparable cams I’ve ever handled.

Martin Haworth wrote:

I was climbing next to someone at the weekend who was trying out a full set of prototype Petzl cams. He let me have a good look at them, they are very distinctive and what really impressed me was the weight, much lighter than any comparable cams I’ve ever handled.

Any further details? Roughly the same as a WC or BD? Anything weird you noticed? 

maybe they will revolutionize trad climbing with a new piece of gear so good no one will climb with you if you don't use it. wait maybe it will place itself with no thought or care while you just talk instead of climb

Joy Bastet wrote:

maybe they will revolutionize trad climbing with a new piece of gear so good no one will climb with you if you don't use it. wait maybe it will place itself with no thought or care while you just talk instead of climb

Maybe it will be a fleet of drones that places them all along the route?

that guy named seb wrote:

Any further details? Roughly the same as a WC or BD? Anything weird you noticed? 

Martin is obviously an engineer for petzl  and made a burner account 

MArtin is an AI bot

I’m not a bot, I don’t work for Petzl. The cams were super light, and had what looked like white plastic covering all the stem area…looked very different.

If they made something similar to BD ultralights but with replaceable dyneema loops, that will be interesting for sure !

Martin Haworth wrote:

I’m not a bot, I don’t work for Petzl. The cams were super light, and had what looked like white plastic covering all the stem area…looked very different.

That’s exactly what a bot/petzl worker would say

Martin Haworth wrote:

I’m not a bot, I don’t work for Petzl. The cams were super light, and had what looked like white plastic covering all the stem area…looked very different.

first line of code for bots is deny being a bot......

After reading through some translated descriptions of the patents Jérémy shared, I came up with a vague idea about what it will do differently than some other cams on the market.   Its seems like the biggest difference in this cam than is option to rack it directly on your harness without a racking biner.  There will be a similar functionality to the trigger keepers on the large BD C4s.  On the stem there will be a hook with a wire gate that will allow you to secure it directly to your gear loop.  This makes it easier to unclip a cam from your harness while your hand is already on the trigger, which avoids having to put it in your mouth or flip it around to reposition your hand from the racking biner.  

TLDR: If BD trigger keepers and Avant climbing's quick fire cam release had a baby, it would be petzl cams.

I heard from a reliable source, the cams are coming. 

Jérémy L wrote:

You can see here some Petzl patents :

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/085569606/publication/FR3144014A1?q=pn%3DFR3144014A1

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/085726780/publication/FR3144015A1?q=pn%3DFR3144015A1

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/085727179/publication/FR3144016A1?q=pn%3DFR3144016A1

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/085570091/publication/FR3144017A1?q=pn%3DFR3144017A1

https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/085569944/publication/FR3144018A1?q=pn%3DFR3144018A1

Nice find.  I used ChatGPT to parse out how these are different than today's models.  Figured it would be interesting to share!

Across the five filings (FR 3144014–18 A1), the French inventors propose a redesign of traditional spring-loaded camming devices (SLCDs):

• Cables bear the load, not the shaft: Instead of using a rigid stem to transmit forces to the cams, the load is carried by flexible cables that pull on the opposite side of the lobes. This shifts stress distribution and aims to reduce shaft shear failure.

• Lobes & cables share logarithmic-spiral geometry: Both the contact surface (rock-facing) and the internal cable-support surfaces follow the same spiral curve. This ensures force transmission remains proportional across all insert positions .

• Balanced load even in asymmetric placement: Through a “distributor” mechanism, force is evenly split between cams even when inserted at uneven angles .

• Aim: To provide smoother cam closure, wider expansion range, reduced weight, and improved durability compared to rigid-stem, spring-triggered cams.

Bottom line:

• The FR designs pursuit a shift of load away from stem to cable, with geometrically optimized lobes aiming for lighter, more uniform performance.

• Commercial cams today focus on refining established dual-axle geometry, lightweight materials (Dyneema stems, composites), and friction-boosting inserts.

• Unless adopted by a manufacturer, the FR innovations remain theoretical, whereas today's cams benefit from extensive field validation and widespread adoption.

Martin Haworth wrote:

I’m not a bot, I don’t work for Petzl. The cams were super light, and had what looked like white plastic covering all the stem area…looked very different.

What size range did you witness? Up to BD #3?

sounds like a totem