First set of Nuts

Hey Y'all, I'm a college student looking to begin building my trad rack and was wondering what a good set of nuts would be. Priorities are 1) Safe and will hold 2) Easy to place 3) a reasonable cost. Let me know what you think.

DMM Offsets

Case Closed.

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Yep.

Cory F wrote: DMM Offsets

Case Closed.

Only comes in a set of 5 and I've been to places where they don't sit very well compared to regular stoppers.  Best as a 2nd set IMO.  

OP, a set of DMM Wallnuts 1-11 or BD stoppers 4-13 are good options, but any stoppers you get by a reputable manufacturer will hold falls and will be easy to place.  Those two brands are just the most common and easiest to acquire here in the US.  I personally like the shape and handling of the Wallnuts more, but BD stoppers are great as well.

Overall when factoring in cost, I'd say just the classic Omega Pacific Wedgies, which you can find at a low price on sale often.  http://www.omegapac.com/categorylist.php?secid=11

Personally, I love the metolius Ultralights: metoliusclimbing.com/curve_….   They are about $15 per nut (the same as the DMM Offset nuts) compared to $10 per nut like BD or OP. These things are ridiculously lighter than other nuts and they just fit in so many places that normal nuts dont.  

I have a pair of bds that I’ll give you a sparkling deal on if interested 

Go to your local gear store and buy whatever set is on consignment. If you stick with trad climbing you will eventually booty enough stoppers to make a 2nd set, and you will figure out which brand you like the most. 

bkozak wrote:

...they don't sit very well compared to regular stoppers...

Where was that? Because, I haven't been there. 

Candy Mountain, at least that's my best guess...

DMM Offsets are 25% off on Backcountry right now. 7-11 are $56

Check what people rack where you climb, but really any full set will do like DMM Wallnuts 1-11 or BD stoppers 4-13.  I like DMM's, but it's personal preference.

DMM offsets are really great, and pretty much have been everywhere I've climbed (but there do seem to be areas where they aren't that helpful).  As others noted though, they don't cover the full range of sizes you would want, but they do cover the most important sizes that you'd probably want doubles on.

Best: DMM offsets. Next Wild Country super light offsets.  Next smaller nuts (I don’t climb hard enough to have a preference).

BDs are the easiest to find in a store and I bought ten first but I only carry them for long crack pitches.  If I am climbing in the Gunks, DMMs and WCs get racked, BDs are left at home.

For a reason I don’t understand, the relatively longer profile (along the wire) of the DMMs and WCs just fit better with more contact and it is easier to find a good spot in the rock for the longer profile nuts.

The WC wires are a bit thin so the larger nuts can so of flop when you put them in the crack while holding the wire. 

My preference is the DMM Wallnuts - primary; DMM Offsets - extra's. I also have a full set of BD's Stoppers and about a half dozen Misc. nuts I have liberated from the rock.

I do like the Wild Country Rocks as well, I just don't need any more nuts.

welcome to puberty

Buy the first set that comes up for sale on MP

Trenton Allmon wrote: Hey Y'all, I'm a college student looking to begin building my trad rack and was wondering what a good set of nuts would be. Priorities are 1) Safe and will hold 2) Easy to place 3) a reasonable cost. Let me know what you think.

Some questions:

Do you get the impression that some nuts are not safe and won't hold?

What do you mean by "easy to place"?

What is "reasonable" cost to you?

Yeah seriously, buy used. Nuts don't go bad.

Eric Fjellanger wrote: Yeah seriously, buy used. Nuts don't go bad.

Yes and no. If your second is in the habit of just ripping them upward, eventually they will get a wire broken that will ALWAYS jab you right under the fingernail. Then it is time to replace, or just leave that one fixed.

bkozak wrote:

Only comes in a set of 5 and I've been to places where they don't sit very well compared to regular stoppers.  Best as a 2nd set IMO.  

OP, a set of DMM Wallnuts 1-11 or BD stoppers 4-13 are good options, but any stoppers you get by a reputable manufacturer will hold falls and will be easy to place.  Those two brands are just the most common and easiest to acquire here in the US.  I personally like the shape and handling of the Wallnuts more, but BD stoppers are great as well.

This. The DMM Offsets are great, but you will appreciate more pieces and more range as you start your rack.

Buy hexes and pitons so you never have to use cams

Rob warden The space lizard wrote:

Where was that? Because, I haven't been there. 

The local areas around DC that I learned to lead at (Sugarloaf Mountain and Buzzard Rocks) have quartzite with fairly parallel-sided cracks.  Plenty of constrictions that regular nuts seat great in, but the offsets don't get good surface contact so the placements for them are generally poor.  Not destination crags by any means, but if you're a local for that area then they're the only options for trad within a 1 hour drive.