The perfect rack!

[Frenchy]

he said playing with his nutz...

 

You are sooooo

playing with my nutz

[rocketparrotlet]

I'm just learning to lead, but I like nuts the best. The cams I have (Technical Friends) have a tendency to walk a lot, and then get stuck. Or maybe I just suck with cams. Anyway, nuts are great, I should get doubles in the middle sizes. Nuts are great, hexes are cool, tricams are mostly a novelty (except rarely when you really need them, especially pinky), and cams are a pain but necessary. At least in my experience.

 

-Mark

[Rafe1234]

Oh shit I thought it said the perfect crack.

[billcoe]

I'm just learning to lead, but I like nuts the best. The cams I have (Technical Friends) have a tendency to walk a lot, and then get stuck. Or maybe I just suck with cams. Anyway, nuts are great, I should get doubles in the middle sizes. Nuts are great, hexes are cool, tricams are mostly a novelty (except rarely when you really need them, especially pinky), and cams are a pain but necessary. At least in my experience.

 

-Mark

 

Welcome to the dark side!

 

 

You'll find that with cam placements, often, a slight pocket, constriction or nubbin can be found within seconds and within inches of your placement if you look for it. Larger cams tend to walk more than smaller for me, and slinging a marginal cam placement is always a good idea as well. You'll find that when you get into hard fingercracks, the best and only finger lock is often the best nut placement as well, and you can sit and fiddle to get your fingers out of the perfect lock so you can slot a nut in the constriction while you pump out, or you can instantly plug and go a perfect green or yellow alien small mastercam right under or above the neck down spot where your fingers and your bodyweight are residing. Thats when one really starts loving cams.

[JosephH]

Hmmm, tricams are so twentieth century. Haven't carried them since then as they're pretty much pointless on basalt and sandstone which is what I enjoy. But they do have there place on granite which, truth be told, I don't care all that much for.

[Crillz]

granite which, truth be told, I don't care all that much for.

 

Blasphemy!

[JosephH]

granite which, truth be told, I don't care all that much for.

 

Blasphemy!

Well, the bottom line for me is that I find the physical movement over granite to be alternately dreadfully boring and / or painful. Eastern and Midwestern andstone tends to lend itself to far more creative movement. NW basalt is fairly entertaining, but for the most part also entails a fairly bounded set of physical movements.

[selkirk]

You'll find that with cam placements, often, a slight pocket, constriction or nubbin can be found within seconds and within inches of your placement if you look for it. Larger cams tend to walk more than smaller for me, and slinging a marginal cam placement is always a good idea as well. You'll find that when you get into hard fingercracks, the best and only finger lock is often the best nut placement as well, and you can sit and fiddle to get your fingers out of the perfect lock so you can slot a nut in the constriction while you pump out, or you can instantly plug and go a perfect green or yellow alien small mastercam right under or above the neck down spot where your fingers and your bodyweight are residing. Thats when one really starts loving cams.

 

That's funny, for hard finger cracks, I usually end up going for small nuts. From a good stance I'll place them in the next pod that I'll be using for a finger lock, and be sure to size them down a bit so they seat in the constriction below where my fingers will

[JosephH]

For granite, instead of doubles of the HB/DMM Offset Alloys I'd use one set of them and one set of symmetrical/straight-sided nuts.

[billcoe]

Well, the bottom line for me is that I find the physical movement over granite to be alternately dreadfully boring and / or painful. Eastern and Midwestern andstone tends to lend itself to far more creative movement. NW basalt is fairly entertaining, but for the most part also entails a fairly bounded set of physical movements.

 

it's your shoes...

[sobo]

There's no place like home. There's no place like home...

 

[JosephH]

If I could tap my heels three times and turn the cascades into sandstone I'd do it in a heartbeat. C'est la vie...

[ivan]

if i could do the same and turn this whole thread into a conversation about elizabeth hurley i would

[Buckaroo]

One set Camalots to #4 (skip the #3.5)(add the #5 if you want to climb chimney's)

 

(#3 and #4 bigbros, again only for chimney's)

 

One full set Metoleus TCU's

 

One full set DMM wallnuts (the best)

 

30-40 Wild Country Helium Beaners (wired keylocks) (nothing else comes close)

 

15 to 20 spectra draws

5 or so spectra shoulder slings

2 or so double slings.

1 tech cord cordalette

1 Petzl Reverso 3 (nothing else comes close)

 

 

[Frenchy]

minimal tats. minimal hips. minimal make up.

[ivan]

minimal tats. minimal hips. minimal make up.

you forgot "male"

[ken4ord]

I mostly agree with Layton, though I don't like doubling up unless I know I need it for a particular route, that is where you partner comes in handy.

 

Here's my opinion for as long sustained cascasdes climb that you need an O/W piece for.

 

Nuts:

1 set of black diamond stoppers #3-#10

and extra #5,6,7,8

1 set of DMM aluminum offsets up to a #4 sized BD nut

I wouldn't double up on the 5, 6, 7, and 8, most of the time I always have left over nuts at the end of the pitch. Also if you use one size and you need the same size a little further up you can usually place a smaller nut sideways to fit the crack. Also I tend not to like off-sets too much, too me they belong in the speciality section.

 

2 Sets: 0.5-2 camalot

1 set: 3 and 4 camalot (i rarely bring anything bigger than a #3 unless the topo call for it or it's an F.A.)

1 #7 wild country flexible friend

I agree though no doubles and I like camalots all the way for the larger sizes. Though the larger sizes are heavier than others out there.

 

2 sets: blue and yellow Metolius Master Cam

1 each: #0 (sometimes 2 of these), and Orange Mastaer Cam

For smaller size cams I like Metolius or Wild Country. Though those new ultra small Wildcountry's I would expect to use as psychological gear.

 

Each cam on a Black Diamond Oz carabiner. Doulbe up cams for easier climbs.

Even on easier climbs I like racking cams individually and having 2 foot slings shouldered with a single biner. Few draws on the rack as well.

 

Specialty Pieces:

Occasionally a brown, red, and pink Tri Cam

#3.5 camalot. No longer made, but very useful.

#6 BD camalot

#00 metolius master cam

A few random knifeblade/bugaboo and Angle pitons

Metolius 4 cam that is the size between a #1 and #2 camalot for the rare 1.5" splitter.

 

IMO, C3's don't hold their placements nearly as well as Master Cams and Aliens are no longer to be trusted. The #7 friend is lighter and less wobbly than the #6 BD camalot. Wild Country Zeros are too chincy except for the #1-3 but those are too small for anything but hard aid. Metolius Mastercams effectively replaced the TCU. The new DMM cams may be a good Camalot replacement, but hard to say yet.

 

 

Hope that helps

 

Skip the tri cams unless you know you will be on pocketed routes.

I like the #3.5 camalot useful

I like the #6 camalot

The 00 tcu is normal part of my rack

pins useful in the winter or new routing though you need a hammer. I only bring them in the winter.

Definitely don't get Aliens unless you got a death wish or things really change at CCH. I actually always thought they were too flimsy to my liking even before all of the mishaps and have never wanted to own or use one. It really annoys me when my partner has them on their rack that I am using.

 

 

Oh yeah other speciality items:

I like lowe balls, but I am not sure if you can get them anymore.

A sceamer or two, but I rarely ever use them anymore.

I like the Camp Nano biners one of the lightest you can get. Metolius is making one that looks cool too with higher closed rating.

 

 

Edited August 25, 2009 by ken4ord

[froodish]

I really like the way tricams place, even at places like Beacon. I use them a lot in opposition at anchors too. Curiously, I think I place the pinky the least - #2 is prob. my fav. I've got doubles to #3 and usually rack a single set.

 

For big cams (>4), I like the WC better than Camalots. They are wider and more stable.

[G-spotter]

The perfect rack is the one in the Prana top

[jmace]

TAPE

 

A wack load of tape, I never knew you needed it but after seeing all the American climbers in Squamish this year it was obvious, everyone always has massive tape gloves!!!!

 

I dont know why but thats just what you do, even if you may only do one jam, you must wear tape gloves!!

[sobo]

Allow me to be the first...

 

TAPE IS AID!!!1

[counterfeitfake]

So who's going to break the news to these guys?

 

[LostCamKenny]

if i could do the same and turn this whole thread into a conversation about elizabeth hurley i would

 

I like ivans idea... thats the perfect rack!

[jmace]

No I agree you need tape, you can see in that picture you posted that you must tape for 5.12 finger tip cracks. Hell even though you climb 5.12 you may need it for some 4th class approaching.

 

 

Thats the thing you must have tape gloves no matter what!!!

[tomtom]

Taping your rack is aid.