The cult of the Tri-Cam (now in the correct forum)

[A_Little_Off_Route]

I grew up trad climbing in Australia in the 90s where bolts were something only occasionally seen as a rap anchor and the standard rack looked like this:

 

2-3 sets of nuts

1 Full set of slung hexes up to #9 or #10

3-6 cams

Lots of knotted slings and loose biners

 

I recall only once or twice seeing tricams hanging on a rack and wondering WTF are those things. I've played with them in the shop once or twice but have never climbed with anyone that uses them.

 

On the interwebs it seems there are TWO opinions. There are those who use them and love them (and have an odd affinity towards the color pink) and there are those that HAVE NOT USED them and don't like them.

 

My question: I know there are many supporters, but is there anyone out there THAT HAS USED THEM and decided after using them for a while THEY DON'T LIKE THEM? If you used them and didn't like them, and ended up ditching them from your rack, tell us why. Everyone else seems to be converted once they drink the pink Kool-Aid.....

 

Off_Route

 

[cfire]

Depending on the type of rock they are set in, they can be a bitch for a follower to remove. I have used them and just thought the amount of fiddling wasn't worth it. Offset nuts however, are the shizzle.

[Sol]

though I did learn how to frig them in with one hand, they are a bitch to place and clean. ok for easy climbs only, but not really worth the hassle. can be a clutch clean aid piece in places like zion (start of p5 on Lunar X).

[bearbreeder]

i find them no issue to place and clean ... my issue with em is that even if you sling em they can sometimes rattle out of vertical or diagonal cracks, especially the larger sizes ... even if they feel solid when you place em ...

 

the smaller ones are very useful though as they work as larger nuts or smaller cams ... and they are great for belays

 

 

[Buckaroo]

the smaller ones are for aid, but only hard aid. Bought some for the Salathe and never used them.

 

The larger ones work just as good as hexes for boat anchors.

[DPS]

I think it is very dependant upon where you climb. On the vertical cracks in granite they are less helpful but I have yet to meet a Gunks climber who doesn't swear by them. I have fiddled with them and thought about adding them to my rack, but smallish cams are easier and faster to place.

[Fromage]

My experience is that the Tri-Cam is a specialized piece of gear that works very well in a narrow range of situations. I agree that to an extent their utility is dependent on the type of rock and local conditions. I don't use my Tri-Cams much in the Cascades, but when I climbed in North Carolina I relied heavily on the three smallest sizes. They fit great into features where other pro would not. Same in Red River Gorge, Kentucky (sandstone).

[Teh Phuzzy]

Offset nuts however, are the shizzle.

 

for sure! Especially on Basalt columns like Beacon. Placed a few on the West Side Variation on Monkey Face yesterday.

 

As for Camp Tri-cams. I have a pink one ready with sling on my rack for almost all my climbs around PDX here. If you are on the fence, get one this size to try out and if you like it and get a set, you won't be disappointed to have two of the little pinkies.

 

They are a little different to place and the second should have a nut tool to assist in getting them out, but I haven't ever had much of a problem getting them out. I find them to be really useful in horizontal cracks where a cam stem would bend if you were to fall on it.

 

JH has some mods that are typical of Gunks climbers that make them a little less unwieldy. Can't find the thread though.

[montypiton]

I have used them on occasion, but usually prefer the new generation curved hexes from WC & DMM. One place the tricams really shine is on climbs where you find pockets & holes, but few real cracks. A tricam will fit into a hole or pocket where the length of the axle precludes use of a normal cam, and a hex simply doesn't have the camming range to work. of course, most climbs of this type are bolt-protected these days...

[JosephH]

They had their time and still do in some pocketed rock and crags with lots of horizontals like the Gunks. Permanently parked mine in the basement once climbing primarily on basalt.

[G-spotter]

This pitch was 30m of mostly 5.11 fingers so after running out of our double set of yellow and orange TCUs and all the nuts that fit it was nice to have the red and pink TriCams to place when the crux showed up. An impressive onsight by Shaun.

 

[ivan]

can be a clutch clean aid piece in places like zion (start of p5 on Lunar X).

indeed, zion's the only place i've encountered pods where only a tricam (or a cheater-stick, lacking that ) can get you higher.

[shaoleung]

My experience is that the Tri-Cam is a specialized piece of gear that works very well in a narrow range of situations. I agree that to an extent their utility is dependent on the type of rock and local conditions. I don't use my Tri-Cams much in the Cascades, but when I climbed in North Carolina I relied heavily on the three smallest sizes. They fit great into features where other pro would not. Same in Red River Gorge, Kentucky (sandstone).

 

I love my tricams, but in the Cascades, they stay home. There is very little out here that will take a tricam better than a nut. If you go to Looking Glass and a handful of other places in NC, you'd swear by tricams. There are weird eyelid features that will take nothing but tricams.

 

One thing for sure... if you intend to use em, you need to learn a new way of setting gear.

 

[Plaidman]

I am sorry to say I LOVE em. Not really. They are sometimes the right piece of gear when nothing else will work. I carry em. But did you know the black is the new pink!

Size .25 One size smaller than Pink.

 

They also make a white (size .125) that is only for aid.

 

[abarlow]

Tri-cams are great for belays. They are too annoying to fiddle with on lead. Although I am getting faster. Also, they are great for pockets.

 

Tricams are much lighter than the comparable cam and can be placed in horizontal cracks where nuts are a no go. End of story.

 

I always carry the pink and red and save them for the belay (generally).

[Seamstress]

Tri-cams are fabulous. I have used them for 25 years, and I almost always carry two pink and a red with me on trad leads. I used to carry the larger sizes, but I rarely placed them once I owned a magnificent rack of rams. If you understand how they work, they are quick to place and easy to remove. Take a few minutes to educate your second on how to retrieve them. They are well suited to irregular cracks, pods, horizontal cracks.

 

I was following a young man last fall, and he placed a tricam in a unique little pod that I had not noticed. I had been looking at the crack we were climbing and had tunnel vision. It was a good reminder for me to widen my vision. The somewhat dirty crack was now a fine lead based on using the tricam.

[JosephH]

Should be noted for old tradsters not to let the slings go on forever as there have been cases of sling failures. Have them reslung after some reasonable period.

 

http://www.mtntools.com/cat/rclimb/cams/mt_camresling.htm

[Blake]

I find that the smallest ones can really improve the nature of the protection of certain routes. The black (.25) goes in perfectly to supplement the old pin on 24 Hour Buccaneer (Index). I like not hoping that a single old pin will keep me off the ground, and funk pro likes these, offset aliens, ball nuts, etc can really "tie the room together" on otherwise dangerous leads.

[froodish]

I love tricams. Great in horizontals and pods. I usually carry 3 or 4 of the smaller sizes and often place 2 active and in opposition for a belay.

 

What other piece of gear has its own fan webpage?

 

http://www.swarpa.net/~danforth/climb/sinkthepink.html

 

 

Edited June 14, 2012 by froodish

[chirp]

Some bonus info I had scanned several years ago. From the first generation brochure (1982). Classic stuff.

 

 

The images in the gallery proper are higher resolution for easier reading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 15, 2012 by chirp

[A_Little_Off_Route]

Wow, thanks Chirp! Nice to see instruction manuals that actually had useful information instead of fine print legal disclaimers...

 

Off_Route