what brand of gear and why?

[Riley81]

Just a general question.

What is the best type of cam, nut, hex etc.. and why?

I generally like to carry more then one brand of gear beacuse of the slight differences that make them work better in different situations, such as a brass HB vs. a BD offset nut. Sometimes it is nice to have the malable brass, and sometimes it is not needed.

What is your favorite type of pro. and why is it great?

[billcoe]

My Favorites/rock:

 

Carabiners- Wild Country Heliums, runner up nanos

There are lighter and there is stronger, but the size, clipping, hooded nose, wire gate and high strength to low weight combo make me like Heliums the most. Nanos are close to too small, but so lightweight that they are nice to carry. I like the way they clip better than the little Metolius.

 

Nuts: DMM Wallnuts large, HB/DMM offsets small.

Wallnuts have a great strength to weight ration and are tapered to fit well. The offsets seem to have a great niche, but for me, in the larger sizes, even though I carry them, the weight is a turn off.

 

Cams: Totems, Totem Basics (Aliens), Metolius

These cams seem to grip in all conditions in more places than other cams.

 

Harness's: Misty Mountain Sonic and Cadillac. Runner up for hanging all day, Metolius Waldo. These are the most comfortable harness's: FOR ME.

 

Helmets: Petzl Meteor 3

So light you'll think there might be a small insect on your head, but nope: just a helmet.

 

Belay devices: GriGri2, Black Diamond Guide ATC

Great gripping, ropes run well when you need them too. The range of ropes for both is good as well.

 

Jumars: Petzl

Strength to weight ration, grip well.

 

Aiders: Yates and Misty Mt.

Yates are burly and stay open, great grab bar. The Mistys are light and pack small but have nice features.

 

Over the shoulder slings: Yates, Jrat, Black Diamond adjustable. Personal opinion.

 

No recent mt or ice I'm so out of date I'd be worthless.

 

 

 

 

[Riley81]

I remeber hearing some bad things about the Totem cams. Like there was a recall or something. What is the story there?

 

Deffientley agree on the DMM products, their nuts always seem the fit real snug and make me feel all good inside about whipping on them.

 

Belay devices. What do people think about the Mammut smart alpine. I have one friend who hated it and one who still loves it even though it seems to give him trouble when feeding rope for a leader, or on low angle rappels. I am personally not a fan, almost seems like it is too auto locking.

[billcoe]

I remeber hearing some bad things about the Totem cams. Like there was a recall or something. What is the story there?

 

Uhh, find that story for me will ya? I want to see what "bad things" you are referencing.

[JosephH]

Over the shoulder slings: Yates, Jrat, Black Diamond adjustable.

Good one, that makes you somewhere between 50 and 80 years old to anyone who doesn't know you...

[chris]

Over the shoulder slings: Yates, Jrat, Black Diamond adjustable.

Good one, that makes you somewhere between 50 and 80 years old to anyone who doesn't know you...

I wish I still had my Jrat harness - the first harness I ever owned...

[Riley81]

Totem cam blog

It was in the end of 2010. There was an issue with the anodized coating reducing the holding power in certain types of rock. Cams that are produced now by Totem are microblasted instead of anodzied.

[hanman]

Mammut smart is cool but locks too easily in my opinion.I have relegated it to rope access work as an adjustable locking anchor point. Perhaps I just need smaller ropes. The 3/4" triple braid barely fits

 

Hangers- Tired of Fixe gear beating the hell out of my biners. Sure wish they would come up with a rolled surface like Mad Rock but Fixe sized

[Off_White]

Over the shoulder slings: Yates, Jrat, Black Diamond adjustable.

Good one, that makes you somewhere between 50 and 80 years old to anyone who doesn't know you...

 

As it does for anyone who gets the reference too! I had a Jrat harness back in 87 or so that I won in a Beanfest bouldering contest. The contest was more about the ability to perform with a hangover than any actual measure of climbing talent. I loved that harness, back when they would tie shut with a piece of webbing instead of all that newfangled buckle stuff. It featured a velcro loop patch up front with little bits of hook sewn into loops you'd put your quickdraw through, so when desperate you could just rip it from the harness to clip a piece, shortening the process by almost a full second!

[selkirk]

DMM Nut's Rock but go straight for the Alloy Offset's and then fill in the off sizes with regular DMM Walnuts. The Alloy Offsets are like the best parts of Walnuts and the small DMM Brass Offsets. quickly earned a permanent place on my rack.

 

Hexes: WC Curve hexes. Top 3 sizes go just about everywhere with me. Absolute must if you're climbing at Tieton.

[KaskadskyjKozak]

 

Walmart Pup Tent.

 

Because it's functionally equivalent to a Hilleberg

[Otto]

Jumars: Jumars.

[keenwesh]

Jumars: Jumars.

 

I've never used anything other than jumars aiding. I remember hearing bad things about the BD ascenders. has anyone actually used those? are they as bad as some people have made them out to be?

 

as for gear, nothing beats a green alien, besides maybe a #2 angle sunk to the hilt 10 seconds before.

[billcoe]

I've never used anything other than jumars aiding. I remember hearing bad things about the BD ascenders. has anyone actually used those? are they as bad as some people have made them out to be?

Yes. Maybe worse. I have a pair for sale which are like new that has only jugged a couple pitches if anyone is interested. THEY TOTALLY SUCK!!! To own this sucakage will be $100. It's not just me, some real well known valley rats have had the same issue, which is you are cruising along and zippppp, they don't grab for an inch or 2. It is caused by not having the jug oriented to the rope properly results in the jug slipping right down in a heart stopping pants filling free fall for you. Followed by an expletive "@@#X!!!@". And it slows me down and wind up getting hesitant. Fortunately, it's short then they grab. I suspect that as it doesn't happen with Petzls...or any other jumar, that old dogs who are use to sliding the jug up the rope in a casual and fast manner are more prone to having it occur. Not everyone has this happen to them, basically, you need to train yourself to slide the thing straight up the rope. Which sounds like an easy thing put that way, but when you're in the groove and cruzin high off the deck...whoosh. @@#X!!!@

 

Good ones:

 

 

 

As for the Totem recall. Non-issue. First, lots of companies are still selling cams that have anodised lobes. Ever see BD even give a shit about that? NO? Me either. BD,DMM, Wild Country still selling anodized cam lobes. Next, Totem did the recall when Totem realized that they could get a marginally better stick on marginal (polished limestone) rock. Realize that their cams already stick as good or better than most anyone elses, even anodized. As they said in the notice, anodizing "...may affect their holding power in certain areas of polished limestone and when the cams still retain their layer of anodizing on the area in contact with the rock." That's only when new, one trip to red rocks and they are all scuffed up.

 

Look at Black Diamond Camalots, Wild Country or DMM's new stuff. Are you suggesting that they are selling gear that should be recalled right now but are ignoring it?

 

 

See? Totem recognized they could get an incrementally better bite for their already superior cam, so they allowed their existing customers to trade up to what Totem perceived to be a slightly better grip on polished limestone. If they wanted. Or they could take a bit of sandpaper and rub for 3 min. That's amazing customer service IMO, and the Totem folks should be lauded and rewarded for it.

[RuMR]

I've never used anything other than jumars aiding. I remember hearing bad things about the BD ascenders. has anyone actually used those? are they as bad as some people have made them out to be?

Yes. Maybe worse. I have a pair for sale which are like new that has only jugged a couple pitches if anyone is interested. THEY TOTALLY SUCK!!! To own this sucakage will be $100. It's not just me, some real well known valley rats have had the same issue, which is you are cruising along and zippppp, they don't grab for an inch or 2. It is caused by not having the jug oriented to the rope properly results in the jug slipping right down in a heart stopping pants filling free fall for you. Followed by an expletive "@@#X!!!@". And it slows me down and wind up getting hesitant. Fortunately, it's short then they grab. I suspect that as it doesn't happen with Petzls...or any other jumar, that old dogs who are use to sliding the jug up the rope in a casual and fast manner are more prone to having it occur. Not everyone has this happen to them, basically, you need to train yourself to slide the thing straight up the rope. Which sounds like an easy thing put that way, but when you're in the groove and cruzin high off the deck...whoosh. @@#X!!!@

 

Good ones:

 

 

 

As for the Totem recall. Non-issue. First, lots of companies are still selling cams that have anodised lobes. Ever see BD even give a shit about that? NO? Me either. BD,DMM, Wild Country still selling anodized cam lobes. Next, Totem did the recall when Totem realized that they could get a marginally better stick on marginal (polished limestone) rock. Realize that their cams already stick as good or better than most anyone elses, even anodized. As they said in the notice, anodizing "...may affect their holding power in certain areas of polished limestone and when the cams still retain their layer of anodizing on the area in contact with the rock." That's only when new, one trip to red rocks and they are all scuffed up.

 

Look at Black Diamond Camalots, Wild Country or DMM's new stuff. Are you suggesting that they are selling gear that should be recalled right now but are ignoring it?

 

 

See? Totem recognized they could get an incrementally better bite for their already superior cam, so they allowed their existing customers to trade up to what Totem perceived to be a slightly better grip on polished limestone. If they wanted. Or they could take a bit of sandpaper and rub for 3 min. That's amazing customer service IMO, and the Totem folks should be lauded and rewarded for it.

, or you could just go climbing with them and it'd rub of on its own...assuming you actually use your gear!! ;-)

 

Edited August 7, 2012 by RuMR

[montypiton]

another pitch for DMM nuts -- they just seem to WORK.

 

if you use bigger passive nuts like hexes -- go for the newer curved hexes from DMM, Wild Country, or Camp. The curve of the surfaces is the same as the WC rock (curved stopper), far superior to BD's venerable straight-walled hexcentric. Also, the DMM-WC-Camp versions are web slung. Why BD now limits their hex offerings to wire-slung versions mystifies me -- the wires wear out with use, and then you have to send them back to BD to have the wires replaced; and you can't use a wire to tie an emergency prusik. With a web slung hex, the sling can be used for a prusik, and when the sling gets old & tatty, just cut it off and tie in a new sling of web or cord. Quick. Cheap. Safe. Wires are for nuts too small to accept a full-strength web or cord sling.

 

for carabiners - the Camp Nano is the smallest, lightest carabiner that I can easily operate with gloves on (ice, alpine) - so I am accumulating them. Yeah, Metolius makes a lighter unit, but that one is so small, I find it difficult to use for anything other than bolted sport climbs. I absolutely love DMM & WC stuff, but they don't offer anything quite as light as the nano, yet...

 

for pocketed rock like tuff or limestone - a few tricams make life more enjoyable -- can be placed as an active cam in holes & pockets which will not accept the axle length of a normal spring-activated cam.

 

alpine favorites: wart-hog - works in ice,rock,turf; same goes for spectres. petzl multihook functions as a nut-pick,v-thread tool, & wrench -- nice to carry a tool that does more than one job - I sharpened one edge of mine to function as a knife, as well, and keep it covered with a short piece of pneumatic hose (cut up old air hoses to cover ice-tool picks, also). DMM Revolvers - if you're hauling on big walls or guiding on big glaciers, you want a real pulley, but for light/fast alpine where you MIGHT want a pulley but HOPE you won't need one, the Revolver fits the bill.

 

Edited August 7, 2012 by montypiton

[Riley81]

Intersting point about the anodized cam lobes. I agree that for Totem to even care about such a little thing definetly says something about the company. I have never even really thought about the affect of the anodizing on all the BD cams that I have.

 

I also have BD ascenders and have gotten pissed off at them a few times, but thought it was my inability to operate them. Maybe I'll look at getting a different kind of ascender.