i like an assortment of different gear, not ALL one company.  Black Diamond Cams are awesome, you can’t go wrong with them.  Aliens are Amazing too.  i have two of the Omega Pacific “Link Cams” too.  Lots of people i know (in Squamish) aren’t that psyched about those, but i am, and so is my friend Matt Maddaloni who climbs a LOT of gear routes all over the world.  i think the Link Cams are nice to keep as your last piece (save for the anchor), especially in the mountains (where there aren’t bolted anchors)… if you save two of them (different sizes) for the top, you’re pretty much guaranteed to have something that’ll work for an anchor (plus just every-day craggin’ they are good too coz they are SOOO easy to place!), but they’re heavy and expensive so you wouldn’t want more than just a couple on your rack.

get something to cover every size from a #3 Camalot to a Black Alien and you’re good!  that’s what i have… it’s not a BIG rack (yet) but suits my needs, i’ve never not had enough gear to do what i want.

Good Luck and maybe see ya around Squamish!

Hey Guys,

Just web scrolling over a morning cup of joe, trying to catch up on all this bolting/chopping hoopla I’ve been hearing about on old classics in Squamtown, came across this post, interesting.  Trad, no offence to you, and I am sure you’ve had plenty of great experiences with the cams you refer to, but I would have to say the opposite.  The new American cams are superior, they sell better because they are better (in my experience) which probably means they have more money to “sell” them better too.  I used to have a full rack of DMM and although they are a GREAT company with great people and they do make some brilliant gear, cams unfortunately aren’t on the list. 

Over the course of a year I lost nearly every piece I had due to walking and overcamming.  You can call me a punter if you wish and tell me I placed it all shitty and whacky like, but the truth is they are now gone and I’m pretty sure they never came out again.  I once did a crack climb in Cap Trinity and my partner and I found three overcammed DMM’s on the same pitch I believe, is this a coincidence?  Not that I am complaining, I clipped them up and kept climbing, saved me time and energy, he he. Honestly, I’ve had a terrible experience with the British Cams and I just thought it was fair to share that input.  Anyone else? 

If you want my advice go with the Metolius Grey, Purple and Blue, 3 Cu’s and 4cu’s both if you can afford them.  After that, depending on if you prefer granite to other types of rock I say go with a yellow alien, a gray alien, a red alien, an orange alien, and if you’re feeling good, a brown/gold alien (doubles if these if you can) and then go with the BD cams the rest of the way, like a .75 a number 1 or a number 2, 3,4,5,6 whatever it goes up to these days.  You’ll never need much more than that.

When it comes to nuts, the Wall NUTS are the muthafukin shit. The best design ever, with the little curve and groove, Booo-ya.  Sinker.  Bomb Squad. Happy tinkering.

Hi there. There are differences with every cam type and one of the most important is cam angle and length. To tell if a cam will get stuck more than others pull the trigger back as far as it can go and see if the first part of the lobe reaches back behind the cam. If it can touch the wall on the wrong side of the cam it will get stuck more often.

Omega has designed the most versatile cam on the market today. Three placements in one cam. On my rack #.5 to #2 BD cams are gone and all I carry are Aliens from black to yellow and all 4 Omega sizes, and finally #3 BD Camalot and up if needed. I even leave the nuts at home most of the time.

Like any new gear you need to know how to use it. Omega cam triggers cannot pull as far as the cam can close if pushed into a crack. Only place the cam as far as you can pull the trigger back… and no more! Also the smallest cam on the links needs to be steel to be strong enough so they do not stick as well as aluminum. Expect a little slippage before they grip tight when used in their smallest placement. Otherwise these cams are unbelievable. You will save huge energy taking these slightly heavier cams because you will spend far less time placing them and trying to find the right size for the crack. Even very experienced trad climbers will pick the wrong piece under duress from time to time.

Good luck, have fun and stay safe.
mm

I would say a bit of everything. Different nuts, rps, small cams (wild country zero? or alien?), different extra large cams, hand and finger in BD?, some hexes mid to large , a tricam to learn camming action, a few metolious TCU’s, and a fifi hook to learn how they all work. Start by building bomber anchors on ‘off the ground’ terrain. Learn how the angle of the rope will effect each type of piece.  give’r

The angle has no patent. I’m sure that almost all cams have the same angle except a couple.