[Muenchener]

I'm in the process of modernising my trad rack - much of it 1980s vintage - and have now reached the expensive part: cams.

My current cam rack consists of a nearly full set of original forged friends, plus a small (< Friend 1) green DMM 4CU that was crag swag in the Dolomites last summer.

Based on enthusiastic reviews that I've read I've ordered a set of Totem Cams. These should give me good coverage in the small to mid range up to about Friend 2.5 / 3, with the Friends, or whatever my mates have, to double up for big pitches at Gogarth etc.

I have no intention of climbing anything that requires larger than a #4 Friend, and consensus seems to be that the disadvantages of the forged stem are less significant in the larger sizes, so I don't plan to replace the larger Friends. But there's quite a gap in size between #3 and #4 that I don't have covered. A DMM Dragon #5 would seem to be the way to go: covers nearly the entire range of Friends 3.5 and 4.

The remaining question: really small stuff. I aim to be climbing in the lower E-grades this summer. Is it essential/normal/recommended these days to carry cams smaller than a Totem 0.65? (That goes down to 14mm, about a Rock 6) If so, what?

Also: micro wires. My RPs seem to have gone awol somewhere over the years.  What does one get these days? From what I've read I'm inclining towards DMM Imps.

[csl]

Metolius master cams are the ones to go for at the moment. But that could all change when these come out.

[Johnny Brown]

For really small I think the BD C3s are definitely the ones to go for. In the fairly small sizes Aliens or Metolius are worth looking at too.

[Muenchener]

For really small I think the BD C3s are definitely the ones to go for. In the fairly small sizes Aliens or Metolius are worth looking at too.

How small is "really small"? I don't have a feel for how much difference this modern kit makes: never felt the need for tiny cams on normal E1s/E2s in my youth, but I was braver then.

Totem don't seem to make their alien clones any smaller than the actual Totem Cams, so I guess I'd have to try to source the Fixe ones.

And I've read that the Metolius are bad for corroding/seizing on sea cliffs, so since Gogarth, Pembroke and the South West are at the top of my list for UK trad trips I had kind of ruled them out. Are they really bad, or or do you just need to remember to rinse them under the tap from time to time?

[slackline]

Mates have some of the BD 3CU's that I pinch on occasions (one ripped, one thankfully held when I came off leading Gullible's Travels at Stanage, phew!).  They are good and feel trustworthy when placed.

I have some of the WC Zero's (blue, gold and silver, sizes here).  Use the blue regularly on trad in the UK (if the DMM 4CU you found in the dolomites is a similar age to mine then the blue is roughly the same size), only take the gold and silver if it looks like they're needed or the description suggests they'll be needed.  Used the silver on Pulpit Ridge (lowly HVS 4c) at Ravenstones and whilst it seemed to sit well I really wouldn't have wanted to test it.

From what I've read I'm inclining towards DMM Imps.

These are great, possibly consider some of the off-set peanuts too.

[csl]

And I've read that the Metolius are bad for corroding/seizing on sea cliffs, so since Gogarth, Pembroke and the South West are at the top of my list for UK trad trips I had kind of ruled them out. Are they really bad, or or do you just need to remember to rinse them under the tap from time to time?

Just remember to rinse them under the tap when your done climbing on sea cliffs.

I however - forgot to do anything with them and since they haven't been used in about 5 months had seized up - free'd up easy enough with a rinse and lube.

[Johnny Brown]

Small - as in Friend 0 and below. In terms of the last fifteen years its the only area where you'll actually get a placement now where you wouldn't back then. They go down to about a Rock 4, though at the smallest size and below ball-nuts are still usually better. The WC Zeros always just looked like an exercise in making tiny cams, whilst the BD TCUs look and feel bomber, if pricey.

For slightly bigger I really rate the DMM TCUs for finger sizes (0.5-1.5) too. They have narrow heads and integral cam-stops like the BD, but mainly they feel really stable and go in places others won't - like little pockets. I don't carry the tricams so much now.

[Fiend]

I think C3s go down to Rock 2 size....the old Red C4 is Rock 3 size and C3s go one smaller.

In my experience of the sort of trad you're mentioning, I'd very rarely need the smallest C4 (or thus two smallest C3s) on anything below E3. I prefer 4CUs to 3CUs personally, but am slowly getting used to my lone C3.

* By Rock I mean Wallnut of course, we're not living in the dark ages. On the subject of wires, Imps look fine if you can't get RPs, and a few Peenuts are a must.

[duncan]

I've used most of the small cams but I think Aliens still just shade it.  The green Alien is my all-time favourite piece of gear and fits just under the smallest totem. 

Fixed stem Friend 4s are fine for occasional use.  I have a Friend 3.5 surplus to requirements which you could have.  It was bought as a replacement, only for the lost item to reappear in a friend's rucksac a few months later.   

IMPs are a good replacement for RPs.

I personally wouldn't buy anything made by Black Diamond.  They are now owned by Warren Kanders "...your quintessential cigar-chomping, boarding school/ivy groomed, trophy wife brandishing, fat, republican-douchebag capitalist-pig".  Kanders made his money by from his company Armor Holdings.   Armor were fined £10 million for bribing a UN official and settled out of court over accusations they knowingly sold defective body armour.  Kanders  used his political connections and lobbying to ensure that Armor were the only company permitted to armour US army Humvees, resulting in a shortage of said vehicles and, according to the NY Times, more casualties as a result. Almost needless to say he was a big contributor to Bush's election campaign.



Would you buy cams from this guy?

I see no need to buy Black Diamond from a design/performance point of view either. They stopped innovating in the mid 90s. Camalots are not better than Dragons, Helium Friends or Totems. The head-torches, helmets, and belay devices are no longer cutting edge. The wires never were. The ascender is poor. The portaledge is obese. The bouldering mats were formerly good and popular designs (Franklin) which had corners cut on the foam quality and now no-one buys them. And they manufacture in China, not Llanberis.

[slackline]

The WC Zeros always just looked like an exercise in making tiny cams, whilst the BD TCUs look and feel bomber, if pricey.

Certainly in the silver and smaller sizes I'd be inclined to agree (below silver they're not rated for lead falls anyway).  Whilst I don't use them that frequently I like the flexible stem of the WC Zero's over the relatively rigid stem of the BD TCUs and will often go with the blue WC zero over the similar sized DMM 4CU of a similar size.  Seems there is less scope for being pulled/walked out of position (which obviously can be mitigated to some extent with suitable length draws).

Get some of one now, then the rest later when you're flush.

As a side note, I had the opportunity to try out some Totem cams a few months ago and was quite impressed, independent operation of the two side and the range each covered were noticeably different to other cams I've used, they seated well in all placements I tried and felt solid.  Andy Kirkpatrick rates them too (I've not tested them in marginal placements though).

[SA Chris]

Just remember to rinse them under the tap when your done climbing on sea cliffs.

And a squirt of wd 40. I've got a set and use them on sea cliff about 2/3 of the time and they are no worse than any other cams

[Muenchener]

Small - as in Friend 0 and below. In terms of the last fifteen years its the only area where you'll actually get a placement now where you wouldn't back then.

Thanks, that's exactly what I was trying to understand.

I swagged my little green 4cu out of a bomber & obvious Rock 7 placement and thought "kids these days!". But then the next day I placed it with much relief in a very parallel spot behind a block where I had already spent several minutes getting pumped trying to get wires to stick. If newfangled tiny cams can make that kind of thing happen more often then it sounds like I do need some.

[Muenchener]

And they manufacture in China, not Llanberis.

The Made In Llanberis factor matters to me, as a general matter of principle plus the fact that I took Simon Marsh up a couple of his first ever routes on a Manchester University MC trip once upon a long time ago. (It was probably only a matter of weeks before he was climbing better than me)

[Muenchener]

The green Alien is my all-time favourite piece of gear and fits just under the smallest totem. 

Interesting. I looked at both in a shop today and was surprised that the green Basic doesn't look any smaller than the smallest Totem. That doesn't preclude them feeling different in use: the smallest Totem didn't look like it would be particularly comfortable to use at the small end of its range.

[Fiend]

Camalots are not better than Dragons

Longer stems, longer trigger reach and wider cam heads, all of which I prefer.

I also like the ATC and the harness I've got.

[butters]

And a squirt of wd 40. I've got a set and use them on sea cliff about 2/3 of the time and they are no worse than any other cams

White grease is far better for this sort of thing IMO.

[Paul B]

I've just bought a shed load of cams:

I've completed my set of Dragons
Bought nearly a set of Camalots (sorry Duncan)

and at the smaller end I've got a set of:
C3s (all)
Mastercams (up to orange)

I would have gone for the Totem basic over the mastercams however it was cheaper for me (working in CragX) to get the latter. According to a friend who did a recent American tour the C3s were invaluable (mainly the yellow one).

Although the Dragon cams are great, the thumb loop on Camalots is better than the thumb press offered by DMM (or it is for me, when I get a little gripped and my fingers turn to butter).

I didn't buy any offset cams, I'll probably regret that at some point over the coming months.

[Muenchener]

Thanks for all the advice & recommendations.

The conclusion I've reached is: Totems plus a Dragon #5 gives me a range from considerably smaller than anything I have at the moment, up to about the same at the wide end, with less weight and more overlap. 21st century technology beats 1970s technology. And I still have the old Friends, or whatever my mates have, to double up for big pitches.

I'll reserve judgement as to whether I need to spend even more on even smaller stuff until I've gathered a bit more current experience.

Mini-wires: there seem to be good deals on sets of Imps & Offsets 2 to 4, so I'll get both of those and be doubled up on the actually useful sizes rather than spending money on 0s and 1s that wouldn't stop me anyway.