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goldeneagle
Jul 2, 2012, 8:05 PM
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So I'm trying to work my way into trad/alpine climbing. I have a few questions about trad racks. I'm trying to build my rack slowly, and I have a few stoppers so far. My question is how many cams do people normal include? I've stuck mostly to passive pro, because of the cost of cams. Any advice on the typical size of a beginner rack? Thanks.
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petsfed
Jul 2, 2012, 8:49 PM
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1) Do a search, this has been covered far too often.
2) Ask the people you climb with what they use, and climb on their racks. Use that experience to develop a better idea of what you need and what you use.
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wrbill
Jul 2, 2012, 9:32 PM
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You say trad/alpine, what one will you be doing more of cause that will play a big part.
If alpine then you will only need a few if any cams.
If trad then you could use a full set leaving out the big cams like the #5 and #6 C4's.
You will find that just about any were you climbe trad a set of C4's from .5 to 4 with doubles of 1, 2 and maybe 3 will cover you.
As was said, ask people in your area what the have and try everything you can, because everyone likes different cams for different reasons.
Good luck in you search and climb SAFE!!!!!
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desertwanderer81
Jul 3, 2012, 5:45 PM
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Yup. It all depends on the climbs you're doing. Many climbs can be protected with just nuts. Some you can't use a single piece of passive gear. Some places tricams are great. In many they're about the same as nuts.
If you're doing (with no chains) you'll want more gear than single pitch climbs because you'll want enough for 2 anchors.
Mostly a rack from .3 to 3 is good for a lot of single pitch stuff. If you're doing 150' pitches without chains I'd recommend doubles.
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jamesnater
Jul 3, 2012, 6:43 PM
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Once you know what routes you plan on climbing, you'll know exactly what you need to get.
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goldeneagle
Jul 4, 2012, 12:29 AM
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Thanks everyone! Now that I have an idea of what to get, I'll talk to some of of the climbers back home. Now to start the hard part...getting the money together!
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petsfed
Jul 6, 2012, 2:16 PM
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there was a critical next step: use their racks to get a feel for the differences and your preferences.
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distantThunder
Jul 6, 2012, 11:16 PM
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golden .. reply from an OLD CLIMBER here.
My trad rack now sits in a cupboard in my garage. But it went a lot of places in its time.
Your approach is actually a good way to go. Start by trying to use stoppers as much as possible. The reason is simple - if you can do really good stopper placements, they are some of the BEST pro you will ever have. A well-placed stopper can be really bomb proof, and a life saver. :-)
After that, aim for a few cams in the range of 2-3 inches. I would bet that over the course of 2 decades of climbing, the cams I used the most would have been the 2-inch amd 2-1/2 inch sizes. But please understand this ... as soon as you go out to the store and buy three of these things, the very next route you climb will require cams that are 3-1/2 inches :-) That kinda stuff is an un-winnable war. Hahahahaha!
It's nice to also have a few small cams (under 1-inch), but looking back on my climbing days - I placed way too much confidence in those placements. I can think of plenty of routes where I was pretty run out, and the last pro was a tiny cam. Stupid, really. If I'd actually come off, there's no way those cams would have held. So that's why I'm encouraging you to work hard on those stopper placements.
And a partign piece of advice from an old guy who survived ...
Don't climb long trad routes rated at the limits of your abilities. Just don't do it. There are exceptions, but don't push the odds. We all sit back and thumb thru guide books and and have dreams of grand delusion. But the wise approach is to always have some EXTRA strength, skill and ability in reserve, so you can get out of a tight situation. Hence it's better to go out and do long trad climbs that are well within your limits :-)
good luck,
dT
(This post was edited by distantThunder on Jul 6, 2012, 11:54 PM)
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wivanoff
Jul 6, 2012, 11:58 PM
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distantThunder wrote: golden .. reply from an OLD CLIMBER here. My trad rack now sits in a cupboard in my garage. But it went a lot of places in its time. Your approach is actually a good way to go. Start by trying to use stoppers as much as possible. The reason is simple - if you can do really good stopper placements, they are some of the BEST pro you will ever have. A well-placed stopper can be really bomb proof, and a life saver. :-) After that, aim for a few cams in the range of 2-3 inches....
^^^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^^^^
My $0.02 would be look at cams from slightly smaller (1" or 1-1/2") up to the 3" DT mentions. Try to pick up where your largest stopper leaves off. For stoppers, one set from one manufacturer and then another set or half set from another manufacturer for slightly different shape and size.
I tell people look at your fingers and hands. Make a fist. That's likely the range (fingers to fist) of the cracks you're going to start with, right? Easy/moderate routes are going to follow stuff that people's hands fit. Pick your pro sizes to match and later, when you have more experience, expand that range lower and higher as needed.
Consider pooling resources with a partner if money is an issue. You're not going to be leading alone. A half rack each = one full rack. You can each flesh them out as $$ becomes available.
Sometime down the road you might want to try a few Tri-cams or Hexes, depending on your area. My home crags eat them up. But, for now, stick with the stoppers and mid range cams.
Good post, distantThunder (from another old climber)
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