Best trad climbing cam. 35) and two cams that were larger that 1. Our current review features the 10 best camming devices found on climbers' racks today. They fit where other cams don't 2. Jan 24, 2023 · Trad climbing involves a wide array of gear, including nuts, hexes, cams, Big Bros, and more, to ensure climbers stay safe. ABS - PU Best Color Cams generally work best in parallel cracks while nuts generally work best in constricting cracks. There may have been some curses thrown in for good measure. It has legendary status for a reason. They will hold anywhere from 8-12kN if placed well which is plenty for most lead falls. They’re super light, super flexible and they seem to fit everywhere. In climbing, cams are reliable and versatile pieces of trad protection created for placing in parallel-sided cracks, where nuts won’t function. Here’s what you need to know about trad gear and tips to build your first trad climbing rack. 50 (maybe a 0. Because of the wide range of cams and their range of function, for simplicity, we will focus on general-purpose cams, picking our choices from the large/medium and small range. A close-up of a climber’s harness loaded with various trad climbing gear, including carabiners, cams, and quickdraws, essential for traditional climbing setups. there's a lot of information in the stickied post on this sub but standard rack is doubles . Place gear so it is secure, but also think about how difficult it will be to remove. Avoid shallow placements where the piece can easily pull out of the crack. The invention of the spring loaded camming device (commonly called simply "cams") in the 1970's revolutionized the climbing world. 6 The Best Climbing Cams Six cams were tested in the climbing cam category in 2018. See every brand, compare every detail, and find the best price. I climb in Squamish and cannot say enough good things about the black Totem. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee Find the best climbing cams from Black Diamond, DMM, Fixe, Metolius, Omega Pacific, Totem, Trango, Wild Country. From placing/removing gear and Standard Rack. Jul 9, 2024 · These cams are the best. — on a gear sling or harness gear loops (or a combo) so you'll be able to quickly reach what you need during your climb. My local trad climbing area is eldo, so I place these things a lot, and I’ve fallen on them plenty. From cams to carabiners, nuts to nut tools, there are so many options for traditional climbing gear that it’s hard to know where to begin. The ability to quickly and safely protect parallel-sided cracks opened up the world of traditional climbing to whole new realms. Feb 21, 2025 · What is a cam? In simple terms, a cam is any instrument that can transform linear motion into rotary motion. it's dangerous. Trad Climbing Gear > Cams This article about climbing cams is part of the book - Trad Climbing Basics . 2 and sometimes the plastic piece that guides the trigger wires can be troublesome in tight places. Want more in-depth training? Internationally certified mountain guides Rob Coppolillo and Marc Chauvin will teach you the fundamentals of trad climbing in our Intro to Trad 8-week online course. The best cams are the ones that catch your whips and the ones that are on pro deals. Cams are easy to place, easy to clean, and when placed properly in good rock are as bomber as it gets. 2. Nuts, also called stoppers or chocks, are essential for narrow cracks and constrictions where cams may not fit. Learn more about climbing helmets. Sep 8, 2020 · Born from a heart-to-heart with our top trad-climbing BD Athletes Hazel Findlay, Carlo Traversi, Sam Elias, and Babsi Zangerl, the Camalot Z4 is the realization of a dream: to have a single-stem cam that stays rigid in-hand, but flexes once placed. 5 to 2, one or two #3s and possibly one 4 (BD Camalots), a single or double set of finger sized and smaller cams, a complete set of stoppers, a good selection of micro stoppers, and 8-14 alpine quickdraws (double length sling with two lightweight wiregate carabiners). 12 votes, 48 comments. The totems work better in the finger sizes, and the c4s are the best/only option in 4 and up because of the locking mechanism. Shop for Cams at REI - Browse our extensive selection of trusted outdoor brands and high-quality recreation gear. The core of any trad rack are your cams. Traditional climbing: use at your own risk. 92 inches) to the #8 (covering 7. 2 equivalent (black) and use metolius ultralight master cams for the smaller sizes 0 and 00. Jun 4, 2025 · The Black Diamond C4 is the gold standard for climbing cams. Dec 19, 2019 · So what makes up a standard trad rack?It's not precisely defined, but it goes something like this: A double set of cams from . But beyond simply climbing lots of rocks, we used our lifetimes of climbing experience to carefully note important key factors for each cam and metric, described below. In this article, we'll discuss some best practices for assembling your "rack" — all your nuts, cams, carabiners, 'draws, etc. Cams were used by a wide array of climbers on dozens of climbs, primarily on sandstone and granite. A common term used to describe a set of cams is ‘a standard rack’. They protect your head from things falling on you (rocks, equipment, etc. Climbers, both new and experienced, were used to solicit feedback while on single pitch routes and multi-pitch routes. ) and also from your head hitting the rock if you fall. When you wish to choose a perfect cam, you should know more information about it. Everyone knows about the legendary Black totem. Falls were taken. These cams are the best option when you are just starting out trad climbing and building your first trad rack. They inspire more confidence than any other small piece but they are slightly bigger than 0. Trad Protection The leader places trad gear (protection) in cracks and fissures as they climb up. more times than I care to admit. Traditional climbers use both active and passive gear for protection. 80 cam ( maybe a 2. The smallest C4 comes in at 0. They’re the best starter camming device because they’re affordable, durable, and there’s a huge range between sizes. Black Diamond Camelot Ultralight cams are one example of active trad Recent innovations such as reverse cam strength (that means the device will still hold a fall even when the cams are fully open - provided that is that they actually catch on the rock in some way!) are useful, and dyneema slings, forged cams and other advances have made "Cams" a lot lighter than the earlier models, whilst reductions in scale I have totems down to . 3 (range of 0. His 1972 Chouinard Equipment catalog manifesto on clean climbing is just as relevant today as it was back then. Though the type of cam you buy depends on where you plan to climb, most trad climbers nowadays go for a set of Camalot Ultralights. They are perfect in the small sizes. Trad climbing to me is all about moving over gorgeous stretches of stone, leaving only a bit of chalk and boot rubber What gear to carry, where to carry it and how to rack it are key considerations as you progress in your skills as a lead trad climber. you can supplement with bigger or smaller gear if you need to. 10 and 2. every area is different but that one fits a large majority of climbs. Apr 4, 2025 · Our expert team has a combined 40 years of climbing experience and has field-tested the best climbing gear since the inception of our site, with 20+ climbing cams tested over the past decade. 3. May 17, 2024 · Camming devices, aka “cams,” aka “spring-loaded camming devices” (SLCD), are the meat-and-potatoes of every trad-climbing rack. Cams are reliable and versatile pieces of trad protection that are designed to be placed in parallel sided cracks, where nuts won't work. 50). Why? 1. 54 – 0. Nov 18, 2016 · My best advice is to take notes from the clean-climbing pioneers like Doug Robinson and strive to minimize impact. 20K subscribers in the tradclimbing community. A standard rack includes cams that fit in cracks that range from very tiny to fist-sized. Shop trad climbing cams online from Trango. Cams are quick to place, hold exceptionally well, and are easy to clean. Apr 26, 2025 · ‘Tier S’ cams !! All I want to use! I would love if there was at least one cam that was smaller than than the 0. A climbing helmet is the first thing you should buy when you start trad climbing. Fits where other cams don't. They are bomber. Top quality, great selection and expert advice you can trust. That’s my opinion at least. Instead, trad climbing involves placing protection into cracks to mitigate the risk of a large fall. 5-3 C4 cam size. set of nuts. Feb 2, 2024 · In this article, we discuss the best cam sets for trad climbing, backed by reviews from the climbing experts and the consensus of the climbing community. Oct 28, 2016 · To learn more trad climbing skills, see the rest of our series, Learn to Climb Trad: A Complete Beginner’s Guide. Also, since totem makes amazing cams, I bet they can make amazing carabiners that would color match the cams! Just an idea. offsets nuts are really nice to have Jan 31, 2023 · What is Trad Climbing? Trad climbing, short for traditional climbing, is a style of free climbing that does not rely on fixed gear, like bolts on a sport climbing route, to protect a rock climb. 40 or 0. 6 – 12. Oct 1, 2020 · We’re here to help you choose the best climbing cams so you can jam your way up that next crack with confidence. The Trango Flexcam feature class leading range and are among the lightest 4-cams available. . 6 or so alpine draws a few of your sport quickdraws, some 7mm cord to build anchors and some lockers. All that said, there’s no tangible difference in the friends and the c4s. and i've tested that. Trad climbing gear is a big investment, so it’s important to know what options are available before you buy. Most of the testing took place “in the field,” by using cams on trad climbs. Jan 12, 2014 · In your opinion, what cam sizes are the most crucial to have at an early stage of trad climbing? 200$ for both stoppers and cams. Nuts. Also, should I go BD, Metolius, Wild Country, or some other brand I have never heard of? If it helps, I live in Tucson, Arizona and do the vast majority of my climbing on Mount Lemmon. vcwk cqea sdxspv wxzkk pqnyjyos tfsr ghrzkpr uxt ibtjoz nbwoafg