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Largo
Sport climber
Venice, Ca
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Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 19, 2008 - 12:53pm PT
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Am revising one of the How-To books and am unsure if I should ditch describing Tri Cams. Never used one and never see them these days? What's the deal with these devices?
JL
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nature
climber
Somewhere else....
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Dec 19, 2008 - 12:59pm PT
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sink the pink!
http://www.swarpa.net/~danforth/climb/sinkthepink.html
I still use them on a rare occasion. The pink one is probably the best overall size. When that thing is GUD it's really GUD.
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Gunks Guy
Trad climber
Rhinebeck, NY
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Dec 19, 2008 - 12:59pm PT
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A fair number of folks at the Gunks still use them as they (especially the smaller sizes) work pretty well in the horizontal cracks there.
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Logdog
Trad climber
Sierra Nevada
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Dec 19, 2008 - 01:02pm PT
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Every once in a while....like on the the last steep pitch of prodigal son in Zion, i couldn't get much else into a super-beat out, shallow pin scar.(even with offset aliens). That and the occasional pocket at the Pinnacles. Obscure for sure, but every once in a while.....
-Logan
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ricardo
Gym climber
San Francisco, CA
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Dec 19, 2008 - 01:03pm PT
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hell yes ..
my trad rack always has the 3 smallest sizes ..
when aiding i bring the 5 smallest sizes .. its like an extra set of cams for a fraction of their weight ..
 then again .. most of my climbing partners want nothing to do with them .. they don't know how to use them .. -- i love them .. usually i save these pieces for belay building ..
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howlostami
Trad climber
Southern Tier, NY
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Dec 19, 2008 - 01:05pm PT
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They are really useful in horizontal placements at the gunks, so if you've got the space and it's already written up, then leaving it in place would be good for the east coast crew. There's been a lot of attention given to the two new small sized tri-cams that came out recently, so if anything they are expanding their usefulness over this a-way.
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Phil_B
Social climber
Hercules, CA
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Dec 19, 2008 - 01:06pm PT
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I like 'em too. Smaller sizes get placed more often for me.
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Michael Golden
climber
Mountain View, CA
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Dec 19, 2008 - 01:07pm PT
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I use them from time to time in pockets in S.F. Bay Area Sandstone and in other shallow cracks where a 3-cam or a narrow 4-cam might work. I don't own any 3-cams or narrow 4-cams. Pink and red mostly. In addition to the intrinsic joy of placing them, it's mildly amusing to watch the follower try to remove the little pink one.
-Michael
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Caveman
climber
Cumberland Plateau
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Dec 19, 2008 - 01:08pm PT
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I carry the three smallest tricams on my rack. Don't use them all that much but they have their place. Used correctly they make for good protection.
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adatesman
Trad climber
philadelphia, pa
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Dec 19, 2008 - 01:09pm PT
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As Gunks Guy says, they're fairly common at the Gunks, but most people only have/use the smallest ones. I have all but the two new ones (0.125 and 0.25) with doubles of the 0.5-2.0. The 0.5-2.0 get the most use and I usually will place them rather than a cam in that size. The 5-7 get pulled out on occasion as well since they amuse the heck out of me. The 2.5-4 rarely leave the gear closet.
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adam d
climber
CA
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Dec 19, 2008 - 01:10pm PT
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They're nice in the Gunks horizontals but not essential there in my mind, I stopped carrying them there most of the time. Some pockety rocks though...seems like nothing else will work (thinking of a few spots on Whitehorse and elsewhere). You can get some truly bizarre yet bomber placements with them in pockets. Nice and light for alpine routes where you get mostly good stances...I'm not selling mine, but they don't get to come along very often.
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bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
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Dec 19, 2008 - 01:12pm PT
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Never really caught on in the standard vertical crack orientation. They were too difficult to place one-handed and unless you tugged really hard to "set" them, they fell out of "camming mode" placements pretty darn easily. For vertical cracks, hexes are much easier to place and much more versatile with three different configurations versus two for the tri-cams.
Bruce
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bookworm
Social climber
Falls Church, VA
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Dec 19, 2008 - 01:12pm PT
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in a horizontal, i prefer a tri-cam over anything else...so i don't carry them unless i'm certain i'll encounter horizontal placements
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atchafalaya
climber
Babylon
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Dec 19, 2008 - 01:12pm PT
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They suck, but the pink one might make the aid rack.
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climbOff
Trad climber
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Dec 19, 2008 - 01:14pm PT
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"For vertical cracks, hexes are much easier to place and much more versatile with three different configurations versus two for the tri-cams."
but with tri-cams people can't hear you coming a mile away.
EDIT: Seriously though, they do see a good amount of use on the east coast me thinks.
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Jay Wood
Trad climber
Fairfax, CA
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Dec 19, 2008 - 01:15pm PT
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The three smallest are now white, black, pink...
So classic.
Like soap-on-a-rope.
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Captain...or Skully
Gym climber
Where are YOU from Holmes?
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Dec 19, 2008 - 01:23pm PT
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Tricams kick ass!
I use the 4 smallest all the time.
Good in scars, too.
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xtrmecat
Trad climber
Kalispell, Montanagonia
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Dec 19, 2008 - 01:28pm PT
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Yes they are on both the trad and aid rack. They are not the go to piece, but rather anchor, difficult, or extra piece that saves the day. Some rock just begs for their use and some cracks are just too straight for them. I will always have a few on the rack.
Bob
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Trad
Trad climber
Northern California
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Dec 19, 2008 - 01:31pm PT
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In Camp 4 a couple years ago I met a guy from Arizona whose rack was composed almost entirely of tri-cams. We spent a whole day climbing on his gear and I was leery at first but had no problems. It was an interesting learning experience (but I still tend to use mostly cams and nuts).
My only other tri-cam-related comment is that I've retrieved at least 3 or 4 of the pink/red sizes over the years for my booty rack!
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Greg Barnes
climber
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Dec 19, 2008 - 01:31pm PT
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The deal is that only people who climb trad-protected pocketed rock use them.
Except for Gunks climbers.
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