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Placement and removal could actually be as fast as a cam, if not faster. If each air bladder has a CO2 cylinder already attached, one would simply place the bladder and hit a button. The bladder would inflate instantly. Removal would then simply be hitting a release button. This could actually work if enough pressure could be instantly applied to the bladder. CO2 cylinders might not be strong enough though. Special use cylinders might have to be invented just for the product.

Of course, that is if you don't mind climbing with explosives in your pocket...

I still think if you've got enough sticky surface area (read Stealth rubber) making contact you could pump it pretty quickly with a bulb pump. It wouldn't need to be rock hard to put a lot of pressure against the sides of the crack/feature.

This is funny. I thought about this same idea a few years back. I think the biggest problem is getting the bladder to keep its shape when loaded. All in all, more simpler is more better.

It would take a really long time. The gas compresses quite a bit as the pressure goes up, so the volume that needs to be pumped in is pretty big. Imagine squeezing a bulb pump over and over, as the pressure gets higher, you squeeze harder and harder, and each pump moves a tinier volume and pressure, finally you get it pumped up enough that you believe it will hold-- now do the crimpy crux.

Use hydraulics. You can take advantage of Pascal's principle and if there is catastrophic failure, it won't explode the way pneumatics do.

It would also have to fit entirely in the crack. If any of it hung out the air would expand that part and you wouldn't get the pressure you need inside. Nope, I don't think it will work.

Ah, but read back to my description. The bladder would have to be somewhat rigid for it to work, especially the bottom or neck where the draw would be attached. Have a flexible yet non-stretchy rubber in a folded, accordian shape, possibly with a completely non-expanding rubber on cloth (perhaps kevlar material) bag that the bladder would expand inside of. Place it back inside of a crack, pump it up, get a two foot by six to eight inches of contact on either side of the crack. The bag could be used in a lot of different width cracks, expanding outwards to its limits.

I think it would be about the same weight as a big cam and would be quite a bit less likely to catch on stuff as you move up. Unfortunately I have no experience working with these materials or I'd try to make a prototype. Stick it in some cracks and drop some heavy weights on it to see what happens.

I always thought airbags would be great pro for chimneys in the form of a vest that way when you started to grease out you could just pull the pin.

now Legion has a damn good idea....

I want one

You have an interesting idea, and one that could be worth exploring, but I have my doubts. I've done some work with airbags for industrial applications, so I'd like to give you some engineering things to look at if you want to try this out:
* Weight - airbags I've worked with weigh about 3 lbs, but they're pretty big. The stronger/thicker the rubber, the more weight
* Seams - must be airtight and stay that way, which leads to my next point...
* Maintenance - if your airbag springs a leak, it's no good versus a cam that gets a little gummed up. You'll need to figure out what to do on long climbs when your airbag springs a leak (other than pray you don't fall)
* Applying pressure - this has been discussed a bit already and I agree with most of the points
* Releasing pressure - you'll need to make sure the pressure can't release by accident or on a fall, which means the pressure release would have to be fairly complex / protected from the rock. Also, air bags take pressure to fully compress, which may make getting them out of cracks difficult
* Fatigue - as with all materials, the more you work them over time, the easier they are to break - rubber is very resilient to fatigue but the seams may not be
* Friction - just like your shoes, you would need to replace the rubber on the contact surfaces regularly
* Placement - surfaces you're placing them in would need to be smooth; a jagged piece of rock could puncture even the strongest bag in a fall. Also, think about what would happen if you placed one, found it was too small for the crack, and had to redo it - you might go through a lot of cartridges if you use CO2...

Check out www.firestoneindustrial.com to get more technical information on airbags and maybe some other ideas.

Being the engineering dork that I am, I'll stick to my cams until I was 100% sure airbags were superior.