tri cams

[Horatio Felacio]

ok, i can't believe that tricams are suggested as gear in every newbie what-to-buy thread. i know some people use them on here, but can you name me a route where a tricam is absolutely necessary-meaning you can't get an equally good nut or cam in within ~5 ft?

a lot of you use the "cheaper" reason for starter racks, but if they didn't spend that $15 or whatever on the pink tricam, they would be that much closer to being able to afford a yellow alien. i just don't get it. i guess i'm old and grouchy.

[ynot]

Motha

[Yasmeen]

if they didn't spend that $15 or whatever on the pink tricam, they would be that much closer to being able to afford a yellow alien.

Well said, Mateo. Aliens4lyfe.

The only time I've seen a tri-cam used where there were no good placements nearby was when Allah was doing Fallen Angel at Purgatory for the first time.

[pigsteak]

you are grouchy, but right on.....tricams, and I have my share, are not the end all for sure. I even gave away my hexes..not needed.

[Wes]

There is a super key tri-cam placement on Runnin' down a dream. The only piece that is between you and the belay for the scary part.

Otherwise, I have found a few placements that work better with them, but overall, they are tricky to place, and most biginners would be better off with move cams.

Wes

[KD]

the bottom three protect pockety stuff real well - the bigger ones tend to wiggle too much for me to not use a cam instead. they can be hard to get out if you take a fall on them. but i like them a lot.

[Crankmas]

I like tri-cams because there so easy to place, I usually just need both hands, a shoe and my dick to fiddle one in

[J-Rock]

Tri-cams are great for pockets (make sure you look at the size and strength of the lip). Often I can find a placement for them out on the face. They have protected many a run-out on countless routes. I couldn't even begin to list all the routes that can be protected with tri-cams. J.J. swares by them and he places tri-cams on nearly every route he climbs.

When I first started climbing a buddy of mine bought a set of tri-cams. He wanted to learn how to use them. I hadn't been climbing very long and had never led a trad pitch before, but I had followed a couple and I had seen how they were placed.

Anyway, we went to the cliff and spotted a beautiful arching 70 ft. 5.9 handcrack. My buddy suddenly decided that he didn't want to learn how to use the tri-cams afterall and he offered me the lead. I quickly grabbed his shiny new rack and proceeded to onsight the pitch for my first ever trad lead. I was hooked.... he later quit climbing.

[Sunshine]

Tri-cams and hexes come in handy for building anchors (multi-pitch) thus saving your squeezers when you need to pro and go.

[squeezindlemmon]

Seneca loves hexes and stoppers.