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ok, i have 3-.75 camalots, red alien, 4-13 stoppers and $130 ish to fill out my rack for the time being. should I get hex's, more cams, tri-cams, big stuff, smalll stuff, some guts to run out above my existing rack?

tricams...no doubt about it. i can't emphasize enough how useful these things are.

The big yellow tri-cam for sure.

Don't listen to those two. They're just old and feeble. They've got some sort of "thing" going on.

You should get as many #3 and down cams as you can afford.(Hand sized and smaller, unless of course you want to do off-widths )

Micro cams are the way to go. You can always find a fissure or crack in the back of the crack to place them.

A bomb nut placement is better than a cam. Don't buy hexes until you have everything else.
Don't get anything bigger than a #3.5 in the cams. When you get to that size use "big Bro's" They are way bomber and more versatile. Get a complete set of the bro's when you start climbing wider stuff.[/b]

Actually, I think a 3.5 or 4 would be a good thing to have in the red at the lower grades as many of the cracks are a bit wider, but you may be climbing the face next to it.

The answer to what gear you need to fill out a rack all depends on where you climb. Assuming you're climbing mostly at the Red, then I agree with Wes: 3.5 and 4 are really useful pieces here. Doubles of 1-3 are also very useful to have, since a lot of cracks are fairly uniform in size here. If you plan to climb in other areas like the New or North Carolina, eventually you'll want tricams, or TCUs, or RPs. And while you're shopping make sure you've got enough over the shoulder slings and biners. Also you can find a lot of cheap gear on Ebay.

personally, i'd say small stuff, ie: blue, green, and yellow alien.. that'll probably cash you out but personally i know i use them all the time. that being said, i haven't been on many of the "easier" routes and none of the stuff at fortress (a crime, i know).

Paul3eb, I disagree, American wall can be cliimbed on just a set of nuts and Pigs in space is a ballsey lead too!!

At Pebble beach ther is central scrutinizer. All nuts all the time.
http://www.redriverclimbing.com/RRCGuid ... php?id=150

I would go anywhere from a B+ to a solid C but if you go any bigger they tend to get heavy. If you go any smaller they may not work out too well. Not as much holding power. It's a balance game.

Ultra wrote:.....Don't get anything bigger than a #3.5 in the cams. When you get to that size use "big Bro's" They are way bomber and more versatile. Get a complete set of the bro's when you start climbing wider stuff.

Big bros are crappy in the Red. Larger cams should be #5 and #6 friends.

Doubles from small aliens/tcu's to hand size pieces and a full set of nuts is a good backbone for a Red rack, begin with the hand size and work your way down.

Smallest 4 or 5 tricams are useful when you learn how to place them, 3 or 4 curved hexes will also come in handy.