new trad rack

Post by **Richnmcc** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:51 pm

I could use every one's help. I'm putting my first rack together and can't decide if i would go with BD hexes or Metolius curved hexes. I've used BD's on a couple of climbs but never metolius and have read that the curves fit around odd shapes and bulges like we find at the red. Anybody have experience with these.

Post by **p0bray01** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:55 pm

I am not one for hexes myself...I have a few on my rack (they are the wild country ones) and While hexes do have uses I just dont use them much in the Red....Seneca you can lob a hex in anywhere tho. Anyway, I tend to use Tri-cams more in the Red, that and of course BD curved nuts...I find that the curved nuts work a little better for placements than straight tapers... ( thats mostly my passive stuff anyway). For Cams, I go with BD for the big stuff and metolius TCU's for the small placements..usually the yellow #2 and smaller. Now, My climbing partner swears by the BD hexes on wire. He grabs them sometimes before picking a cam! He always tells me "the less frills you have on your rack the less likely you are to fuck up a placement". He may be right.....

Post by **ynot** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:58 pm

lots. I used them for a while. hexes either go right in or they dont. if you are hanging there trying to get one solid forever it's a waste of time. plug a cam. The curve is nothing special. a hex is a hex. I left mine all over the gorge. Don't even carry them any more. spend the dough on some more cams.

Post by **Andrew** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 9:01 pm

Waste of time, buy more cans, I mean cams.

Post by **endercore** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 10:40 pm

or you could spend all that money on beer cans.

Post by **512OW** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 11:30 pm

I concur. Buy something you'll use more. The only time I carry hexes now is on long pitches with a bunch of the same size crack. Thats only because I'm too lazy to carry 6 or 8 #3 Camalots when I can carry 3 #10 hexes.

Don't buy hexes.

Post by **pkananen** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:32 am

I disagree. I find a placement on almost every route where a cam won't fit, and a hex does. I like the Metolius Curve Hexes more than the straight edge ones, and really do think they help with placement. They are also cheap - 110 for the set, which may get you two cams. They do take a bit longer to place, but when you have a funky placement for a cam that won't go, a hex can be great.

Post by **512OW** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:45 am

pkananen wrote:I disagree. I find a placement on almost every route where a cam won't fit, and a hex does. I like the Metolius Curve Hexes more than the straight edge ones, and really do think they help with placement. They are also cheap - 110 for the set, which may get you two cams. They do take a bit longer to place, but when you have a funky placement for a cam that won't go, a hex can be great.

You've done 8 trad routes at the Red. You'd be better served by climbing past those funky placements and using the more straightforward placements, unless you'd like to just stay at 5.9 trad forever.

I mean, I could climb 90% of the 11 and under trad routes in the Red all passive if I wanted... but I'd be an idiot if I did.

Don't buy hexes. If you do, buy only the hand and fist sizes. The others are a huge waste.

Post by **512OW** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:48 am

Oh... and to answer your question, if you MUST buy the useless hexes, buy BD. Those curves only fit better if the placement happens to be curved just like your hex....

Post by **pkananen** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 1:04 am

512OW wrote:
pkananen wrote:I disagree. I find a placement on almost every route where a cam won't fit, and a hex does. I like the Metolius Curve Hexes more than the straight edge ones, and really do think they help with placement. They are also cheap - 110 for the set, which may get you two cams. They do take a bit longer to place, but when you have a funky placement for a cam that won't go, a hex can be great.

You've done 8 trad routes at the Red. You'd be better served by climbing past those funky placements and using the more straightforward placements, unless you'd like to just stay at 5.9 trad forever.

I mean, I could climb 90% of the 11 and under trad routes in the Red all passive if I wanted... but I'd be an idiot if I did.

Don't buy hexes. If you do, buy only the hand and fist sizes. The others are a huge waste.

Take Kris's advice then. I admittably don't have a lot of trad experience, and he does. I'm not saying that I'm an authoritative source or anything, just giving my opinion on what I've seen so far. I know there's been times I've been glad to have them.