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Topic Date User

Cam locks at Araps 26-Dec-2015 At 4:47:47 PM Wendy

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Meh, totems, fiddly nonsense. Go basic for you first gear. I might love my link cams but I would never suggest them as a learning set for the same reason.

Dragon cams, more meh, poor copies of camalots and the extendible sling is annoying.

Camalots are great. There is a reason they have become the most popular cams in the last 25 years. They are solid, reliable, as straightforward to place as a cam could be. I like the fatter lobes. I like the thumb loop. I like the action. I like how they sit. I like the fatter, more durable sling. I really like that they resling them for free when they wear out. The camming angle thing is negligible. Someone more enthusiastic about it than me can work out what the chances of one pulling out of a good placement compared with another cam. Given I've never pulled one in 25 years, I'm going with f--- all. For complete light weight obsessives like myself, they now have an ultralight model.

I wouldn't get anything smaller than a 0.5 for starters. Firstly, you are unlikely to be climbing anything that will need them, and secondly, because the small cams have less margin for error, you want to be competent at placing them before you start relying on itty bitty ones. Wires should get you by for a fair while. When you do get some, i'd go for 4 lobe ones. I like my C3s, but I think the x4s or master cams are easier to place. But don't bother with a master cam larger than yellow, the camalots are better. If i actually bought some X4s I might not bother carrying my C3s anymore.

I like green and yellow aliens, but I suspect that is because they were the small cams I started with. If you go aliens, don't bother with blue or black aliens. The other brands are much better in those sizes for a whole variety of reasons. Hybrids are more fiddly nonsense you'll never need unless you do some hard aiding.

And notice noone is suggesting any of the other myriad sorts of cams. You might see them cheap somewhere or get a deal second hand, but basically, they aren't as good, so take heed before you decide to grab that bargain.