Growing a newbie's rack - Which cams....Going to place an order today

So I started trad a couple months ago. Plan on doing some classic North Conway, NH climbs in August and Gunks/New Jersey climbing in July. Right now I have .5 - 3 C4's, have BD stoppers, and some tricams. I plan on purchasing DMM wallnuts soon.

I want to expand the cams on the lower range. I was planning on ordering the .3 & .4 Camalot C4's but have now been considering Metolius TCU's for the small range (I have the #6 double stem Met. FCU and I like the way they feel). I would like to hear people's thoughts on small Met. TCU's for the smaller range vs the .3 and .4 C4's. Do TCU's work ok enough in parallel cracks? Any input/opinion/ranting welcome.
Thanks!

Welcome Dave...

I'd recommend doing a quick search on this site and RC.com using the advanced search feature to check the forums.

I only recommend this since this topic has been beat to death and the info you seek has been covered.

And because I can't resist I use C4's AND Metolius.

If you already have the .5-3 C4's I would look at the Metolius Master Cams. I use the BD's in the larger sizes and the Metolius up to #5 they compliment each other very well.

the new DMM dragons are narrower than the C4s and TCUs in the same sizes. just throwing it out there.

As Scott said I would recommend C4's C3's and Master Cams. Master cams from 0-2 and C3's fom 00-2 and C4's from .4-4 would be a great way to cover all of your range and have a great rack that can take you almost anywhere, well anywhere but the desert.

As far as TCU's I would avoid them and go with master cams and C3's. TCU's are bad in horizontal cracks and have a tendency to walk in vertical cracks as well. Trust me you will be happier with flexible stem cams.

You can't go wrong with Metolius. They compliment BD VERY well.

I personally love the Ultralight cams (both TCU and Powercams), but recently got some master cams. They are heavier, but probably better if you aren't doing alpine style routes.

I'd go Metolius Master cams from 0-4, then UL powercams from 5-8 if you are going for a full non-BD offset.

From a Gunks climber perspective: for smaller cams I use C3s ##00-2, Green, Blue and Yellow Aliens and ##0.3-0.4 C4s regularly. People seem to like Mastercams as Alien alternatives. Double up on the pink tricam, .5 and .75 C4s (I doubled mine with DMM dragons, but many people double up with TCUs - there are a lot of horizontals with etched in grooves from tricams where TCUs fit perfectly). Some people like doubling up up to #2, but I've been only on a very few climbs where I wished I needed doubles in them and even then was able to find a placement for my smaller cams. For stoppers I like Wildcountry Rocks better as they are more tapered. Also, look into WC zeros for small cams - some people love them.

In the smaller sizes, I prefer TCUs to C4s. I have not used the C3s, and I've never climbed in the East.

Your mileage may vary.

Also, good call on the Wallnuts, I think they're the best nut out there.

Thanks everyone for your input. I think I will go for Powercams 0,1 & 2 and just survive now without any TCU's or C3's (those C3's are pricey!)

Hey Dolgio, I joined a Meetup in the Gunks last year.

I would go with C3s, Mastercams or TCUs in smaller cams - powercams are just wider and not very useful especially in flaring horizontals of the Gunks, IMO. You are friends with Neil, right? now I remember.

Dave,

The best TCUs are Wired Bliss. They are an all American company and are the original TCU maker. Right now they have a great price $45.

Wired Bliss

Dave,

This is like asking which is better Ford or Chevy. You are going to get lots of opinions and everyone is of course right. :-) So I'll throw mine in too. I use BD Camalots from .5 to 3. I use Metolius PowerCams (4 cam) from 1 to 3. I recently got a new Metolius MasterCam in size 0 and really like it so I would look at those as an alternative to the PowerCams. I would stick with 4 cam units because I don't like how 3-cams pivot around and walk and the difference in head width is negligible.

I wouldn't bother with the DMM wallnuts if you have a full set of BD stoppers. Be nice to your second. Wallnuts are great to place and a bitch to get out.

Brian

Hey Dave: I only climb with BD Camalots .5-#4. The double axle will not collapse or reverse on you can use them passively as well and they are less likely to "walk" in a crack. Anything smaller you need can be protected well with nuts. Good Luck and Have Fun!!

Also Dave, pick up some tri-cams, pink-blue. And you did not mention if you were familiar with N.Conway, but as a new trad climber, I would recommend Fun House and Thin Air for starters.
Beware of "Gear-itis".

Marc Oldenburg wrote:Anything smaller [than a .5 camalot] you need can be protected well with nuts.

Depending on where you climb, this phrase could get you into trouble.

opinions vary

MichaelClimbs wrote:Dave, The best TCUs are Wired Bliss. They are an all American company and are the original TCU maker. Right now they have a great price $45. Wired Bliss

I currently climb on Metolius TCUs. Great cams. Use them all the time. However, I will be buying a set of Wired Bliss ASAP. Their stuff is AWESOME. My first cams. Not a big fan of Master Cams. Had a set, climbed on them for a while, got rid of them. I do not like the way they are designed; in horizontal placements the cables run between the stem and the rock. If you do a search you will find some threads out there on RC.com and supertopo talking about this. As you probably already know, you will place a lot of small cams in horizontals at the Gunks, so this is important. I also have BD C3s, and they are ok. That being said, they do not get a lot of rack time.

Opinions on cams are as numerous as the people you ask. YMMV.

I currently climb on Metolius TCUs. Great cams. Use them all the time. However, I will be buying a set of Wired Bliss ASAP. Their stuff is AWESOME. My first cams. Not a big fan of Master Cams. Had a set, climbed on them for a while,

i guess since i still own two mastercams, four C3's, way to many c4's, and a set of offset tcu's i guess i cant really decide myself. i love my c3's to be honest! in eldo they are a godsent, not so much in the creek though. havent whipped on a mastercam in anything but granite so im not sure how they hold up in softer stone. anyone have some genuine experience?