.....

....

Doug,
I highly recommend picking up "climbing anchors" by falcon guides. They cover all the information you are asking about. And you should probably take a climbing anchor course if possible.

I'm not sure what you mean by "equalizing" figure 8. If you have three points that are used to set up an anchor, you can bring all those points to one main point and tie a huge figure 8. This means that if one of the three points fails then the anchor will not move. A forum post is not adequate to explain this properly. You really need to read up, get training, and practice with experienced individuals often.

the equalizing 8 seems like it would be okay for three anchors close together if you had minimal other gear. there is going to be some extension if one of the loops fail but the friction in the knot should hopefully ease the take up of slack.

a traditional cordelette rig (what randy is talking about) connecting 3 pieces seems a lot stronger (three strand power point).