Big Stoppers, should I bring them on multipitch?

the new tricams have much stiffer straps to allow for overhead placing and I forsee it'll make them even easier to clean, plus they are tapering the sides now so like a nut, where you can place the primary way or on the tapered edges.

Wow, seriously? Have I really turned into an old fart? There's nothing like a well-placed #11 - 13 stopper that you can hang a truck off of to inspire confidence. Fewer worries about things like walking or rotating out of place or relying on spring tension or a dozen other things. Also, as has been noted, good for anchors to save cams for the lead. Though I'm a also a big fan of Tri-cams since they work where nothing else does, I don't see them as a replacement but rather as a supplement to the large nuts on my rack. To each their own though I suppose.

Took all my stoppers up a route at Joshua Tree today, and used the 11, 12, and 13 in the anchor at the top.

I like having my biggest stoppers, and find that I do place them, however I used to climb with a guy who wouldn't take a stopper bigger than a number 11. His reasoning was that you could turn the 11 sideways and it was as big as the 13.

I think if you don't use them, don't take them, sometimes it's more of the mentality that would leave the biggest stoppers behind (as well as any other superfluous gear)

For me, it depends on the area and the climb and my objective. If I'm going on a long day (15 pitch or more) climb, if I don't think I'll place those big stoppers, I leave them. When I climb in the flat irons, I usually carry them, especially if I'm trying to do a non SLCD ascent. If I'm doing an alpine style climb or something with a multi hour approach, I'll gauge it on if I think I'll need them on the route, and what other pieces am I taking that are the same size range. Usually I try to have as little overlap as possible to minimize the weight while still having all the bases covered.

Do the multipitches that you do have bolted belays? I think large nuts are good for setting up anchors, instead of using up your finger sized cams on belays.

I love the dmm offset nuts, they fit every where!
Iv even set 1 every 10' for a ~120' pitch and no cams.
this was in yosemite ofcourse

My rack will change depending on the route. I for one get lazy eyes finding passive placements when I have cams in the same size range. At least a couple times a season I will climb with only nuts and tricams. It really tunes my eyes and adds a different feel to a route.

I'm not a big tricam fan, but I continually try to like them better. Replacing some of the larger stoppers with them really does make a lot of sense. Over the years I've used them quite a bit, and I know of some flaring horizontals in the Gunks that will not take anything else. They make excellent passive nuts, and they fit places cams won't because of a much narrower head width than any comparable cam. The same narrowness makes them effective in shallow vertical slots that a cam won't go in to.

I don't think cleaning is a big deal, but you have to know what to do. (So does the leader, who shouldn't be burying them out of reach.) Unlike cams and many nut placements, it often takes two hands and a nut tool to get out a cammed tricam. On steep stuff where you can only let go with one hand, this will mean you have to hang on tension or else place another piece to hang from.

Often, the first step is to release the camming action by hooking the nut tool behind the "stinger" and jerking straight out (for horizontal placements) or straight down (for vertical placements). Then you often have to keep the nut tool behind the stinger while manipulating the tricam with the other hand, otherwise the whole unit can slide deeper into the crack and become irretrievable.

As for whether to carry nuts in the larger sizes at all, I'd say that if you continue to place cams in those sizes and you aren't also placing the corresponding size nuts, then you probably are just missing opportunities, including ones where, because of constrictions, the nut will really be the better choice.

I have always loved Tricams. I also always carried a fist full of wires, since you could carry a lot of options for very little weight. I had an eclectic collection of stoppers, brassies, HB,s DMM,s , etc..., but my fav piece was an old style, circa 1973 #7 stopper on blue 1" tubular webbing... Overlapped my #2 Trike...

Some how it always found a placement... Saved my ass enough times that it became a cherished piece, a lucky charm... Was really bummed when I had to use it as a bail piece on Flamingo Fling in the Bugs...

If you found it, I would pay for its return...

I can totally see replacing big stoppers with tricams now that I've been Gunk climbing for a few years.

It is kinda weird to trust the rolled pin/hinge thingies on them but I haven't heard any horror stories so maybe the 11,12 and 13 could stay at home

Just noticed CAMP redesigned the smaller Tricams (now called Tricam Evo) with tapered sides so you can place them in a third orientation as well as stiffer slings...

Unfortunately, those stiff slings are going to make horizontal placements worse.

I love tricams as well. I had not seen those tapered tricams. I am going to have to check those out. I also use the wired cams by diamont. They are easy to place with one hand and can fit basically any where an equavilant cam can be used. Down side is they have no passive placement. They are basically another lighter version of a cam with less moving parts.

Tom Howes wrote:Use more passive gear at your belays.

Use what you need(or have). Nothing beats a big fat stopper.
Springy things are useful, but sometimes not as solid.
You are definitely gonna die.
Cheers!

Camp doesnt even have anything on their website about these new tricams??? You think they would have a cool video and a bunch of hype like BD has done with the X4.

rgold wrote:Unfortunately, those stiff slings are going to make horizontal placements worse.