Small cam advice..

Blue Alien, 0.2 X4, 0 C3 or something else.. Which small cams do you like and why?

I like my blue totem basic better than my blue power cam if that means anything to you. The powercams are retardedly wide per that crack size. Not trying to join the 'die-hard totem-pushin bandwagon', but its simple fact that the totem will have a narrower head width than the alien.

I've heard that X4's self-destruct in an inverse relation to your experience placing them, so they're probably out...

0C3.

Climbing friend,

The bigger the better.

That's what she would be saying!

Ha ha ha, myah?!?

I like the x4s but maybe that's because they are the only small cam I own. They feel good to me placing at least. I've only hung on the .1 and .2 so maybe that's why they haven't exploded.

Bill Kirby wrote:Blue Alien, 0.2 X4, 0 C3 or something else.. Which small cams do you like and why?

Primary areas they'll be used?

You cannot go wrong with the blue Totem basic. Beautifully made and very smooth, and as mentioned above, the head is amazingly narrow. I also have C3's in that size (and older Aliens and Metolius-U stems) but I like and trust the Totem Basic much more. Hard to find in the US these days though.

I've used all. Still favor aliens. I have and use both Totem basics and older CCH aliens. Basics are a little nicer in fit and finish, and are slightly differently sized, but I don't find a whole lot of difference in usability between them. I'd like to try the new evos with double slings.

X4s break, mastercams have the weird trigger arrangement reducing horizontal flex, and both have proved too easy to over cam for me.

C3s have always felt weird to me, and I never liked the chunky molded plastic body. In few instances they'll fit where other's don't due to narrow head size, but I still like Metolius TCUs better. And they compliment aliens well.

When climbing where there's lots of finger and smaller pro, I carry sets of both Aliens and TCUs.

Depends where I'd use them, I've sold my small Metolius to replace them with the X4 and C3s.
Parallel cracks = X4
Pin scars, pockets, irregular = C3, X4 Offset
Flaring cracks = X4 Offset

Thanks guys..

Tom, I fell on a .3 X4. It's bent but still works.. I weigh 240ish now plus the 180 lb belayer that got lifted off the ground equals trust in the X4s.

Matt, the Adirondacks and the Gunks. I mostly do 5.5 and a couple 5.6s that are G rated. I'm trusting my gear more and more plus trying to lead closer and closer to my limit. The fact that small cams have a small margin of user error had me ask what cam everyone likes.

Someone at Rock and Snow said the $85 Totem cams could be used as offsets due to their design. The two sets of lobes can be dammed at different angles and still be bomber. That alone sounds like a reason to carry them. Anyone place those?

Personally, I really like my CCH Aliens. I have taken multiple whips on blue and black and never had a failure. C3's are ok, I like the small head width as mentioned. Never climbed on X4s, never going to buy any either. When I climb with people who insist on bringing up their Metolius TCU's I haven't disliked them.

I'm a fan of the mastercams, only other small cams i've tried are c3s and x4s. I prefer mastercams over all that i've tried. Just my .02

Bill Kirby wrote:Blue Alien, 0.2 X4, 0 C3 or something else.. Which small cams do you like and why?

Hey Bill- I went with the fixe aliens, mostly because they're rated to twice the strength of the totem basics. They're also a bit smaller size to size.

I have not seen the quality control issues that others have.

I have a full set of the totem (regular?) cams and LOVE them. They don't make a black, and the blue totem regular is quite a bit bigger than a blue fixe alien.. but they rock.

I've got Wild Country Zeros for my smallest cams. I like that they are just as flexible as aliens but they have cam stops so less likely to umbrella. Plus the extendable slings are sweet. Haven't fallen on the smallest ones yet but I have no doubt in a good placement they will hold, but I have had the largest one hold in a sub-par placement, for what that's worth.

Bill Kirby wrote: Thanks guys.. Tom, I fell on a .3 X4. It's bent but still works.. I weigh 240ish now plus the 180 lb belayer that got lifted off the ground equals trust in the X4s. Matt, the Adirondacks and the Gunks. I mostly do 5.5 and a couple 5.6s that are G rated. I'm trusting my gear more and more plus trying to lead closer and closer to my limit. The fact that small cams have a small margin of user error had me ask what cam everyone likes. Someone at Rock and Snow said the $85 Totem cams could be used as offsets due to their design. The two sets of lobes can be dammed at different angles and still be bomber. That alone sounds like a reason to carry them. Anyone place those?

Couple of thoughts for you based on the above. Small Cam Wise, variety is a good thing, especially in the Gunks where placements are more varied than say, Yosemite Granite. A good combo would be C3s combined with Totem Cams down to Blue (about the same as a Green Alien) and then a Blue Alien/Totem Basic for the really small size. While the C3s aren't as popular out west, in the Gunks, where there can be very shallow placements in the corners, the C3s do well and seem to handle the pebbles better than a wide Blue Alien etc. The Totems will be a good alternate being narrow as well but also great in horizontal placements. X4s, which are nice, are wider than most and not as great for Gunks work IMO but it has been a while since I was back east...

General, friendly, unsolicited advise. Given your weight (I'm no flag pole either) and the grade you're climbing, you really should try to NOT trust those finicky and weak small cams and work to avoid falling altogether. Work to gain strength and skills that will get you up the route with the gear as a backup, rather than encouragement to push it. The need to push it to the point of falling and trusting gear really shouldn't come into play until mid 10s IMO. Even then, nest those small cams as they're NOT nearly as solid as larger cams and passive placements. Keep in mind all the anecdotal "I fell on Y small cam and it held so good to go" are sample sizes of 1 - Look around and you'll see similar "I fell on Z cam and trashed it" stories. They seem to go in cycles - Right now the X4 is the cam to hate.

Ive only placed toms green totem a few times but those things friggin rule. Seems to me that yes because the lobes are supported independently of eachother that you could cam them offset. I was tempted to buy a full set of them after using just the green.

I have a mix of the old BD micros, C3's and mastercams before I get to finger size. The one recommendation I can REALLY make is don't get the mastercam grey double zero. The camming range is pretty poor.

mattm wrote: ... Keep in mind all the anecdotal "I fell on Y small cam and it held so good to go" are sample sizes of 1 - Look around and you'll see similar "I fell on Z cam and trashed it" stories. They seem to go in cycles - Right now the X4 is the cam to hate.

Yeah but X4s can't be any good. I read it on a climbing forum so it HAS to be true. I took a 25 footer on a .2 (yellow) X4 on El Cap and it miraculously didn't explode and I'm still using it today. What are the odds?

I've used most everything at some point. Still lean towards the C3 and X4.

I really like my Aliens, at least the small sizes, like grey to black. Haven't had an issue with them yet, and use them all the time.

+1 on variety, sometimes you need something in between sizes, like yesterday I needed a size in between a blue and a green Alien, another brand with a touch bigger lobes would of been perfect.

I love my totems. I have the blue and green basics, and they are my most solid piece, far and away. So satisfying!