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Hexes?

Original Post
Phum1986 · · conway, Ar · Joined Jun 2012 · Points: 70

New trad climber accumulating a beginner rack. I've been using mostly cams and nuts where I could. Are hexes a good addition? Or should I save the money and get more cams?

Auto-X Fil · · NEPA and Upper Jay, NY · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 50

Just get more cams.

Karl K · · Phoenix, AZ · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 542

Only get hexes if you want to get a lot of gear for the money, want the most bomber pro around (when placed well), and would like to have 8 different pieces for the weight of two cams.
Plus, learning to place hexes well will make your cam placements better.

FCJohn · · Fort Collins, CO · Joined Oct 2006 · Points: 802

Hexes have their place in your quiver, especially on super long alpine rock days when you don't want to waste SLCD on belays.

YMMV, but I think you'll find that you'll quickly grow out of hexes once you start leading harder pitches. Hexes are typically less than $20, 1/3 the cost of a cam.
My advice is to climb with partners with diverse protection on their racks, see what you like, and save your money until you can figure out what you are comfortable placing when you're gripped.

Scott McMahon · · Boulder, CO · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 1,425

Well they are a much cheaper way to double your rack. It will cost you less than $100 to do that. And they are lighter.

Not a bad way to start a rack, then you can slowly save up for cams.

But also like said above you'll end up using cams later. I still keep my hexes though.

Tom Grummon · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 30

When I started my rack it was just nuts and hexes, which made me surprisingly good at placing passive gear. When I'm climbing on just my rack, I definitely bring hexes to double up in some sizes. But on a recent trip to squamish we ended up having 3 racks and the hexes almost never found their way on my harness.

They are great to place when you can, but when you start climbing harder you will find you place them less and less often just because its so much easier to place a cam.

For what its worth I like my hexes and am glad I have them. it beefs up the size of my rack for not a lot of weight/money.

Rob Lilley · · Greensboro, NC · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 85

Hexes are brilliant and an unjustly ignored piece of gear these days, many people prefer to just stuff a cam in quickly and climb on.

I would highly recommend you invest in a set of DMM Torque Nuts, they're lightweight, versatile and about the most confidence inspiring piece of gear you'll ever place.

Superclimber · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 1,310

My hexes live in the corner of forgotten toys. Stay away from wired hexes. The DMM Torque Nuts might be sorta useful if your heart is set on getting hexes.

Ray Pinpillage · · West Egg · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 180

I bought more cams just so I didn't have to hear the clank of my hexes.

I still have them though.

Matt N · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 415

Tricams.

Auto-X Fil · · NEPA and Upper Jay, NY · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 50

Let me clarify my answer a bit:

I see you live in Conway. I assume your rack will be biased towards East Coast climbing - shorter, harder routes on steep rock; often granite cracks. In that case, cams, hands-down. Visit any crag on the east coast and look for hexes - they are rare. Cams rule.

Yes, hexes are lighter. Not 8x lighter; more like 2x if you get light cams. They are also cheaper. If you were mountaineering out west, they would make much more sense. You're usually standing on good holds when you make a placement, and every ounce you carry up the approach will slow you down.

Every single person I've climbed with on the East Coast bought hexes to expand their rack when they started. They all leave them in the closet now.

Anonymous · · Unknown Hometown · Joined unknown · Points: 0
Auto-X Fil wrote:Let me clarify my answer a bit: I see you live in Conway. I assume your rack will be biased towards East Coast climbing - shorter, harder routes on steep rock; often granite cracks. In that case, cams, hands-down. Visit any crag on the east coast and look for hexes - they are rare. Cams rule. Yes, hexes are lighter. Not 8x lighter; more like 2x if you get light cams. They are also cheaper. If you were mountaineering out west, they would make much more sense. You're usually standing on good holds when you make a placement, and every ounce you carry up the approach will slow you down. Every single person I've climbed with on the East Coast bought hexes to expand their rack when they started. They all leave them in the closet now.
Meh wrong! Like Matt said, TRICAMS!!!! They are awesome!!
Scott McMahon · · Boulder, CO · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 1,425
J Hazard wrote: Meh wrong! Like Matt said, TRICAMS!!!! They are awesome!!
Yep, my hexes are in the closet, but my tricams are an essential part of my rack.
Auto-X Fil · · NEPA and Upper Jay, NY · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 50

I use the Red and Pink tricams a ton. Brown and Blue less often, because I don't usually bring them. I probably should, though.

slim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 1,103

all my hexes
live in texas....

mmainer · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2010 · Points: 105

For a beginner climber looking to build out their rack for a nice price, they are a great choice. I would recommend going with the equivalent of BD #5 and up... which will get you 6-7 pieces for roughly the price of a single cam. There are actually a lot of old Chouinard Hexes floating around out there for cheap. Re-sling them and they should be fine. Even after you add another set of cams, you'll probably find hexes useful from time to time.

In wider cracks that really flair along the axis of the crack they are great for building opposed placements - those are situations where cams simply won't work, or with cracks that flair inwards a lot. In fact there are a couple classic routes I can think of where I always bring a few since I know there will be really good placements for them allowing me to save cams for elsewhere.

mmainer · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2010 · Points: 105

And BTW all you folks who recommend just buying cams instead... do you all have trust funds? Seems like cams just get more and more expensive and it's ridiculous to imagine folks being able to build a decent rack at $60-70 per piece.

Rick Blair · · Denver · Joined Oct 2007 · Points: 266

Con: They will make it difficult to lead a 5.11c splitter crack.
Pro: For starting out, you will learn to set good pro and most easy routes were put up 100% passive.

CLW · · Ontario · Joined Nov 2011 · Points: 0

I love my hexes, I place them on just about every climb. I sometimes grab my partners set and go up with doubles! Once you learn to place them, like others have said, 110% bomber. However, I am mostly climbing Ontario limestone so I would much rather go with passive pro over a cam. I love the slung WC hexcentrics and really dislike the wired hexes.

My suggestion, find someone to borrow a set from or that's willing to get rid of them dirt cheap. Try them out, see if you like them. I got my set here off MP, silver to purple (7 in total) for about the price of 1 new cam.

JoeR · · Eugene, OR · Joined Aug 2011 · Points: 15

One great thing about hexes that hasn't been mentioned:

Using hexes forces/teaches you to find and use the most efficient rest stances and placement heights. They really help to train yourself out of the "it's hard now, place cam as high as I can reach off this bad jam" mentality. Placing high gear has its place here and there, but learning to place good gear from the most restful stance possible at an efficient height is priceless.

I love my WC slung hexes in the larger sizes, wish they went bigger. The smaller stuff I just use nuts.

Scott McMahon · · Boulder, CO · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 1,425
mmainer wrote:And BTW all you folks who recommend just buying cams instead... do you all have trust funds? Seems like cams just get more and more expensive and it's ridiculous to imagine folks being able to build a decent rack at $60-70 per piece.
Or something similar. I literally bought my rack cam by cam. Started with nuts etc, then hexes. Occasionally I was lucky and got super blow outs on the old metolius powercams before the range finder and I could actually afford to buy like 2-3. I probably spend over 5 years putting it all together.

Now however I have too much. haha!
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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