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Trango cams

Original Post
Alex Palombitch · · Moose Pass, AK · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 56

hey guys I was curious to get an opinion on trango cams. I get a deal on them and was curious how they stack up against other brands. This will be my first rack so I don't really know these things. Any help would be appreciated.

Rob WardenSpaceLizard · · las Vegans, the cosmic void · Joined Dec 2011 · Points: 130

they are pretty bad. i climbed with my friends rack... they were bad. They have poor spring tension, funny sizes, and poor workmanship.

Alex Palombitch · · Moose Pass, AK · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 56

Really, so for $33 a cam you say I shouldn't buy these? BDs are the way to go?

Joel Allen · · La Crosse, WI · Joined Mar 2014 · Points: 265

I believe there is an old thread on this if you search but I recall a lot of people saying they were good in the small sizes but too weak of spring tension in the larger sizes

Josh Brown · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2008 · Points: 20

I bought a used rack of Trango splitter cams when I first started building my rack. I hate to say it since Malcolm Daly seems like a great guy from his thoughtful posts, but I agree with Rob. The cam lobes never would fully close on some and they did not have the smoother action I later got from BD's and Metolius cams. I'm sure you've heard it before but buy quality upfront and it will save you in the long run.

Alex Palombitch · · Moose Pass, AK · Joined Mar 2015 · Points: 56

Can you direct me toward this? I searched for it and couldn't find

Conor Mark · · Sacramento, CA · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 700

My post copied from the included thread:

I've had my flexcams since 08 or 09. I have the full set from .5-9, but they no longer make them in the .5 size. These were my first cams, and I liked them, but I have run into some issues.

Like others have said, I find the springs to be on the weak side, giving them a greater tendency to walk than other cams. As of this year, my .1 is retired because the lobes no longer snap back to a fully open position, even after lubing- seems like the springs are dead. There's a real difference between the action of a c4 and a flex cam.

The lobe angles are steeper compared to other cams, restricting their placement- especially in pockets and pods with a constricted opening. However, this seems to make them half steps between C4 sizes, which is sometimes nice to have. Additionally, I've had problems with the lobe wires bending in, which makes the lobes hard to retract.

Overall these aren't bad cams, and I still use mine from time to time, but it may be better to invest in something a little more durable.

mountainproject.com/v/flexc…

Kevin Mokracek · · Burbank · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 342

If you are buying them through Promotive you should consider buying the athletic tape Trango sells. It is by far the best tape for crack climbing I have found and at a great price. I also really like the Trango ropes. Not a big fan of the cams though.

bearbreeder · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 3,065

You can find metolius or camalots for ~40-50 dollahs on sale new, especially after cashbacks

While cheaper cams work fine, the established name ones will tend to have better resale and often feel a bit better in hand

;)

Justin S · · Plattsburgh, NY · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 120

My partner has a rack of trangos to back his c4's up and we use the .75 size all the time, and I have a double rack along with that. What in saying is we still use his trangos even when we have plenty. They're not to bad as a starter or back up.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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