Best use for this tricam?

Found this absolute demon in the corner of my dad's gear closet. Pictured next to a BD #4 for reference, the biggest cam I own. CAMP lists its camming range as 92-140mm, roughly similar to that of a BD #5. Weighs 264 g, rated to 16 kN.

What's the best use for this guy? Self-defense? Lemon juicer? Coffeeshop decor? Olympic hammer throw training? Rocking chair for my pet hamster? Doorway ornament to ward away evil spirits?

On a serious note, has anyone actually placed this thing? I'm an OW noob so I really have no idea how useful it is. Being 80 g lighter than a BD #5 has to count for something, right?

Crag dog anchor

scrap metal, cut the webbing off and slap yourself with it for ever touching that thing.

Ive only seen those used by boy scout groups as a part of massive toprope anchors.  

Make your least favorite partner follow you up an offwidth with it.

You should check out the Malcolm Daly interview on the Enormocast. He discusses the use of tricams back in the day for leading parallel cracks. Scary stuff. I would certainly not want to climb above that thing...

Bharath Tata wrote: On a serious note, has anyone actually placed this thing? I'm an OW noob so I really have no idea how useful it is. Being 80 g lighter than a BD #5 has to count for something, right?

Yes. On Glass Menagerie. Because we had one to play with. It worked fine.

emergency belay device

Name Withheld wrote: Best thing to do is stack it with the number 6 and number 5 for even more Tricam goodness.

Unless that’s the 6 and not the 7 (they’re both kinda yellow), in which case you stack it into the 7 then add the 5.

Edit:  Sadly I can’t find a spot around the house big enough to show it in all its glory.  But you get the idea.  And yes, I’ve done the double stack while out climbing.

Never even considered this as a possibility. Very cool to know it actually works. 

Edit: Just in case you're interested... https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/118935163/fs-bd-5s

Defense against road rage.

I have that same one; I didn't buy it either, a buddy gave it to me at the gunks where tricams are a religion. I don't carry it on my harness often but if you're on icy and/or wet dirty rock you can definitely yank the hell out of it and feel ok. On soft desert sandstone it'll place well but it'll also leave a dimple in the crack, just a warning. You can thread the sling back up through the head between the posts to shorten its length on your gear loop otherwise that point gets close to your nuts :(

That looks worse than falling with pons and an ax...

Buck Rio wrote: That looks worse than falling with pons and an ax...

imagine whipping on it then watching it rip out and head straight for your head!

If you climb on textured or funky rock (quartzite in the gunks/NC), these are excellent if you need big pro in horizontals. Shallow big cams is a recipe for kinked stems or leveringing, tricams are just aroused even more

Great for big pockets that open up in back!!

Kayak anchor

I found a #7 tricam for $12 at a local gear store and couldn't resist.  I have placed it for fun as a not-critical piece, and it's not the most reassuring thing - unlike the small sizes, these guys seem to not "stick" at all in active placements, so the tiniest of upward tugs will knock it out.  Or maybe I'm just not a tricam master?  Either way I'd rather have a C4 or something.

Make your 2nd haul it up as punishment for losing a piece of gear?   

Bharath...I've actually placed one of those #7 Tricams. The first occasion was on an OW named "Ed's Crack" at Fossil Falls, south of Lone Pine, CA. The second occasion was on the dogleg pitch on the West Face of Sentinel Rock in Yosemite Valley. It's a bit heavy, as are all the Tricams larger than a 1.5/2, but a solid piece of gear then you can find something that wide.

Wheel chock for your car.

Or wind chime.