Points: 30, Latest The product featured in this review was purchased, not acquired for free. Ray Jardine famously created the spring-loaded camming device that looks akin to our modern cams and began producing and selling them in 1977 as the Wild Country Friends. A combination of categories as well as the number and range of sizes available and flexibility of the cam helped us arrive at a score for a cams versatility. To test a cams stability we used field testing but we also pulled hundreds of feet of rope through a carabiner attached to the cam while placed in an adjustable crack made of wood. Upon cancellation, you will have access to your membership through the end of your paid year. On long and wondering pitches, I often find myself out of slings near the end of the pitch. Omega Pacifics trisected cam lobes make for a unique engineering creation that is visually amusing to watch and offers the widest size range out of any cam on the market. The Fixe Alien Revolution cams are a lightweight cam with a super flexible stem and narrow profile that make them ideal for small, shallow placements as well as horizontal placements. Posts in all Forums, Free The lightweight and effective ergonomics of the Black Diamond Camalot Ultralights gave them great appeal for long climbs and climbs requiring many pieces of gear but a less flexible stem, concerns about durability, only six sizes available limited their broader appeal with those looking for a rugged single pitch climbing cam. The trend in the climbing world has been to make gear lighter and lighter and climbing cams are no different. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true"; While some cams may excel at single pitch climbing others may be better for longer adventures or they may be best for a narrow range of objectives if they serve a small niche as a compliment to other cams on a rack. Most of my friends havent realized they were using Wild Country or they mistook them for Ultralights. While not the lightest cams tested, the Friends offer a lot of features seen on a heavier cam and their biggest drawback may be that they are only available in seven sizes. This savings is equivalent to the weight of a small cam. The original Friends used a rigid stem but Metolius was the first to use a flexible cable stem. The cam heads, including lobes, axles and springs can be restricted with dirt, sand and other grime. Having the extra extension built into the cam is a nice insurance policy against rage-inducing rope drag. Climbing cams have long been popular with climbers due to their ease of use, hence the general ergonomics of a cams design and features are significant factors in determining if a cam is to be popular with testers. These features, used in conjunction with a thumb loop or piece, can greatly affect the ergonomics of a cam and contribute to the ease by which they are placed or removed from a cam. We took pictures and notes to record the movement of cams and made careful observation of what happened to the cam when the rope moved through the carabiner to help determine why some cams were more stable than others. Cam companies have made increased efforts to improve cam stability by using dual axles, featured cam lobes, wider cam lobes and using stems that can move more freely and not affect the placement of the lobes. In general, testers favored thumb loops for their ease of use compared to thumb pieces or tabs and they favored trigger bars that were wider or had some contour or texture to them to aid in their use. Omega Pacific Link Cams stand out as offering the widest camming range of any cam on the market thanks to the trisected cam lobes, meaning where another company will only have one cam to fit in a placement the Link Cams may have three cams that can fit the same placement. Six cams were tested in the climbing cam category in 2018. Shop Now at Bentgate.com. They are less stable than the other double axle cams tested, particularly in the larger sizes, and their ease of use and ergonomics scored lower with testers due to the lack of a thumb loop and a small trigger bar.

amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; Note: I specifically did not compare these to the BD ULs because the Dyneema that they are made of has a useful life of 10 years. amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0"; The slings on your cams are likely to be the other part that requires careful inspection, particularly if being used extensively and/or on abrasive rock.

Additionally, the trigger wires are coated to prevent damage and they held up through all manner of use and abuse during testing. Particularly with large cams, the lobes can be bent or deformed by accident, such as throwing a heavy pack laden with cams down on the ground. Wild Country placed an extreme importances on subtle details of their design. Today climbers have a wide array of cams to choose from and the characteristics and features of each make some cams more widely versatile while others fit a more specific niche. Trigger wires may be the first part to be damaged and need repair although many modern cams are taking greater effort to make trigger wires more durable and longer lasting. With a new .4 size coming in 2018, this will surely help extend the current range offering. The Ultralight Master Cams features a shark fin tooth pattern to increase holding power and their color coded RangeFinder system stands out as a unique feature to help climbers find the right fit for a cam. The newly re-engineered Friend cam from Wild Country has taken reign as the king of the double-axle design. Cams that are prone to walking, as it is commonly referred to, can move out of place and reduce their holding power or get into a position where they are hard to reach or clean.

This equates to a stiffer and lighter camming unit as compared to the competition (see chart below). This weight savings can add up, particularly when taking multiples in sizes for desert splitter cracks or when loading up a pack with overnight gear for an alpine climb. Annual subscription to Climbing magazine. Posted by Wade Morris | Gear Feature, Trad. While cam may be the more general and popular term used you may run across climbers or guidebooks where the term friend is used to describe the use of SLCDs. Access to all member-only content on all 17 publications in the Outside network like Rock and Ice, Climbing, Outside, Backpacker, Trail Runner and more. Read the Full Review We tested the cams extensively in the field but also came up with some in-house testing to help gauge things like a cams stability. While the original Friends had four cam lobes, such as most cams produced and manufactured to this day, Metolius was also the first to create a three lobed version to fit in shallower placements. Heavy use further reduces that. We paid close attention to how cams handled when being placed or cleaned and by various climbers to gain a sense of each cams ergonomics and ease of handling. Our test results came after dozens of days of field testing on desert towers, high alpine routes in the mountains, granite single and multi-pitch and hours spent testing and handling cams during in-house testing. For a rack from .5 to 4, the Wild Country Friends save ~92 grams over the Black Diamond C4s. Check with the manufacturers recommendations for replacement as some cams use specific sling configuration and stitching to increase the strength of the cam, such as on the Black Diamond C4 Camalot where the sling is stitched tight to the thumb loop. Seek out a non-oil based or dry lubricant for your cams after cleaning to maintain the easy operation of your cam. Close behind were the Black Diamond Camalot Ultralights, who have a similar thumb loop and fall behind the Friends in large part due to a flat trigger bar that wasnt as easy to use. Testers loved the wide camming range found in the Omega Pacific Link Cams and the DMM Dragons were a hit with those wanting a durable, workhorse cam. I've got some Dragons, Friends, 4CUs and a single Camalot. Companies such as Black Diamond and Metolius have shed 25% weight from their previous cams in their lightweight versions. The Wild Country Friends scored the highest for ergonomics as testers raved about the wide, textured thumb loop and spacious trigger bars that are curved and textured to provide easier purchase. The original Friends utilized a rigid metal stem that was both heavier and more difficult to use in horizontal placements. Cams were used by a wide array of climbers on dozens of climbs, primarily on sandstone and granite. The Metolius Ultralight Master Cams are a lightweight cam with ten sizes to put on your rack, from cams smaller than your fingertips to fist size. Companies such as Black Diamond and Wild Country offer trigger wire replacement kits while most companies, such as Metolius, and some third party services such as Fish, offer mail-in cam repair services of trigger wires and slings.

Please provide your cell phone number for shipping purposes. amzn_assoc_region = "US"; All but the Metolius cams offer color anodized lobes to make finding the size you want easier but DMM and Wild Country left the lobe surfaces free of anodization and created more square cut cam lobes that they argue increases stability and holding power. Wild Country Friends offer great ergonomics, stability and extendable slings but with only six sizes available climbers will still need to seek out another cam to fill in the gaps for the smaller sizes and the larger. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "mojgea-20"; We tested different sizes of cam from each manufacturer and at different spots in their range, from tight to loose. amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual"; Available with a single or extendable sling provides a lot of options for buyers along with offset or hybrid versions that excel in flared placements such as pin scars. Proper and regular care and maintenance of your cams is important to ensure their reliable use. The ounces saved on individual cams can add up to pounds or, at the very least, take away some of the question about whether or not you want to add a piece or two to a big rack. From all of this testing we compiled feedback from climbers about features and each cams relatively versatility. The Link Cams from Omega Pacific offer the feature that may stand out above all with their trisected cam lobes that allow the cams to fit a far greater size range than any other cam on the market. In 1987 Black Diamond introduced the Camalot, offering a double axle that increased the range offered compared to single axle models. Some cams, such as Aliens, seek to strike a balance by offering four narrow cam lobes to better work in shallow placements. Friends also offer patented hollow axles on all but their smallest size, which they claim to be lighter and stiffer. A contoured trigger bar and spacious thumb loop make them easy to place. Other features found include Metolius RangeFinder, a color-coded system to provide a visual aid in showing climbers where the best placement is. A spacious, featured thumb loop and wide trigger bar make them easy to place and remove. This makes them great for building gear anchors, as a crux piece or when you only want to carry a couple of cams but be able to fit a wide range of placement area sizes. The traditional metal cable stem is replaced with lightweight Dyneema while other elements of the cam have been pared down to shed grams.

Will Wild Country try and compete in the ultralight market? Great stability was provided by the double axle design, non-anodized and square cut cam lobe teeth and patented hollow axles for stiffer axles. > I meant the larger of the sizes he specified, but yes, the balance swings the other way again in the big sizes. Friends stood out for ergonomics and ease of use with their spacious, contoured and featured thumb loop and curved trigger bar. Jardines creations were a revolution in climbing protection, enabling climbers to more easily place and remove gear and more importantly, to better protect parallel sided cracks where stoppers and hexes of the past were limited to finding constrictions. Both offer great features, performance and versatility. My favorite feature is the extra recessed trigger bar and shorter overall length of the bar itself, which provides a great feel when in your hand. Some cam lobes were more prone to wear and components such as slings and trigger wires could suffer an early demise. Shop Now at. Also, Wild Country did not give these cams to me. We spent a lot of time climbing single pitch cracks but an equal amount of time climbing multi-pitch routes in the mountains or in the desert.

Shop Now at Backcountry.com. The opinions reflected in our reviews do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Moja Gear as a whole; rather, they are a sole individuals honest account. On average this translates to 16.2-gram weight saving per cam over the Black Diamond C4. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart"; Today cams can offer a range of unique features and construction attributes that can improve their performance and their appeal to climbers to shed old cams. You may cancel your membership at anytime, but no refunds will be issued for payments already made. They also contain deeper grooves than their BD counterparts, which make the Friends easier to place. > the bigger dragons are lighter than the comparable friends. Modern cams, in general, have become lighter while also becoming easier to use due to favorable ergonomics and offer an increasing number of features. Upon cancellation, you will have access to your membership through the end of your paid year. The Wild Country Friends offer great ergonomics, stability and popular features with testers. Particularly in areas such as the Gunks, where the horizontally banded rock necessitates a lot of horizontal placements, the rigid stems had to be tied off short to avoid levering the stem and negatively affecting the placement or potentially breaking the stem in a fall. *Outside memberships are billed annually. After arduous use, much debate and averaging out opinions the Wild Country Friends came out on top but was followed close behind by the Metolius Ultralight Master Cams. Every cam was used by many hands in the field and a consensus was reached to score cams on their ease of use when placing and cleaning, or ergonomics, and the features offered. Jardine used them to great effect on previously difficult to protect climbs in Yosemite National Park, including one of the worlds first 5.13s, The Phoenix. All cam lobes have some manner of teeth to them but companies have branched out from simple the basic teeth offered on early cams to offer other teeth patterns and designs to try to increase stability and security of cam placements. Since climbing on the Friends, Ive never once brought less alpine draws because I had the adjustable slings, but Ive enjoyed having the extra extension for many reasons: Its hard for me to come up with suggestions for improvement. Read the Full Review The DMM Dragon Cams are a stable double axle cam with an extendable sling built into the thumb piece that doesnt sacrifice strength when extended. If stitched loosely the thumb loop strength is reduced. Join Outside+ to get Climbing magazine, access to exclusive content, thousands of training plans, and more. The Metolius Ultralight Master Cams feature kevlar trigger wires and the wires on the trigger piece are also coated, making them a durable option. This makes the dreaded Frankenstein rack (mix-matching different brands) a non-issue. If youre interested in becoming a gear reviewer, get in touch. I sure hope so. The ability to be easily placed and cleaned from a crack is what many climbers are looking for in a cam and our testers found features and design elements that they liked but also some they would like to see improved. Only four sizes are offered in the Omega Pacific Link Cams while other cams, such as the Black Diamond C4 Camalot and Metolius Ultralight Master Cams, offer a wide size range, giving them the ability to serve as the backbone to a rack. The Black Diamond Camalot Ultralights use a thinner trigger wire than Camalots of the past but they are also covered like DMM and Metolius cams are, giving them better longevity. > 4CUs are even cheaper than 30 in places, I've seen them for 27 each. More Details. Climbers, both new and experienced, were used to solicit feedback while on single pitch routes and multi-pitch routes. includes discounted products from Rockfax. Poor stability and ergonomics compared to other cams as well as the weight of the Link Cams make them less likely that youll want to carry multiples of them, instead they serve as a great compliment to a rack. In an effort to increase placement security, the lobes are wider throughout the cam in comparison to the BD C4s. All rights reserved. Black Diamond, Fixe, and Metolius offer offset cams, popular with aid climbers for the flared pin scars found in places like Zion and Yosemite but also with an increasing number of free climbers looking to more securely protect flared cracks. Black Diamonds Camalots have been a popular choice on many racks and hence today many companies have copied their color coding for sizes, such as is the case with modern Friends and DMM Dragons. I've used pretty much every cam available and have the following observations: people always chat about camming angles affectin holding power, obviously they do but I would bet good money that 99 times out of a 100 the reason a cam ripped is not related to whether the camming angle is 15 degrees or 13.75 or whatever. Fred Beckey and the Improbable Ascent of Mount Waddington. Check out more of the Best New Climbing Gear of 2016 here, Pol Roca on the FA of Purple Panther (V15), Seb Bouin Takes On Fred Rouhlings Unrepeatable 9as, Project Unknown | To Become A Trad Climber, Killer Mountain: Death and Rescue on Nanga Parbat in Winter. amzn_assoc_linkid = "517cc076fb25678fe34e9ef2d0200ff3"; > In spite of the highly polarised advice you will get there will be no appreciable difference between the two models when you get them out and start climbing with them. In general, double axle cams proved the most stable but during our testing, both in the field and in-house, we also honed in on other factors that are prone to affecting a cams position, such as the sling used and how its attached to the thumb loop or piece. The TripleGrip cam lobes are the widest cam lobes out of the cams tested and feature square cut edges and a non-anodized surface to increase stability and holding power. Meanwhile, three-lobe cams, often referred to as TCUs, lose some security due to less surface area but can fit shallower placements and make use of otherwise difficult to protect cracks. The Ultralights would win in a weight competition, but the Friends easily win on an economic and functionality basis. Today all cams use a flexible stem, typically with the use of a metal cable, allowing for easier and more secure horizontal placements but also in vertical placements where constrictions and other features may impede a placement due to the stem. > I'd be interested if those above disparaging WC friends could give some concrete reasons for this. This week's Friday Night Video is a feature documentary based on the unique climbing culture of a small city park on the outskirts of Los Angeles, California. Cams such as the Fixe Alien Revolutions are focused on the small sizes and hence excel at protecting small, tiny cracks including shallow placements. Thumb pieces can come in a variety of forms and, as with thumb loops, include a number of design features such as contours, textures and various sizes to aid in the use of the cam. An increasing number of companies offer lightweight versions of their cams or they have made efforts to shed weight from their existing line. cam, and the double axle Wild Country New Friend. A cams range, flexibility, features, performance, weight and the number of sizes available can affect its versatility. UKClimbing Limited. We looked for signs of walking and stability when placing cams in various cracks of all different sizes.

> I'd be interested if those above disparaging WC friends could give some concrete reasons for this. Moja Gear accepts reviews from trusted climbers and gear testers. Shop Now at Gear Coop. This topic brings much praise or harsh criticism. Read the Full Review With six sizes available they are limited in their versatility beyond small cracks. Please help UKClimbing continue to provide varied and free content by becoming a UKC Supporter, or UKC Supporter Plus which I bought them with my own money because they kick ass. All cams are operated with a trigger bar that retracts the cam lobes so that the cam can be placed. Offset or hybrid cams utilize two different sized sets of cam lobes, creating a cam that excels where other cams struggle when faced with flared placements or old pin scars. While during in-house testing we were able to better control test results we still observed and made note of cams that were more prone to moving and came close to losing some cams when they walked into difficult positions that required careful extraction. Stability concerns and not having larger sizes were their drawback. The Black Diamond Camalot Ultralights are the lightest double axle cam on the market and cut 25% weight from their popular C4 predecessors. Durability is good with solid cam lobe and stem construction and tough Kevlar trigger wires. The extendable double slings were easy to use and helped add stability and give versatility. Lacking a name for his creation he was memorably asked by a partner if he had brought his friends along for a day of climbing and the name stuck. Finally, the Black Diamond Camalot Ultralights were easy to add to any rack due to their lightweight and great ergonomics. Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more. Durable components including Kevlar trigger wires, Less stable than the double axle cams tested, Extendable sling harder to use than others, Available in single or extendable, double slings, Durability concerns, particularly with wires, Smallest three sizes rated to 7 kN and under, Durability issues with cam lobes and stems. Four-lobe cams provide greater surface area that contacts the rock and should offer a more secure placement.

Wild Country has chosen to align with Black Diamond in their sizing and numbering. Explore our new expert-led online courses. Wild Country said they played with the sizing in order to close the gaps found with BD. Commonly referred to as cams but more formally called spring-loaded camming devices (SLCDs), theyve become a standard on nearly every climbers traditional rack. Audacity. The Friends are lighter than both the BD C4s and DMM Dragon 2s, but the Black Diamond Ultralights are still the clear winner in weight savings. WatchJames Pearson and Caroline Ciavaldini put the new Friends to the test: The new Friends have been redesigned with Wild Countrys patented hollow axles. With those weight savings come some concern about durability and a 10 year lifespan for the cam along with a stiffer stem and sling that caused them to be less stable than other double axle cams tested. Regularly inspect your cam lobes, axles, stems, trigger wires, and slings for signs of damage. The thumb loop or tab is a key piece in a cams ergonomics as, used with the trigger bar, its what allows a cam to be placed and cleaned from a crack. Extendable slings were popular with many testers for the easy option they offer to help the rope run smoothly, such as those found on the Wild Country Friends and DMM Dragon Cams. These cams went through a number of in-house tests for controlled and measurable metrics and were used by a number of climbers in the field with varying experience levels and interests. Go and get the ones you think feel nicest, you won't regret whichever you buy, any reasoned argument either way will merely be a theoretical excersise. amzn_assoc_title = "Related Best Sellers"; Create a personalized feed and bookmark your favorites. Illustrating that some cams are more niche than others youll find a wide range of size offerings in todays cams. As a result of our testing, the double axle Wild Country Friends won the award for best stability in part due to the extendable sling that is connected loosely to the thumb loop, allowing movement of the carabiner and sling while, relative to other cams, minimizing movement of the cam. Some slings on cams showed signs that they would need to be replaced sooner than later, as is common with many of the skinny, lightweight slings used on cams such as the Dragons or Wild Country Friends. The oil-based ones can attract dirt and you might consider Metolius Cam Lube, a wax-based lubricant, designed specifically for cams or a lubricant like Tri-Flow. The name Friends came from Jardines secretive trials with his newly engineered prototypes which he kept hidden from outsiders view. In a side-by-side comparison with the Friends main competitor, the Black Diamond C4, you realize that at the same price you are getting a lighter product with more functionality. These trigger bars are made with either plastic or aluminum and can come in a variety of shapes and sizes with features such as contours, curves or textures to aid in their use. Read the Full Review Cam stability is another key component of what climbers look for when considering a cam. I have been climbing on them since they came out last summer and after about 400 pitches, here are my thoughts as compared to others cams in their class: A post shared by Wade Morris (@wademorris12) on Oct 4, 2016 at 7:30am PDT.

Close behind the Friends were the DMM Dragons which also benefited from a double axle design. Stickers. Most cams offer color anodization of lobes to aid climbers in finding the size they are looking for while all include some color scheme of the stem, loop or sling to work to the same effect. I really hope we will see a .1-.3 size in the future, as Wild Country already has the lockdown with my favorite wide pieces (the 5 & 6 Tech Friends). While the extendable sling was harder to use than others the Dragon Cams are built with durability in mind but that also made them the heaviest cams tested. But, more commonly when climbers talk about racking some cams for a climb they are referring to the spring-loaded devices. Companies like Wild Country and DMM that use adjustable slings on their cams advertise this as additional weight savings because you can bring less alpine draws I think this is a moot point. Technically speaking the word cam describes a projection on a rotating part in machinery, designed to make sliding contact with another part while rotating and to impart reciprocal or variable motion to it. Technically by that definition, hexes and C.A.M.P. The Range Finder system provides color coding to help new climbers find the right fit for cam placements. This is apparent with the size chart below. Cams have either a thumb loop or thumb piece, the former offering a wide and spacious place that can help hold your thumb in place when in use.

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