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Rave About Your Rack Please do not post retail SPAM.

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trad rack from scratch


pezz

13-Mar-2011
5:50:49 PM

so i'm thinking about stepping over the fence from sport and doing some trad..
naturally i will bludge off a mates rack as much as i can, but when it comes time to hit the road again and climb a bit further from home i will need my own gear...

just after some comments on gear, i.e. brand v's brand, bang for buck, durability.. ect ect

also, what is considered a "standard rack" for the arapiles

cheers


Miguel75

13-Mar-2011
7:54:54 PM

I started off with passive pro, nuts and hex's, and then built up a small size range of cams .5-2. I really like DMM walnuts and Wild Country Rocks as I find they fit, and feel really nice. As far as bang for buck I went for whatever was on sale, or shiny....

As far as slings went I tied my own as they are so much cheaper, though I do like having a number of sewn slings too.

I really like DMM cams too, though the majority of my cams are BD C4's.


Miguel75

13-Mar-2011
8:05:52 PM

I really liked a mates Torque Nuts so I picked up a set. I agree cams are way easier to place though I like placing Hex's. They just feel fun!

Sturge

13-Mar-2011
8:38:57 PM

On 13/03/2011 Miguel75 wrote:
>I really liked a mates Torque Nuts so I picked up a set.

They make me think of milk constantly...


joycepg

13-Mar-2011
8:43:03 PM

i did some research a few years ago for the same reason. re wc rocks and dmm wallnuts, the consensus seemed to be that people started with rocks then moved to wallnuts. so i thought i'd go straight to wallnuts. have been very happy. i also have a set of wc hexes cause they sound nice and clinky, and there's nothing so bomber as a good hex placement. and a set of bd c4s, which are awesome, cause they go where no nuts or hexes go. for araps you'll need a set of rps too.


Miguel75

13-Mar-2011
8:54:37 PM

On 13/03/2011 Sturge wrote:
>On 13/03/2011 Miguel75 wrote:
>>I really liked a mates Torque Nuts so I picked up a set.
>
>They make me think of milk constantly...

??? Are they made of cows?

EDIT: Cowbells? Gotcha...

climbingjac

13-Mar-2011
8:55:42 PM

On 13/03/2011 davidn wrote:
>Why would you buy hexes rather than cams? Just don't think they're majorly
>useful, other than as 'doubles'.

Because cams change shape in order to be placed. They can thus change shape while in place and make their own way out. Great.


IdratherbeclimbingM9

13-Mar-2011
9:28:36 PM

On 13/03/2011 davidn wrote:
>Yes, cams often change shape to be placed, and sometimes fly away too.
> Or more realistically, people place them poorly, jerk them around like
>crazy (for example, by not using a sling where it's warranted), then the
>cams 'just' walk away. Whereas a hex would never move, no matter what,
>and fits a huge range of placement sizes. Beats a cam any day.
>
>Also, I like to sling dead trees for pro, or use duct tape on slabs.
>Beats bolts!

Do you post certificates to partners after they climb with you(?), as you are sounding like a fully certified adventure based trad climber now! :-P
Heh, heh, heh.


Miguel75

13-Mar-2011
9:30:46 PM

I'm going to have to try the duct tape slab trick next time I'm at buffalo. How many strips of tape would you use to secure a ledge?

Horses for courses! I love my cams and love being able to poke a hex into a pocket or horizontal slot... they just feel bomber. I have a set of WC hexentrics on my B'day list.

rolsen1

14-Mar-2011
7:47:42 AM

On 13/03/2011 pezz wrote:
>so i'm thinking about stepping over the fence from sport and doing some
>trad..
>naturally i will bludge off a mates rack as much as i can, but when it
>comes time to hit the road again and climb a bit further from home i will
>need my own gear...
>
>just after some comments on gear, i.e. brand v's brand, bang for buck,
>durability.. ect ect
>
>also, what is considered a "standard rack" for the arapiles
>
>cheers

Try searching there have been lots of threads about this - also all the Araps guides list the gear you will need.

A double set of wires (get two different brands), a single set of cams (don't need the really big ones or the super tiny ones), 12-15 quick draws, a bunch of slings 60cm + 120cm, around 6 bolt plates and 3 or so screw gates will do you.

Wendy

14-Mar-2011
7:48:54 AM

If i had to turn up at araps with a minimalist rack, it would have a set of rocks, .5-2 camalots, draws and a handful of slings. That should get you up classic easy routes all day. The camalots are more versatile than the hexes and thus will go in more places for less gear. Rocks just go in everywhere at araps. They are cheaper than wallnuts, and whilst I quite like the mid size wallnuts in particular, 20 odd years later, I am still a big fan of the bog standard rock. Wallnuts are usually more difficult to get out as well. Bugger the RPs for now. Unless you are climbing over 20 or planning routes specifically needing them, you won't miss them for a while. When was the last time you needed them for dmajor/minor, muldoon, arachnus, resignation? Slings are essential for extending your gear and there are heaps of options to thread things or wrap bollards at the mount. You might still find yourself a bit scint on this amount of gear on long pitches though, but it's more than what I'd normally taking guiding.

Climbing anchors has camalots at great prices for Oz at the moment. Rock Hardware has a sale this weekend that I haven't even had time to look at yet.

widewetandslippery

14-Mar-2011
8:02:21 AM

Hexes are great back ups but..........

Get a set of major brand cams. I personally favour C4s but whatever floats your boat but get a set of 1 sort. Its nice to know your tools. A set and a half is generally all you'll carry at once so if your going to get more cams by just half sizes of another brand. I use friends for this. Now if you don't think you have enough big gear by some hexes.

Buy 1 to 2 sets of stoppers, BD, WC or DMM (I don't really like the DMM ones).

1 set of RPs. Get other fancy shit when you know the workings of the RPs. DMM peanuts and HB offsets are good but play with the RPs first. Same goes for the world of micro cams.

Nut tool essential.

Light weight headtorch. You can't just lower off anymore.

If you have nice beefy 3/4" thick sport draws replace with some slinky dyneema stuff. Get a few 60cm long ones for good extension. The idea of the sling is to reduce drag on a piece, not act as a lever to pull it out.

Slings, the length you can throw over your shoulder. I rather tie my own. Cheaper and means I'm less likely to be a cheapskate and not replace some manky abseil tat that I really should.

A memory, getting to the crag having forgotten your harness for the numpteenth time gets embaressing.


ajfclark

14-Mar-2011
9:01:23 AM

Depending on how you like to may your anchors, a few screwgates and a cordelette might come in handy.

A couple of pussics might come in handy too.

climbingjac

14-Mar-2011
9:20:58 AM

Hi pezz

Just on a side note, have you had the opportunity to learn the fine art of trad gear placement on second etc, before you're on the sharp end? If not, perhaps consider popping yourself on a course with one of the local guiding companies?

widewetandslippery

14-Mar-2011
9:32:33 AM

On 14/03/2011 climbingjac wrote:
>Hi pezz
>
>Just on a side note, have you had the opportunity to learn the fine art
>of trad gear placement on second etc, before you're on the sharp end?
>If not, perhaps consider popping yourself on a course with one of the local
>guiding companies?

Pezz (as your profile says from Newy), go to Tomaree Headland at the most northen point. You'll find some glue in ss carrots. A 50m rope will get you to the wave platform. Climb out with your new rack. Small wires work well there. If you get out you are now a qualified trad climber.

mikllaw

14-Mar-2011
9:34:10 AM

What sort of grades? At araps I rarely carry cams on easy stuff, Hexes are definately much stronger and more secure, then suddenly at about 18 it's all greasy parrallel cracks and cams become the go.

Cams are fine strength-wise, but some care is needed to stop them falling out when you're not looking

Wendy

14-Mar-2011
9:43:01 AM

On 14/03/2011 widewetandslippery wrote:
>Hexes are great back ups but..........
>
>Get a set of major brand cams. I personally favour C4s but whatever floats
>your boat but get a set of 1 sort. Its nice to know your tools. A set and
>a half is generally all you'll carry at once so if your going to get more
>cams by just half sizes of another brand. I use friends for this. Now if
>you don't think you have enough big gear by some hexes.
>

Hexes are not big gear! A 5 camalot is big gear!

widewetandslippery

14-Mar-2011
10:00:58 AM

On 14/03/2011 Wendy wrote:
>On 14/03/2011 widewetandslippery wrote:
>>Hexes are great back ups but..........
>>
>>Get a set of major brand cams. I personally favour C4s but whatever floats
>>your boat but get a set of 1 sort. Its nice to know your tools. A set
>and
>>a half is generally all you'll carry at once so if your going to get
>more
>>cams by just half sizes of another brand. I use friends for this. Now
>if
>>you don't think you have enough big gear by some hexes.
>>
>
>
>Hexes are not big gear! A 5 camalot is big gear!

Fair call and I rate it.

btw I do own hexes and a 5 Camalot


pezz

14-Mar-2011
10:02:46 AM

thanks for all the helpfull replies

currently leading at 17 so i imagine i will drop my grade back when i start leading trad
im planning a few trips out with one of the local instuctors and a whole bunch of seconding with a mate before i set off leading trad..

well on a good note for my pocket... i already have a bunch of 60 and 120cm dyneema slings


Sabu

14-Mar-2011
10:13:59 AM

Echo the advice from Wendy and co:
A set of rocks with doubles of the midrange numbers.
A set of c4's (word of advice: start from the smaller numbers and up, a .5 is far more useful than a 2).
Some large slings (they can always be made smaller but smaller ones can't be made larger!).
Also a cordellete is gold, and saves a lot of time at the belay (On multipitch routes I have my second carry a spare one so I am never without).
A few hexes wouldn't go astray, especially if you can't afford a full set of cams to begin with.

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