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tri/small cams adn sliders

Bernardo

10-Aug-2004
9:16:22 PM

sooo... now that tricams adn sliders are once again easily available(and a whole lot cheaper than cams) how do ppl rate them compared to small cams?

im in the process of buying caming deveices adn im trying to work out whether i could simply use tricams adn sliders instead of small cams, thus saving stacks of money!!

IdratherbeclimbingM9

11-Aug-2004
9:00:58 AM

In my experience they really have different 'applications'. In other words, mostly where one works best the other/s would not be so good.

A mix of them would be the ultimate way to go.

Tricams would be the strongest units of the bunch, and perhaps have the greatest 'range' in my opinion, but they can be fiddly to place and also sometimes fiddly to retrieve.
Perfectly parallel cracks would better suit small cams.

I have not had any experience with slider nuts, other than the old fashioned method of double slinging them, ie two nuts slung on one sling so that one can be opposed to fit wider applications. If weighted IMO these units are often really hard to retrieve.
I have heard good reports about the Loweball sliders, but would regard them as specialty units rather than general application items on my rack.

Small cams are convenient.
Recently I had one rip under 'bodyweight' unexpectedly. Although its placement was one that I considered 90% good, and I backed it up with another unit about half metre lower, (due to the runout I was facing), I was still surprised when it popped simply from lowering my weight onto it after wasting myself sussing the crux moves.

nmonteith

11-Aug-2004
9:38:14 AM

I find slider-nuts great in theory but a big pain in practice. They don't lend themselves well to placing on lead and are aweful to retrieve. I have only used them them to good effect on aid routes - where you get the chance to hang around and fiddle with both hands. They were great in pin scars.

Clancy

11-Aug-2004
11:43:01 AM

Bernardo,
while i definatly rate the tricams i have on my rack (pink red and black .5-1.5?) i find that i tend to place them only when i have run out of small cams or in particularly narrow pockets in sandstone. i find that they are a bit of a pain to fiddle in, particularly one handed, when you are pumped and strung out above gear...

personally i would consider tricams a back up to the small cams i have on my rack, or for unusual placements, the other thing to note is they seem very vulnerable to being wiggled out by rope drag in parallel cracks.

clancy

Bernardo

11-Aug-2004
12:21:06 PM

thank you very much guys.
..looks like im gonna have to invest a little more money..oh well, better than the alternative...:)

adski

11-Aug-2004
12:21:53 PM

When I've seconded on tricams they've been mighty fiddly to retrieve, kind of like hexes in that you sometimes need two hands to get at them. The small ones are dang hard to twist in the right direction when you can't get your hand in! But that said, they provide great protection where cams and nuts won't fit.

In the soft sandstone of the Bluies, popular cam placements are being 'opened up' inside from wear, with the entry not copping any wear. This means that in some placements you're fully retracting the cams, just to get in in the slot, but when it's in the cams are fully out and the unit is rattling. Tricams rock in this sort of spot.

I'm sad to hear from the above people's experiences that ball nuts aren't the Best Thing Ever, I was kinda hanging out for a few units. ah well ;-(

shaft

11-Aug-2004
12:39:25 PM

I LOVE my tricams. I can spot tircam placements right away. I've even used them in parallel cracks because I didn't have the right cam size. Tricams rule in horizontal cracks and pockets. I even used the #7 tricam at Araps (multiple times). Like any piece of gear they take a little to get used to. If you do decide to get some tricams make sure you get the ones from CAMP which have the sewn sling because the ones from the Czech Republic cannot be used passively due to the use of wires. I have two sets of tricams from .5 - 2 and the #7 I got cheap in Hobart. I live in the US and if you want I can buy and send to you. let me know.

Yosef

phil box

13-Aug-2004
1:39:26 PM

I`ve had a deal of experience with Slider Nuts. Grant climbed The Lords Prayer 27 at Frog using two of the smallest sizes and the second smallest one plus a couple of black Aliens. Whilst working this route he took numerous whippers on the smallest slider size and the black Alien. The sliders were easy to retrieve. I would say for small gear that the sliders are far stronger than the zero cams. The only time I have ever had a slider pull on my was in an aid placement where the slider was torqued interestingly this is how we remove sliders. You do have to set sliders for them to work effectively. To remove leave the quickdraw on and give them a sharp flick and tug in an upwards direction. Then simply pull the trigger in the same manner as a cam is removed.

I would definitely not recommend sliders for the nivice. Expert use only.

I really like my tricams in some applications such as pods.

Bernardo

15-Aug-2004
11:41:10 AM

yosef:
thanks for the offer, but luckily CAMP tricams are once a gain available in australia(just a couple of blocks form my house too).

phil:
i recently had the chance to use sliders while aiding in the blueis and i deffinatly see what you mean about sliders not being for novices, its seems that placing them is quite abit harder than say a cam. i spent about 5 minutes just playing wiht one until i was completly satisfied with it..

phil box

16-Aug-2004
4:58:28 PM

Sliders get easier to place after you get used to using them. You definitely are on the right track aiding with them, that will teach you what will and will not work with them. In the right placement they can be the most bomber of pieces, it is the learning of what is the right placement that is the trick and knowing what will not work is equally as important.

James

16-Aug-2004
5:38:19 PM

tri-cams are the same - fiddly until you are used to them but they are bomber when they're placed right (& often go where nothing else will)

phil box

18-Aug-2004
7:49:36 AM

Tricams rool in pockets.

There are 12 messages in this topic.