What a bea-u-tiful fall day. Just right to be kicked back on a comfy rock with your climber up there jamming gear into a rock. Eric and I got out all the fun toys. I like cams, they are mechanical, perfect and easy. Tri-cams are brilliant design, I haven't got the placement down yet. I can't be bothered with nuts and stoppers yet too putzy while I am hanging there by my girly arms. Eric was very generous in sharing his knowledge of gear placement and guiding skills. There was a guy on the next crag licking up all the beta. I think it was Aaron!
Don't worry, I was just playing trad, I was on top rope as well.
I really like tricams, so here is some more information about them.
Design
It is a passive or active device consisting of a shaped aluminium piece attached to a length of webbing tape or wire cable. The device is designed to be inserted into a crack so that pulling on the tape or wire makes the piece cam outward against the sides of the crack, gripping the rock tighter. This camming action is achieved by the position of the pointed fulcrum of the piece relative to the attachment of the tape or wire. As the webbing or wire is pulled, the downward force is pivoted onto the point, which can bite into soft rock or ice and increases the holding power of the tricam.
Benefits
Tricams are generally not as easy to place or remove as spring-loaded camming devices (SLCDs) but are much cheaper, lighter, and have some of the highest kN ratings out of all rock climbing protection devices. Unlike SLCDs they are less likely to fail in the alpine environment as they have no moving parts to freeze, making them an excellent choice for a mountaineer's rack. They typically work best on sandstone or limestone as the fulcrum is more likely to bite into the soft rock.
They can also be used passively as nuts.
Drawbacks
Placing a tricam is relatively simple but takes practice to achieve proficiency. Care must be taken so that the tricam does not loosen while climbing above its placement due to rope drag. Typically, this additional safety is provided by clipping a longer sling to the tricam. In addition to this weakness tricams can also exhibit welding characteristics after being subjected to a hard fall making them harder to clean and more likely to be left behind.
It is a passive or active device consisting of a shaped aluminium piece attached to a length of webbing tape or wire cable. The device is designed to be inserted into a crack so that pulling on the tape or wire makes the piece cam outward against the sides of the crack, gripping the rock tighter. This camming action is achieved by the position of the pointed fulcrum of the piece relative to the attachment of the tape or wire. As the webbing or wire is pulled, the downward force is pivoted onto the point, which can bite into soft rock or ice and increases the holding power of the tricam.
Benefits
Tricams are generally not as easy to place or remove as spring-loaded camming devices (SLCDs) but are much cheaper, lighter, and have some of the highest kN ratings out of all rock climbing protection devices. Unlike SLCDs they are less likely to fail in the alpine environment as they have no moving parts to freeze, making them an excellent choice for a mountaineer's rack. They typically work best on sandstone or limestone as the fulcrum is more likely to bite into the soft rock.
They can also be used passively as nuts.
Drawbacks
Placing a tricam is relatively simple but takes practice to achieve proficiency. Care must be taken so that the tricam does not loosen while climbing above its placement due to rope drag. Typically, this additional safety is provided by clipping a longer sling to the tricam. In addition to this weakness tricams can also exhibit welding characteristics after being subjected to a hard fall making them harder to clean and more likely to be left behind.
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