Cams 101: Buying Cams
There’s a lot of information and nuance out there when it comes to cams. Here are some things to consider when standing in front of a wall of cams at your local shop.
Dave Alie
Metolius Offset TCU Cams
If you haven't considered offset cams, we'll explain why you should. The Metolius Offset TCUs are a great addition to your rack, allowing you to protect sections of rock that would otherwise be unprotectable.
Evolv Astroman
Not every shoe should try to do every thing. The Evolv Astroman is a high-top-style designed with long trad routes in mind, a goal it certainly achieves.
DMM Revolver Carabiner
If you’re going to carry a pulley as part of your rescue equipment, it makes sense to integrate that pulley into a carabiner. How much sense? Reviewer Dave Alie takes the DMM Revolver into the lab to find out.
Metolius Dirt Bag and Porta-Cord Rope Bags
The Metolius Dirt Bag and Porta-Cord rope bags are both solid options to make life at the crag a little easier.
DMM Demon Cams
The DMM Demon Cams have a combination of features that may put them high on your "next cam" list. This design is worth a look.
DMM Dragon Cams
The DMM Dragon cams bear a striking resemblance to the Black Diamond C4s, but in practice they're different from anything reviewer Dave Alie has used before. (And that's a good thing.)
Sterling Evolution Duetto 9.4 Half Ropes
While switching rope brands might seem unthinkable, for anyone considering making the jump from single ropes to half ropes, the Sterling Evolution Duetto Half Ropes perform beautifully. Might be time to rethink the unthinkable.
Wild Country Helium Friends Cams
The Wild Country Helium Friends are touted as being among the lightest and best cams out there. So how do they stack up against the other brands? Dave Alie explains (with logarithmic spirals, to boot).
SCARPA Vapor V
If you’re going to use one climbing shoe for damn near everything, or you climb rock that necessitates both “sport” and “trad” techniques, the SCARPA Vapor V is top notch.
Jetboil Sol Ti Stove
Sometimes in life, you gotta boil stuff. The Jetboil Sol Ti is quick, easy, compact, and lightweight. It's also perhaps the best canister stove on the market.
La Sportiva Miura VS
The Miura VS takes the mechanics of the Miura lace that made sport climbers embrace them, and ramps them up a few notches. Sport climbers, rejoice.
Salewa Mountain Trainer Approach Shoe
The Salewa Mountain Trainer is a comfortable, well constructed approach shoe that falls closer a to low-cut hiker than a climbing shoe, and is ideally suited for long approaches or scrambling.
Dave Alie
Age: 32 | Vitals: 6’3″, 185 lbs. | Current Residence: Denver, Colorado
My childhood home of Newton, Massachusetts, is hardly a proving ground fo…