UKH

Been given 2 brand new tricams pink and red. I know they are like Marmite love or hate them. Never used them before and would like to know a bit more about them.

Fairly limited videos on you tube and read quite a few reviews which seem to think they can be worthwhile on certain routes.

Any info on them would be appreciated. I can see a use for them but limited knowledge on use and application. 

Thanks 

In reply to Mical:

Very handy for small shot holes where other cams don't fit. Though I admit I've rarely used them.

In reply to Mical:

They're very good in horizontal breaks — particularly shallow or flaring ones where a cam wouldn't work so well — and in oddities like shot holes. The pink in particular has a reputation for 'going anywhere', and I think the pink and red are probably the most useful two sizes if you don't have a particular use in mind. I used to carry them everywhere before I obtained a sensible set of cams, and a few months ago I added them back to my standard rack, racked with my big nuts.

You can place them passively like a normal (if oddly-shaped nut), but you can also place them in a camming sort of way. You ideally want the pointy bit behind a constriction, sling running between the rails from the back/top to the front/bottom of the placement so that it tries to pivot when pulled on. Give it a sharp tug to seat. Hard to explain but really easy to see if you have a little play. They're a bit fiddly to place unless you have two hands free though, and can sometimes be a nightmare to clean. Using a nut key to 'de-cam' it works, as can hooking a nut key behind the fulcrum. If your second isn't familiar, give them a quick briefing before they encounter them mid-pitch.

In reply to tehmarks:

I loved them.
My seconds hated me.

In reply to Mical:

Bomber in the right place. Red is a must have for the quarry I learnt to climb in Dublin. Lots of placements. 

In reply to Mical: can’t help I’m afraid but I did have a dream last night about finding a pink and red tricam at the bottom of a crag. Maybe it was prophetic

In reply to Mical:

Try them (no pun intended). They seem quite intuitive when I've used them. Obviously don't rely on then straight away.

In reply to Mical:

I used them quite often on sandstone. Sometimes they're the only thing that will go in a pocket. As far as I recall I never lobbed on one. A mate retreated from the top of The Knife at Pex on one of mine. The only gear up there!

In reply to Mical:

Andy Kirkpatrick has some good advice about placing tricams, with diagrams.

In reply to Mical:

They are just one of those pieces where when they go in, they make something that would have been terrifying, fell safe. They go places nothing else would stick. I love them in the winter...

In reply to Mical:

I have a pink one and quite like it for use on the grit and to replace smaller cams in winter. One point re falling onto them, I find them a bit more prone to walking than regular cams so really worth making sure the placement is still well seated before taking another fall (as I've had one rip after a few consecutive falls on it).

In reply to Mical:

Pink and red are the colours you want for pockety limestone.

If any other gear will go in then I don't bother getting them off the harness but you'll sometimes come across things where a tricam is the only thing that will work.

I'd recommend putting your 'beginner' hat on, going to a crag, and trying to place them at ground level. 

Easiest way to place them is just pop them into a pocket with the point down and the sling between the rails. 

In reply to Mical:

Thanks for replies. There appears to be mostly positive remarks on them. I will practice with them first and add them to my rack when confident in placing. Also thanks for some of the explanations for use. Much appreciated. 👍

In reply to Mical:

Just adding my two-pence to spread the tricam love against the doubters and haters out there... 😉

First rule of tricams is, make sure you show your second how to get them in and out before you set off, as otherwise you won't have a tricam for very long. I've both lost and gained from seconds not understanding how to get them out. The worst is when your second pushes it so deep into a crack and it becomes impossible to disengage - then you've lost it. Sometimes, I don't take them if I'm climbing with a novice just because I know they will struggle removing them.

I also would recommend that you rack them with your big nuts, rather than separately. It makes it much more likely you'll use them than if you have to reach for a separate carabiner! Though... I normally only carry the pink.

They come into their own on pocketed rock, but they can be used all over the place because they're really versatile. They're great for avoiding using up your cams on belays or for building a nest from good feet before going for the crux, but they're a little tricky to place under duress. You can place them passively or cammed, but I'd second what someone said above about making sure they're seated well. If possible, I'd extend them, too, to avoid them being wiggled out of place. The camming range allows the pink to cover something like rock 7 - 9, which I find really helpful when trying to put together a light rack for easier routes.

My love is mostly for the pink and comes from using it in a little limestone pocket to protect a crux on a route I was trying for a while. No other gear placements were available and it would have been very bold without the tricam. I took two or three lobs onto it, and it held everytime!

In reply to Mical:

"Your f***ing tricam, man! I'm so pumped!" - multiple people seconding me. 😆

You'll love them. I've had them hold where I absolutely wasn't expecting them to.

In reply to Mical:

I find that they are perfect for leaving at home where they keep my useless #14 nut company.

In reply to gravy:

I keep a pair of size 14 nuts on me at all times. Tend to come in handy on bold routes...

In reply to Mical:

You can read the instructions that come with them on this website:

TRICAM_MANUALE38 r8 mai stampato (camp.it)

In reply to Mical:

Required reading is at https://www.camp-usa.com/outdoor/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Simple-Mechanic....  As others have said, make sure you and your seconds have good removal strategies.

Advantages:

• The heads are narrower than any cam in an equivalent size, so they'll go into narrow features (like solution pockets) where cams won't go.  Pockets are horizontal placements, but very shallow vertical cracks take tricams where any ordinary cam would have lobes hanging outside the crack.  Weird placememts, eg between two nubbins, are possible.
• They'll work in cracks with more flare than an ordinary cam can tolerate.
• They are better than ordinary cams in icy or dirty cracks, and in slick rock types that cams pull out of.
• They are light, don't have things like trigger wires to break or bind, aren't gummed up by dirt.
• They work very well as passive protection.

Disadvantages:

• Fiddly to place and remove, often both hands required, especially for removal, and the right technique is important.  If slings are stiffened, one-handed placements in vertical cracks are easier, but the stiff sling also makes it easier to dislodge under rope motions.  So best placed from good stances.
• Fiddle time for placement and removal makes them most suited to shorter routes.
• Respond poorly to rope motions---think full-length runners if the rope path isn't straight up and down.  Serious changes in rope direction require placing some kind of opposing piece.
• Are susceptible to welding in place after a fall.  Then the sling rots and the crag is left with a useless and ugly remnant.

Back in the B.C. (before cam) days, I used to carry pink through brown and sometimes blue.  But nowadays I think they are a specialty piece and the only sizes to bother with are black, pink, and red.  On granite and sandstone splitters, there's no point at all.  In places with less regular features, they've been useful for me maybe 5% of the time, and every once in a while they make the difference between reasonable and horrendous protection.  If I did limestone trad, I suspect I'd have them with me for every route.  So there's always a few in my crag pack, but most of the time they rest comfortably there while I'm off climbing.

In reply to rgold:

Thanks for the link a good read and interesting read. 👍👍