Ultimate rack for trad?

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 thwapy 18 Nov 2018

If you were building a rack for trad climbing, the ultimate lightweight, no holds barred best you could, what would be on there?

i think it’s subjective but wondered what people might come up with...

 

2
 GrahamD 18 Nov 2018
In reply to thwapy:

Ultimate light weight wouldn't have anything on it, surely?

1
GoneFishing111 18 Nov 2018
In reply to thwapy:

Cam-wise id love a set of totems personally! 

1
 MischaHY 18 Nov 2018
In reply to thwapy:

For pure weight it's unquestionably camalot ultralights because they are vastly lighter than any other offering. 

However, I did this recently and decided on Dragons racked on Edelrid 19g carabiners as this was a light enough combo, and gives me the familiarity & bombproof build quality I expect from DMM. Currently got Alien revolutions for the small cams but honestly would probably take the new dragonflies if they had been available, again based on build quality - although the Aliens work well so far. 

Oh and for draws, Petzl Ange S. Gorgeous! 

 

 

1
 John Kelly 18 Nov 2018
In reply to thwapy:

DMM Phantom krabs and screwgates, beal 6mm slings

 Dell 18 Nov 2018
In reply to thwapy:

Wild country superlights (and offsets)  or metolius curve nuts

 GarethSL 19 Nov 2018
In reply to thwapy:

If you have some time, you can play around on weigh my rack, including making up your own draws cams etc from individual components.

With careful consideration you can save a considerable amount off your belt. I found the most noticeable weight was saved by being selective with draws and ropes, or any other gear you will almost always carry. Lightweight pro is of course going to make a difference but remember how much you actually carry would ultimately depend on the route you do.

I managed to get a rack intended for big rock routes down to about a third of what my normal weekend gear weighed, but ultimately went with the middle ground favouring some durability and actual usability.

https://weighmyrack.com/

 David Barlow 19 Nov 2018

I replaced my old technical friends with Totems, mainly due to their superior holding ability in flared cracks compared to all other cams.

As for ultralight Camelots, yes they are lighter but a "normal set" is 780gm versus around 1000gm for the competition: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Fk8BPSkkuJmViEOEDWoTUdK6L1nRiG6ipffMyrc9i... so I wouldn't say vastly lighter.

 pass and peak 19 Nov 2018
In reply to thwapy:

I'd just go for the one that's on special offer, as I'm more worried about the £'s than the lb's.

Deadeye 19 Nov 2018
In reply to MischaHY:

> For pure weight it's unquestionably camalot ultralights because they are vastly lighter than any other offering. 

Well now, that's not true.

A Camalot UL 1 is 101g; A Metolius UL6 is 96g

I use Friends anyway just because.

 MischaHY 19 Nov 2018
In reply to Deadeye:

> Well now, that's not true.

> A Camalot UL 1 is 101g; A Metolius UL6 is 96g

Must say I assumed the OP would only be interested in double axle cams. I wouldn't go back to single axle if you paid me. 

 

4
In reply to thwapy:

> If you were building a rack for trad climbing, the ultimate lightweight, no holds barred best you could, what would be on there?

> i think it’s subjective but wondered what people might come up with...

I wouldn't say that best and ultimate lightweight necessarily go together. 

 Mark Stevenson 19 Nov 2018
In reply to thwapy:

In all seriousness, I'd love to have five Beal Opera 8.5mm single ropes in 30, 35, 40, 50 and 60 metre lengths.

Climbing on the skinniest and shortest single rope you can possibly get away with is easily the best way to massively save weight both for climbing and for any approach.

For various reasons, I ended up climbing Eastern Hammer (E3 6a) this Summer on my 40m Mammut 8.7mm single which worked out great and made the walk-in distinctly more pleasurable than normal

I've got various items of specialist lightweight gear, many previously mentioned on this thread, but having actually used them a bit, I probably wouldn't pick them for any remotely hard climbing:

- Metolius UL cams (annoying and fiddly)

- Metolius Alu Nutkey (not that great at removing nuts)

- Edelrid 19G krabs/draws (rather too small to use when boxed)

- WC Superlight Offsets (colour-coding annoyingly mismatched with standard nuts, especially DMM ones)

Finally, as far as cams are concerned, I'm currently on double sets of WC Zeros and original DMM Dragons but if buying again (money no object) I'd probably go for Totems.

 

 Wayne S 19 Nov 2018
In reply to thwapy:

So my main rack.....

Full set of Totems, including the little black one and big orange, then super light Camelot’s above these. Racked with Camp Nano 22s

Wall nuts up to 11. 12,13, 14 WC rocks

Set of Metolius superlight curved nuts.

Quickdraws made up of Mammut Wall Lights (23g) on 6mm Beal slings.

Mammut contact slings with Grivel Plume Nut screwgates 

Mammut Phoenix 8mm ropes, though tempted by 7.5s!

That is why I am skint, and stay in evenings polishing my carabiners!

You can go too silly though,  Edelrid 19g is case and point.

 TobyA 19 Nov 2018
In reply to Mark Stevenson:

Yeah, I've got 8 19G quickdraws and don't use them much. They're just a fiddly and look scary when you look down through you feet at them.

In reply to thwapy:

When I climbed Sydpilaren on Stetind I think I had about the most optimised rack (and other equipment) for it that I could imagine - mainly the result of having got a lot of good stuff from reviewing over a good number of years before that. Of course we could have gone lighter, but 13 full rope lengths of climbing, high on a mountain well north of the Arctic circle, and as I guess the crux pitches as hard as anything else I've ever climbed - I wanted a lot of bloody runners in! See: http://lightfromthenorth.blogspot.com/2013/09/stetinds-sydpilaren-south-pil... for a run down of the rack.

OP thwapy 19 Nov 2018
In reply to Wayne S:

I have read all this with great interest, many thanks for all the input. My thoughts when starting they thread were around what cams to buy to replace my ageing (very in some cases) friends etc. Perhaps using the phrase ultimate lightweight rather than just ultimate (and where suitable) lightweight would have been better. It was about buying the very best, not strictly the lightest, although we all know that helps.

What I have learned from this is how cam technology has advanced, totem's look superb, would a full set of totems really replace say a set of similar sized Dragon's would they just complement them?

I also totally agree about the ropes, it is pointless dragging a 60m 10mm up a 14m grit route... 

Totems

DMM Dragonfly...?

Ultralight Camalot vs Metolius UL? 

 

 Wayne S 25 Nov 2018
In reply to thwapy:

Totems are very good, but of course by nature of their design do not lend themselves to the bigger sizes.  For me they replace whatever sizes they match.  

A good amount of weight can be saved by carefull selection of Quickdraws and Racking Crabs.

Skinny ropes have been mentioned but lengths to match routes can save a lot of weight and bulk.  I use  30m, 8mm halfs for grit for instance. 

Maybe the answer RE ultimate rack is one large enough to choose from to match each objective.  An Alpine rack would differ from a UK general cragging rack.  

 JohnBson 26 Nov 2018
In reply to thwapy:

Dragon cams on alpha lights, set of tricams down to the white one, dmm offsets and a half rack of walnuts with a couple of camp ribbed nuts in for good measure.

Along with some extenders and alpha trad draws its a bomb proof set up to climb anywhere, on any rock.

Harder grades I'd probably add Some dragon flies when they're out .


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