Backcountry Beacon

Josh taking his pick of the litter

Knee-deep in the gear room last June, I was confronted with a major dilemma: what rack to take for the summer? Heading mainly to Squamish and the Bugaboos in the Northwest, I realized that taking the entire arsenal would be overkill. A phone call to my friend Nate in Portland, Ore., quickly sorted things out. “Dude, it’s granite. You probably only need doubles, maybe triples in a few sizes.” And with that, more than half my rack stayed at home. Lest you get the wrong impression of me as a gear-hoarding, over-protecting, grubby consumer, be forewarned that the parallel world of desert cracks leads to a skewed outlook when it comes to the cam department.

Spring-loaded camming devices (SLCDs or simply cams) can become a hotly contested issue among gearheads and dirtbags alike. Safety is a concern, to be sure, but other subtleties such as ease of use, holding power, size range, and cost come into play. Racking preference is largely personal, and as such is laden with bias. People new to trad climbing are often forced to rely on beta from their more “experienced” partners or simply go for the price point. This article will hopefully shed some light on the matter by briefly highlighting major design differences and providing some recommendations for putting together the right rack for you. Read More …