Collecting every piece of gear takes a little time.
We think it's worth the wait.

Nice choice!
Give us a moment to collect those options for you.

Lightweight

6

Move over BD, these are the new standard in SLCDs

Pros
Lightweight
narrow head
direct lobe weighting
excel in flaring cracks
Cons
They rack large
price
Distribution network somewhat limited

From a little company in Spain comes one of the best, if not THE best, SLCD on the market today. Totem takes the best points out of all of the cams on the market and wrap it up in a neat, quirky package that isn't just gimmicky, but extremely functional.

First think you'll notice is that these guys look weird; different from any other cam out there. Wires connect all the parts together, with only a very short stem and axle present. This gives the cam flexibility beyond the offerings of anything else. They are so flexible, I've often found it unnecessary to add a quick draw to avoid walking. The wires also allow you to directly load two out of the four lobes. While this has little application in the free climbing world, it's a great selling point for aid climbers, making two lobe placements much more secure and balanced.

The cam head is where the magic happens. Made out of 6061-T6 aluminum, the head is softer than most others on the market. 6061 is the same material that CCH Aliens were made out of, and the "softness" of the aliens has been praised as one of their strong points. This material bites the rock and seats better than the harder materials used by other manufacturers, giving the placement a very secure feel, even in marginal conditions.

The shape of the head is also obviously different from anything else out there. It is the narrowest on the market (narrower than aliens or TCUs), making those shallow placements a breeze. The lobe shape has been specifically designed by Totem's engineer to apply fall forces to the rock in a different manner than traditional lobe shapes. This design not only works better in all situations, but absolutely excels in flaring placements. There's a 6 page PDF document on the Totem website explaining the science behind their lobe design in comparison to others (pages of mathematical proofs included), so check it out if you don't believe me, or are just a nerd like myself. I've had the distinct pleasure of testing this theory out myself by taking a few falls on the Totems, a 40 footer on a purple being the biggest, and the fact that I'm here writing this is a testament to the fact that they do indeed work!

There are currently 5 sizes available and they range from small fingers to small hands size. Color coded to match the #1 and 2 (blue and yellow) mastercam sizes, and purple-green-red (.5, .75, 1) BD C4 sizes. Makes grabbing these and finding the right size pretty easy.

There are a few drawbacks to the totem cams:
- They're more expensive than your standard go-to brands and their distribution network is still kind of small (although it's growing), so finding them can be somewhat of a hassle. Prices were raised in the middle of 2013, and MSRP is 79.99 USD. That being said, if you order 5 cams off of Totem's website, they knock the price down to $60 each, so they become more in-line with the rest of the SLCD price offerings. Backcountrygear.com is also a distributor and often has 20% off coupon codes you can use to make these more affordable.
- They rack kind of funny. Not a huge deal, but they lay "flat" on your leg instead of perpendicular like C4s and the like. Not an issue when you have a full rack on your harness and are climbing anyway, but some people are weird about that sort of thing, so it's worth mentioning
- They only come in sizes up to 1! I wish they would make larger ones. Maybe someday in the future!

All in all, these are the best cams I have used, period. I've put about 200+ pitches on them this season and I'm incredibly impressed with their performance. I'm so impressed with these that I've completely sold my rack of BD and Metolius cams in these sizes to replace exclusively with Totem cams. Yes, that's right, THESE ARE BETTER THAN C4s! Watch out BD; as Totem grows you're going to have a hard time keeping that #1 spot!

Meteor III+

Petzl
Petzl Meteor III
2.58

Light, but poor fit on small heads and bad strap design

Pros
Lightweight
Cons
Poor fit
poor ventilation
Expensive

I have a small head, but I'm in the size range given by Petzl. I couldn't get the strap to fit properly because it isn't fully adjustable. Once I managed to figure out I could shorten it by improvising (wrapped it around the plastic thing at the back) the fit was alright. Another issue is that there are large gaps between the sides of my head and the helmet. I'm not sure what the consequences are in case of an accident. Lastly, the top of my head sometimes gets hot and itchy, which I think is due to a lack of ventilation in that area. I have the white model which makes me look too much like a mushroom. Keep in mind these foam helmets can only take one impact, so they're not ideal for ice climbing and mountaineering. Another potential issue is that a British mountaineering organization rated the impact forces much higher on this helmet compared to traditional designs.

5.16

Top of the line quickdraws

Pros
Lightweight
good handling
nice looking
Cons
Expensive

After using some Ange S biners successfully on my ice tool leashes while wearing gloves, I knew which quickdraws I wanted on my rack. I already have a set of DMM Shield wire gate notchless 18 cm draws (similar to Wild Country Heliums), so I only bought a few 17 cm Petzls to augment my rack (and to satisfy my gear lust.) Compared to the DMMs the Petzls are lighter, slightly easier to clip due to lower gate tension, quieter when they jingle on the harness, nicer looking, but more expensive. I'm a guy with perhaps slightly below average sized hands. and don't find the biners too small. I do recommend you try them in-store before ordering a whole set (which you can't return.) Petzl compromised on the strength (kN) of the biners to achieve the low weight, but this doesn't worry me enough not to buy and use them.

FS Mini

Metolius
Metolius FS Mini Carabiner Full View
3.48

too tiny for normal hands

Pros
Lightweight
Cons
too small

I bought 2 of these mini biners to try as a summer/rock alpine draw. First off, "mini" is no exaggeration!! If you've ever used the Camp Nano 23 and thought it was too small, then don't even consider this biner: its even smaller!
The Metolius Mini biners are priced to be good value compared to the similar Camp Nano. The Mini has a moderately stiff gate and very small gate opening. (Note: for reference, I wear a men's size large glove/mitt and with a bare hand could not fit an index finger in the gate opening - this makes clipping difficult. Alternatively, pinch-clipping is equally difficult because the biner is so small that there is little to hold.) Hence, these biners are too small for alpine draws, but work well for my alpine umbilicals where they won't get in the way or flip around like the Nano's.
Overall, the biners are good value in the "ultralight" category, but if you want "everyday lightweight" alpine draws then I'd recommend the Nano's or a larger lightweight biner. For example, a personal favourite (and highly recommended) in the "light full-size biner" category is the DMM Shield notchless biners (35g) or Wild Country Helium (33g).

5.16

2" of live-saving AWESOME.

Pros
Lightweight
easy to use

My first gear fall was onto one of these bad boys, and, as I am here writing this review, it CLEARLY did its job.

What I love about all the Metolius Ultralight power-cams (and why I choose to rack mostly Metolius rather than the more widely used Black Diamond) is that the action is snappy and easy to do one handed while ALSO being extremely lightweight. I can twist my wrist with the bigger sizes and know exactly where the cam is going. I can hang a whole pile of them off my harness and not be as weighed down as many of my climbing pals. While some might feel the pull-back is stiff (and IS compared to the BD cams), it gives me the sense that the Cam wants to return to the open position, which ultimately is where it will be performing its life-saving duties.

Performance-wise, Metolius Ultralight Power Cams are the way to go for me.

Mydas

Cypher
Cypher Mydas Full View
4.32

It matched my jacket, what was I supposed to do?

Pros
Lightweight
Clean Action

Bought 24 of these to re-rack my alpine draws and shaved 1.2 pounds from the weight of my rack. Might not sound like much, but every pound counts. These 'biners have a snappy action and while a little smaller than a standard draw carabiner, are easy to work with. The price was right and I am stoked to be using them.

Plus they match my jacket, and as we all know, gear is about fashion ;)

5.16

My what lovely nuts!

Pros
Lightweight
Good Construction
Ideal shape

I have owned and used a set of Metolius Ultralight Curve Nuts for a few years now and find them to be fantastic nuts! The shape facilitates solid placements--the curve often allows it to fit just a tad better than some of the nuts with straight sides. Solid construction, great anodized colors stand up to lots of wear and tear, and best part: they protect falls :)

FS Mini

Metolius
Metolius FS Mini Carabiner Full View
5.16

Little bitty lovin'

Pros
Lightweight
Great Action
Cons
Rotating color selection

I got a set of these to rack my trad gear and have not been disappointed with their performance. They are the one of the lightest wiregate carabiners so I get to keep my rack weight down while looking slick. I can easily fit 3 smaller cams or 2 larger cams on each biner to save rack space.

My only complaint is that Metolius rotates the colors they have in production, so at any given time yellow, purple and brown (possibly others) are impossible to find--which only matters for color coding your rack. Otherwise, spot on Metolius!

ATC Guide 2018

Black Diamond
Black Diamond ATC Guide Green
4.32

Making life easier, one grippy belay at a time.

Pros
Lightweight
durable
multi-use

This is a great multi-use belay device. The toothed side is perfect for belaying a heavier climber, or for a single-rope rappel; the device is great for belaying a lead climber, or a top-roper and can be used to belay off an anchor. After 2 years of belaying with this device, the teeth are definitely showing signs of wear, but due to the triangular shape it is still sufficient for a controlled belay or rappel. If you're only going to buy one belay device this one is pretty great!