Offset Master Cam 1/2
Description
• Offsets are composed of two small lobes and two larger lobes to fit flared placements and pin scars
• A flexible, single stem unit with an ultra-narrow head width for hard aid or free climbing
• Molded thumb piece
• 13 mm (0.51") Monster Sling webbing (36% Dyneema/64% nylon)
• Range Finder tells you at a glance if you've chosen the right size cam for the placement
• Optimized cam angle for more outward force
• Machined cam stops
• Color-coded sewn slings and tubing
• CNC machined for much greater precision than stamped or extruded cams
• 7075-T6 aluminum
• 6 Sizes: #00/0 -#4/5
• Hand built, inspected and individually proof tested in Bend, Oregon
Retail price
This Product is Hard to Find.
We don’t know where you can buy this item online in the US. We’ll continue to check all the major retailers and will update this page as soon as we find one.
If you know where to find this online in the US, let us know, and we’ll add the link.
Weight (g / oz) Weight (g / oz)In grams and ounces, the weight, as stated by the manufacturer/brand. | 70.0 g / 2.40 oz |
| Cam Head | 4 lobes, single axle |
| Offset | Yes offset |
| Stem | Flexible single stem |
| Sling | 9 cm x13 mm Nylon / Polyamide (single sling loop) |
| Camming Angle | 13.25° (angle is consistent throughout) |
| Active Strength | 8 kN |
Cam Range (mm / in)Cam Range (mm / in)In millimeters and inches, the maximum dimensions of the cam lobes when shut tight and fully extended. Since the "usable" range is so debatable, all manufacturers now list the full dimensions to avoid selling themselves short. For offset cams, we'll list the max dimensions possible and then afterwards list each of lobe dimensions. | 14.4 - 20.3 mm (0.57 - 0.80 in) |
| Materials | Main Material: 7075-T6 aluminum |
| Certification | CE, UIAA |
No reviews yet.
These excel in Yosemite, Zion or any area with flared cracks and pin scars. They are best paired with non offset cams. For example, on a typical El Capitan route I would take 1-2 sets of these and 2 sets of non offset cams. In a place like Indian Creek, where the cracks are perfectly parallel, these cams do not work well.
Our testers absolutely loved the Metolius Offset Master Cams. Using and placing the cams is really easy and confidence inspiring. If you’ve never used a Master Cam you will really dig the color coded dots along the outer edge of the larger sizes. Green against the rock – good, yellow – iffy, red – better put in a bigger cam, or get another piece in as soon as you can find another placement. Although no one likes to fall on gear, falling on a well placed Offset Master Cam really keeps your mind on the game. The machined lobes dig into the rock whether its granite or gneiss. The flexible stems can take a big fall without permanently kinking the stem (usually). The color coding on the sling and thumb look helps you to keep track of what you’re looking for. The colors match up with the standard Master Cam colors, except the thumb loop is one color and the sling is another so you know which two sizes you’re getting. The Offset Master Cam’s aren’t the lightest cams available, but they aren’t whales either.
Overall, these cams are highly recommended. Now I know there are the die hard Alien supporters out there, and to them these are probably the Anti-Alien, but if you want an offset cam that’s well made and gives you options for pro when nothing else will work, these are worth a look.
ust when it seemed like thin-crack pro couldn’t get any sleeker or more specialized, the innovators at Metolius Climbing introduced Offset Master Cams, an update to the single-stem units that tweaks them perfectly for flares, pin scars, and other singular placements. The Offsets come in six sizes — No. 00 through No. 5 — and offer the same narrow head profile, Metolius’ Range Finder, custom-molded thumb piece, flexible single stem (for deeper placement and to minimize walking), and space-age hand-milled veneer. Slung with 3mm Monster Sling webbing and made of CNCmachined 7075-T6 aluminum, the cams are also CE/UIAA certified.
These cams were introduced last year, but we hadn’t used them extensively at the time of our last Gear Guide and wanted to report on our findings. Plus, since the middle of last year, Colorado Custom Hardware’s Alien Hybrids have been very difficult to obtain, making the Metolius Offset the only one you can find outside of Ebay. By pairing two different sizes of Master Cam lobes in a four-cam head—and keeping that head narrower than the vast majority of other four-cam units—Metolius has created a tool that fits superbly in pin scars, pods, and flaring cracks. This makes offsets a must for aid climbers who want to go hammerless. The six Offset Master Cams span a range from about 0.3 inch to 1.3 inches—i.e., pin-scar territory. But don’t think of these solely as tools to dig out of the gear closet for big walls. We found them perfectly adaptable to free climbing and suitable to a wide range of rock types, though we especially liked them on the rounded cracks and shallow seams of Boulder Canyon granite. For anything but perfectly parallel cracks (e.g., Indian Creek), we reached for them just as we would any other cam—by turning the cam to one side or the other, we could always optimize its placement. And when a crack flared radically, we were far happier with the result than we would have been with a traditional unit. As with Metolius’ regular line of Master Cams, the cam lobes are connected to the trigger with Kevlar cord instead of wires; these prevent kinking to maintain smooth lobe movement, and we detected no damage after fairly extensive use. One small Offset Master Cam bent sharply under the head after two falls in the same placement, requiring a vise and pliers to restore it to proper shape. But otherwise, testers felt these cams were burly tools that could be indispensable on some climbs, and will be useful on many.
Beth Rodden shows you how to inspect and maintain your cams.