Best climbing cams. Also, you asked for the best cams, not the best value.
Best climbing cams $90 at Amazon. The Dragons are bomber and well suited to parallel placements, with the stems being flexible enough for horizontal placements. View at Backcountry. Also, you asked for the best cams, not the best value. 3 or . See every brand, compare every detail, and find the best price. The Wild Country Zero Friends have been newly redesigned and re-released in 2020, and are one of the best smaller camming devices you can buy today. If you're lucky enough to own a spangly set of top-of-the-range cams, then you can bet your bottom dollar that your mates are always keen to climb on your rack. We also found that the u-stem cams are much easier to clean with a nut tool if they get wedged in there. For more of our top climbing gear recommendations, check out the Best Climbing Cams. In this article, you will find enough information to help you buy the best climbing cams in USA. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If you want a good basic set of cams to last you for the next 10-20 years, choose mid-weight Most of the testing took place “in the field,” by using cams on trad climbs. They feature the same size and color scheme as the Camalots, and the same double axle design and camming range. In general, most BD cams are not known for being the lightest, and the heavily metal construction of this cam means that it doesn't top the charts in the weight department. All the cams on our list have their own strengths and weaknesses. Climbers often prefer singles in small sizes such as 000 C3 and the orange alien for specific placements requiring precision and security. $110 at REI (before member cash back!) Our Verdict. The best micro cam for free climbing despite being my least favourite micro cam would be the dragon fly, its the widest of the micro's and has a slightly grindy action but its also the strongest and is stiff enough. $70 at REI (before member cash back!) $70 at Amazon. 75 is 102g, 1 is 123g, 2 is 142g, 3 is 192g and 4 is 260g. 5 ounces to the load on your In terms of weight, 0. 5 is 88g, 0. 3 to a #3 doesn't have the mind-blowing weight savings as theCamalot Ultralights (21. Wild Country Friend. My favorite, hands down, are Totems. For this test we got as many different cams as we could. they are offset from eachother. There may have been some curses thrown in for good measure. Black Diamond Offset Micro Stoppers. Among these options, Dragonflies, Z4s, and C3s stand out for their reliability and performance. 5f. Weighing in at 27. These cams have been around forever and just work. c. When you wish to choose a perfect cam, you should know more information about it. View at CCH. It has a time-tested design and In climbing, cams are reliable and versatile pieces of trad protection created for placing in parallel-sided cracks, where nuts won’t function. But beyond simply climbing lots of rocks, we used our lifetimes of climbing experience to carefully note important key factors for each cam and metric, described below. 79 ounces without the . $91 at Amazon. The Wild Country Zero is designed to fit into cracks too small for Friends. Aliens use to be hands down my favorite cam for big walls and climbs where you have tight and shallow placements. Say what you will about the long-term durability of Dyneema, or how the price of a rack of Ultralights will The best “small” cams out there, use them for both free and aid climbing. Wild Country Rocks. E. 's (spring loaded camming devices) at any price. A set of Totem Cams will add 22. Black Diamond Stoppers. The Metolius Super Cam was initially a favorite for us, but the more we used them their limitations became readily apparent. the regular Totems, which are in production and available, actually overlap with the micro cam sizes included in this test and Acquiring the best climbing cams does not come cheap but is a great help in your climbing activity. Our initial perception was one of a well crafted, super solid piece of gear that was easy to place and bomber once placed. DMM Wallnuts. A set of X4s from Yellow to Purple is heavier than the corresponding sizes of Metolius Ultralight Mastercams, and that includes an extra cam in the Metolius line to cover the same range. The RELATED: The Best Climbing Cams of 2025. Great for mounting on chest mount or helmet, or creative uses like mounting on an ice tool. d. 2 is strangely very flexible. The Sony a1 is my go-to camera for both climbing photography and run-and-gun verité filmmaking. 3 ounces), and the Wild Country Friends (22. There’s something about their range and unique lobe design that makes the placements feel solid, even in strange cracks and pods. Offset cams are particularly helpful when climbing alpine but can be used almost anywhere. (Check out our Best Climbing Cams Review for a complete breakdown of the cams we tested). Wild Country's Friends feel like a piece of equipment, not a toy, engendering a serious mindset in the climber and leading ultimately to safer more productive climbing. These highly engineered, sort of affordable, shiny spring-loaded gadgets allow safe passage up cracks Finding the best climbing cam is a process, but below are a few of the highest rated cams available. Learn about the two main A phone with good camera quality. 79 ounces, but without a . Our Verdict. 4 size). Metolius Curve Nuts. Mud, dust, water, or ice lowers the friction and can cause the cam to slide out during a fall. Cams are essential equipment for modern traditional climbing. That said, usually a climbing cam with a flexible stem and narrow head will work in a Tricam placement. Panasonic LUMIX FZ2500 4K – Premium Choice. Make sure you choose the appropriate cam sizes for the specific The much anticipated Black Diamond Camalot Z4 were released in the spring of 2020 with quite a lot of hype, and they don't disappoint. Shop for Cams at REI - Browse our extensive selection of trusted outdoor brands and high-quality recreation gear. 97 ounces, a set of C4s from . They come in six sizes, ranging from a purple one-inch piece When choosing top small cam options for your climbing gear, consider popular choices like C3s, aliens, totem basics, mastercams, and Metolius TCUs. We took a look at all of the available rock climbing cams that are on the market today and came up with a list of the best climbing cams. C amming devices, Friends, Cams, whatever you want to call them, they are amongst the most prized possessions of all trad climbers. They have a flexible cable stem and recessed cam spring design, and Best Climbing Cameras to Buy in 2022! 1. Weight. Once you acquire the needed expertise, you can RELATED: The Best Climbing Cams of 2025. In this situation, you will need to pick the brands that suit best with your climbing ability. Black Diamond Camalot Ultralights have everything our testers love about the Camalot C4s at 75% of the weight. DMM Dragon Cams are out to make a dent in the Black Diamond cam supremacy that seems pervasive at all American crags. ) Best for lightweight commercial photography Sony a1. The Metolius Master Cam is not only one the best small camming devices for the money, it is one of the best smaller s. A. We asked three of our regular contributing photographers for their favorite lightweight cameras. l. Since climbing cams are pricey, it will be better to borrow a climbing cam first or to gain experience. g. We think the DMM Dragonfly cams are some of the best small camming devices you can buy, especially among those that largely follow the “alien” design. We like the feel of these and the solidity of the units once in a good placement. Learning how to properly use cams is a crucial part of today's trad climbing RELATED: The Best Climbing Cams of 2025. Based on our research and testing, we think the Black Diamond Camalot C4 are the best Climbing Cams on the market right now, for anyone looking to play hard outside. Aperture: 2. We really liked the fact that the cams are so light and compact compared to other cams that we tested. $85 at REI (before member cash back!) $85 at Backcountry. newer iPhone models, Google Pixel or similar. They are beefy, and durable. Based on our research and testing, we think the Black Diamond Camalot C4 is the best Climbing Cams available in 2025. If you plan to climb on many rock types and in many different locations, any new, flexible-stem design will be good enough to get you started. Below, you’ll find the best After some discussion we thought we should give them an honourable mention because a. Cams are classed by climbers as active protection as they have moving parts. $80 at Amazon. We think they are the best small camming units you can buy, for which they garner one Still, climbing hardware continues to evolve, from refinements on classic gear like belay devices, to more-ergonomic iterations of staples like quickdraws, to more compact and lighter designs. With cutting-edge design and When selecting reliable climbing cams, prioritize top brands like Black Diamond and Metolius for quality and performance. Z4's are fine as are aliens, wild countries are good and have an extendable sling but the . When it comes to climbing gear, the Black GearLab has its roots in rock climbing, with our founder Chris McNamara being one of the most famous and recognized big wall masters on the planet. They are expensive, but there is a reason they are reccomended so highly. Totems represent a major step forward in climbing technology, and it is rare for me to find a placement for anything else that Totems wouldn't improve upon. When you go to buy cams, ask the shop assistant which style is best for the rock type in your local area. Because cams depend on this friction, only place them in clean, dry cracks. From these details, you can find the best equipment to fit your personal climbing needs and weigh the pros and cons of similar climbing Our experts extensively field-tested the best Climbing Cams of the year and rated the best based on transparent, objective criteria. These specialty cams are the best way to protect flaring cracks where regular cams might not suffice. The cams feature a u-stum design that allows for ease of handling while simultaneously providing a high clip-in point for clean aid climbing. It's not just marketing. It goes without saying, then, that the These cams are designed to help you succeed in any climbing pursuit, whether it’s indoor or outdoor climbing, bouldering or sport climbing. Totems always perform — with amazing bite, good range, and easy trigger! Climbing in Patagonia often means lots of funky “not Find the best climbing cams from Black Diamond, DMM, Fixe, Metolius, Omega Pacific, Totem, Trango, Wild Country. 8-4. I don't consider them mandatory for any Yosemite or sandstone routes, but climbers in more pocketed areas often swear by them. Quick Answer -The Best Climbing Nuts. They find their way into more placements than almost any other small cam. Rock climbing cams, or Spring-Loaded Camming Devices, consist of four spring-loaded cam lobes which pivot on an axle. 3 size), the Metolius Ultralight Master Cams(23. A smaller action camera that can be mounted on helmet or elsewhere, GoPro or similar action cameras. T EN P OUND B ACKPACK Men's Women's Footwear Hike & Camp Climb Trip Reports. View at REI. Another specialty variation is the flexible stem which allows the cam to better redirect forces when protecting horizontal cracks and other misshapen features. $49 at Backcountry. Here are the results. The Metolius Ultralight TCU is is the lightest camming device we tested. Panasonic LUMIX FZ2500 is the best camera you can buy for climbing in 2022 for less than $1000. Falls were taken. K. camming devices, also known as climbing friends, or more correctly Spring Loaded Camming Devices) are pieces of rock climbing equipment that fit into parallel-sided or even slightly flared cracks to provide protection. When you place the best climbing cams in UK, the springs make the lobes press out on the sides of the crack, forming just enough friction to keep it in position. 4 is 75g, 0. The Friend is the most affordable set of cams you’ll find at your local climbing shop, and they’re in the top-three cams out there. diecdkcvaizxlrlejgukjwruwitagfziuptqytlzvmoqawhirwyhknblnnvnyzgkoeyqmbw