UKC

I haven't found any threads on this in the last couple of years, so I'm wondering if everybody knows something I don't!

The WC cams I own are fine, and less than 10 years old, but the slings are too fluffy for me now and I'm worried about their strength.

I know for a long time WC would resling cams less than 10 years old, so I called them today (all mention of repairs has disappeared from the website) to be told that they don't offer the service and don't even own the sewing machines to do it anyway.

Remembering that DMM make some WC gear in their factory I gave them a call. The lady who helped me wasn't sure if WC cams were made by them, but was sure that they wouldn't do repairs and/or resling them.

So...does this mean WC cams can *only* be reslung at home with cord, or shipped to the USA to be done there? It seems a shame, and if this is the case I don't think I could bring myself to buy new WC cams when I know that DMM and BD ones can be serviced.

In reply to Flashy:
Massive oversight by WC if this really is the case! I had a cam re-slung by them a few years ago. You can send them off in bulk to the states to be reslung but that's going to be pricey!

In reply to Flashy:

As an update I posted my cams to Mountain Tools in the USA, who turned them around in about a day before posting them back. Price was very reasonable, unlike postage -- I did wonder if it would have been cheaper with Royal Mail from the UK than UPS from New York. But that said, well worth it to have new sewn dyneema slings on everything. They even did my rigid Friend which Wild Country would never have done even when they did do reslinging.

Mountain Tools will also do trigger wire repairs if you don't like doing it yourself, so you can get an all-round fix up while getting the slings done. They don't do any kind of inspection though, which is I think to be expected given they didn't make them.

In reply to Flashy:
How much did postage work out at per cam?

In reply to CurlyStevo:


£100

In reply to Flashy:

I often thought of sending my stuff to them and replacing all my cams slings with double lenght slings. i was worried about (but never look into it) psotage. if you could give us a ball park number per cam that would be great. i would be interested in sending over 14 cams.

In reply to Flashy:

I've had the same discussion with WC earlier this year, they no longer offer any kind of service and I would agree it does make DMM look likely come replacement time but also interested in the repair service you have found.

In reply to Flashy:

I've just reslung mine with 60 cm dyneema slings doubled with an elastic band near the crab end. You can get a choice of colours to help with quick identification. It means they hang a bit lower, which isn't a problem if you use a bandolier and you need less extenders.

It is still possible to buy suitable tape too.

In reply to Aigen:

I posted them from NYC, not the UK, and it cost me about $20 for four cams in a box IIRC. According to the Royal Mail website a 2kg parcel is just £16.49 sent abroad. 5kg is only £1 more. Mountain Tools details return postage rates on their website.

There is a way you can thread a short sling onto the cam. It's a larks foot but the sling doesn't press on itself so it should work ok.

I would use this service again, but if buying new cams I would get Black Diamond or, more likely, DMM. Wild Country cams are effectively more expensive in the long run because of this.

In reply to Flashy:

Black diamond resling for free from the uk you just pay for postage one way (or atleast they did a few years ago).

In reply to Flashy:

I find it interesting that this topic keeps coming up. In my experience by the time a cam sling is in need of replacement, the cam is also ready to go.

The easy option, if sling replacement concerns you is to buy BD cams. Replace the slings by using a quickdraw through the hole.

In reply to 3leggeddog:

Really? I typically think a sling is sufficiently furry to warrant replacement roughly 1-3 times in 10 years. I would generally keep my cams for 10 years+.

In reply to CurlyStevo:

My fur tolerance must be higher, anyway my point still stands, if replacement worries you buy BD cams.

In reply to 3leggeddog:
Are all the new BD cams not of the thumb loop type?

In any case having experimented and used several home made solutions I do much prefer the slings done professionally.

In reply to CurlyStevo:

Thanks. That does make things relatively easy.

In reply to Flashy:

Yeah this was a few years ago but it was advertised on ukc and they honoured it for me. It does take a few weeks though - one reason I prefer to buy DMM.