UKC

Any good?

In reply to John Kelly:


We used a mix of ultralights and the previous generation camalots in Yosemite in May. All I can say is that I wasn't consciously aware of any difference between them whilst climbing.

In reply to John Kelly:

They work just like "ordinary" Camalots, ie, very well. The difference is that they are ca 25% lighter and so feel amazing.

In reply to Stephen Reid - Needle Sports:


I just did the maths.

On the rack that we carried on the Salathe Wall replacing every camalot with the ultralights that are currently available would have saved 0.65kg. It sounds good in theory but in reality it's a tiny percentage of my bodyweight and when you take into account the weight of the lead rope and haul line that you are towing than it's an even smaller marginal gain.

In terms of absolute feelgood factor and nice handling I find that my 2015 DMM Dragons still feel best to me personally. I have to confess that I haven't got my sticky fingers on the new Dragons yet

In reply to timjones:

Thanks Tim - if as good C4, happy days

In reply to Stephen Reid - Needle Sports:
Would it be worth lending me a set for a couple of years, I could try them on langdale rhyolite and report back
Just past your shop, red one hanging in display window, glad my mate was late for girlfriend, very tempting

In reply to timjones:


I am not Camalots greatest fan, but having had the opportunity to use the 2 biggest sizes of these today, on both ends of the rope I think this is misleading. For me the only advantage they have over the original is the obvious one of lighter weight. They have a number of psychological disadvantages for me though: they look and feel like they are made with horrible cheap plastic on the stem (sure this is just in my head as they flex fine) ; in a similar vein the dyneema on the sling is incredibly thin, giving no where near the reassurance of a standard Camalots nylon and they have one very bad design oversight: Every other cam now has something on the stem to stop the trigger going to far towards the lobes, as if it does the trigger wires can unhitch. Whilst in your bag I'm sure this is annoying, on a route as happened today, it is any thing up to really quite dangerous. Not at all what I would expect from such an expensive piece of kit.

In reply to D Berry:

How can one persons opinion be any more or less "misleading" than anothers?

I used both ultralights and standard C4 cams pretty intensively over a period of several very long days of climbing . the weight difference never even registered in my mind and neither did any other issues that you highlight. I happily used then for aid on steep and exposed pitches and never felt anything less than total confidence in the cams or their build quality.

In reply to timjones:

Tim

I apologise for saying misleading, in my defence I was feeling tired and rather sleep deprived. I should have said I have had a very different experience instead.

Completely understand other people will have a different experience as to how they look and feel. But, per the trigger problem, I genuinely believe this to be a problem with them and am glad it didn't happen to you.

In reply to D Berry:


Do you happen to know if that includes the old heavyweight C4s?

In reply to D Berry:

No worries, different opinions are always interesting to read.

I'll have a look at the triggers next time I share a rack with someone who can afford shiny new cams

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

They don't but it appears to be in possible for the trigger wires to come unhooked.

In reply to timjones:


Thanks. Never had it happen, but maybe worth checking before I jump on something.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:


Having thought about it a bit more, the C4 that I checked out was only a number 1. Maybe it could be a problem on the larger sizes.

In reply to timjones:

Maybe it could be a problem on the larger sizes.

It was a size 3 that it happened to for me, and those 2 biggest sizes make more sense with the weight saving to me as they give you the greatest gains.

In reply to John Kelly:

Hi,

I am the owner of the Ultralight Camalots for which the trigger wires detach. It has happened three times in my pack, but now twice on route, which is less forgivable.

The weight saving on the two larger sizes is significant. But I suspect they will be less robust than the C4. I have come up with a fix for the trigger wires, but whilst I am hugely impressed by some elements of the engineering on the Ultralights, BD do seem to have dropped the ball on something pretty basic. The issue is starting to be voiced on some US sites also.

I wouldn't get the smaller sizes myself, as for me the expected lower robustness would outweigh the benefits. That's just my guess, time will tell. Hopefully ultralight cam larger sizes + rubber bungs + glue = awesome.

In reply to Wayne S:

That's not very good, thanks for info

In reply to John Kelly:

Hi,

Just to be clear I am not unhappy with the purchase, and the lightness is great. Having to make a fix for the trigger wires is little more than an annoyance, and I will continue to use. The feeling of reduced robustness is just that, and time will tell. Horses for courses, sports cars are less reliable than other cars and have a bumpy ride! But you still want one!

Wayne