Description
It’s a cam; it’s a nut; it's the answer.
The CAMP Nylon Tricam's unique shape lets you place it as an active camming device or as passive pro depending on your needs, so you can frig in protection just about anywhere. The narrow design lets you get gear in places where traditional cams and stoppers just don't stand a chance. Since Tricams don't have stems of any kind, they work extremely well in horizontal cracks where other cams can lever out or simply break. Best of all, these brilliant little guys cost a fraction that of regular cams, so you won't feel it in the wallet if you have to leave them for rappel anchors in the alpine.
- Tricams can be placed actively or passively
- No stem means the Tricam works well in horizontal cracks where other cams will not
- Ultra-narrow head profile fits in small pockets
- Durable nylon sling outlasts a Spectra sling
- Color-coded for quick identification
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Share your thoughts
What do you think of the
CAMP USA Nylon Tricam - 2012
? Share a...
Great for certain situations
Szu-Ping Lee
Member since
I got No.3 and 4 to complement my set of nuts as passive protections. The tri-cams do so much more! I find them particularly useful on sandstones with reverse flaring (pockets with narrower openings). You can slide them in, then cam them; while spring loaded cams cannot fit, and nuts are not as secure. I climb mostly trad in Red Rock. The only down side is that these are heavier than nuts.
Sink the pink!
Christopher Columbus
Member since
Super versatile pieces of gear. Obviously the pink is infamous, but I use the other small sizes just as frequently. I carry the black 0.25" through the blue/purple #2, never fail to find a placement for them, from Josh to NH. Work great in horizontals and pockets, also useful in building belays if you want to leave the more finicky gear instead of a quick-to-place cam. The only folks I know who don't like them don't know how to place them.
Best Passive Gear Ever!
Joshua Bruch
Member since
I had always wanted to get a pink tricam after hearing all of the amazing reviews about them and was lucky enough to get one at a gym in July. They are awesome! I bet there is a placement for them on every other trad route that can be climbed. They also work great for rappel and top-rope anchors, especially in horizontal cracks. You need a pink tricam if you really want to start a trad rack. Good luck finding one!
Great for horizontals
Kalvin Frank
Member since
Christmas present for my 17 yo son. Used them for first time on his first lead climb. A pretty easy pitch with alot of horizontal cracks. He loved them and wished he would have had more because they were so easy to place and gave some good confidence. I followed and they are a little difficult to clean but well worth it.
Love them for sandstone
ble4879619
Member since
I live near a sandstone bluff and these are the thing for the tapering cracks and strange pockets that occur in sandstone. There are many places where nothing else will work. They are tricky to set, especially when you are on the edge. Cleaning them isn't any harder than a nut, you just have to learn a slightly different approach.
Are you in the Tricam camp or not?
Scott Gilliam
Member since
Funny how Tricams seem to divide the world, east coast/west coast, traditional (or noob) from sprad, etc. Some folks swear they "never leave the ground" without their pinkie. Then again, some folks carry three belay devices with them at all times. Heck, there's at least one person out there with a pink Tricam tattoo. I've heard people talk about carrying doubles, even triples of the pink.
I do like Tricams. Sometimes they fit in places that cams and won't. Sometimes they allow me to carry fewer cams. On multi-pitch routes I might build the belay mostly with Tricams and let my partner have the similarly sized cams for the next pitch. And Tricams take the place of big nuts or cowbells. Oh, I mean hexes.
Yes, Tricams can fix. I lost one on the Original Route on Whitesides. I was way run out (on admittedly moderate ground) and getting tired. I found a solution pocket that would take a pink. I jammed it in, set it, and wrote it off. I knew my partner (mostly a boulderer) would never get it out, but having the protection was worth it.
I carry from 0.25 to 3.0, and in my regular circuit at my home crag, I will place them all multiple times in the course of a day.
Spec Sheet
Geoffrey Johnston
Member since
Spec Sheet that comes with tricams Backcountry has at least one of the ranges wrong ,#7, hopefully this clarifies.
Hung out to dry
TheCrux
Member since
Just took a hard fall on a black tricam and that baby surely saved my life! Guess you could say I'm hooked!
CAMP USA Nylon Tricam
Mark Parrett
Member since
Pink and red will do just fine. I'm not at the Gunks so these two make an excellent supplement to my rack for places like the Uintas where you find lots of horizontals. With the exception of some strange pockets, I think there are other solutions for most places that you can stick a tricam, but those other solutions are three times the price and 1/4 of the old school trad daddy factor. Learn to place tricams.
Do people use the new .125 and .25 for...
Alex King
Member since
Do people use the new .125 and .25 for aid? Because the strength rating on those is astonishingly low. I was intrigued at the thought of having sizes less than pink for trad climbing, but it sounds like they might not really be up to the challenge. Has anybody actually taken a whipper and had one of these hold? Any epics about a failure?
TheCrux
Member since
I took a 20' fall on a Black Tricam (.25) on Dark Shadows in Red Rock. I didn't have alot of faith in the placement but it was all I could get. This thought was in my mind during the fall....but it held solid! Pulled my belayer up about 8' and left us looking eye to eye on the wall! I'm a fan of the tricam.
Edward Stoklannd
Member since
In my opinion they are stronger than any straight-laced design, they use the strength and stability of the triangle to keep you safe on your climb. My first trad fall was on a .25 tri-cam in a dubious placement. Mostly I use the .50 but this time I was testing out something smaller and as fate would have it thats when I had my first big slip. All I can say is surprisingly solid protection. I am still not sure if I will climb anything over 100 ft without my pink, red and blue ones, especially since the pink ones fit everywhere I need them to.. but they are definitely worth a try Im still here.
Never leave the belay without the pink
Alex King
Member since
You can probably find a place on every lead where the .5 fits and nothing else is secure. Bring it. If you want to cut down on the mid-sized pieces, the 1-2 sizes can pretty much fit wherever a similar sized cam could for a fraction of the weight and triple the fiddling. Might be worth it if you know that your climbing will have some decent stances for placements. Oh, and you never will need a flexible stem cam for pockets/horizontals again, these do that better.
What are the most useful sizes to get?
Kevin Brooks Henry
Member since
What are the most useful sizes to get?
Jacon Mayer
Member since
PINK! PINK PINK PINK PINK.
Okay, I love my pink tri-cam, but the answer depends on why you're getting them. If you want them as a lighter-weight option in the mountains (to save yourself from carrying big cams), get the big ones.
Personally, I find I use pink, red, brown and the smaller blue the most (.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0). I don't have the littler guys yet, but I've always wanted smaller-than-pink tricams.
Hope this helps.
TheCrux
Member since
The big ones are bomber as well....highly recommended!
Best passive gear is right
Jacon Mayer
Member since
These are the best. Learn to place them - they fit where nothing else will, they're light (yeah, the big sizes are great too!), and as fusionboy points out - pink is the best. Especially when you're 50 ft. above your last piece on easy slab and the only hole in the rock is a little pocket thing (Whitehorse anyone?).
Way, way, way better than hexes for large pieces in the mountains, unique placements that are irreplaceable in the small sizes. Get some.
Warm & fuzzy...
GeoJane42
Member since
... is how I feel about tri cams... esp the little ones. I rarely manage to place the larger ones but the new little white one and the old favourite pink have made me feel very comfy. Recommend practicing to get a feel for them but once you get it they are a very versatile, dependable part of any alpine rack.
East coast wonder
davernelson2240381
Member since
Great for NC trad, i love them.
Would these work well for setting up a top...
Bryce Dongog
Member since
Would these work well for setting up a top rope route?
Angus Bohanon
Member since
They're gear. You can use them to lead a route to an anchor or set up a toprope anchor. Just make sure you know what you're doing.
Joel Schopp
Member since
If you have to ask you should probably be climbing with somebody who already knows.
That said, tri-cams are safe to set set anchors with in the right placements, but I prefer to use other pieces for anchors because tri-cams can get really set in when weighted.
chris diersen
Member since
They are excellent for setting up a top-rope anchor as long as you have a friend with you to break it down when you're done. You won't want to try to get them out if you've placed them in the camming position. Should be fine if you use them like a regular nut.
Alex King
Member since
Everybody seems to get all worked up about tri-cams being hard to remove, but I have seen multiple people not know the proper removal technique. When set to cam, all you have to do to remove them is give them a good whack with the nut tool near the top of the rails where the sling connects to the piece. This nearly always dislodges your tri-cam.
Versatile
Ryan McNair
Member since
I'm a big fan if tri-cams. They're simple, always ready to do their job, and can be placed in many different positions and features. They're also basically maintenance free. The downside is you really need to know how to use them and place them properly. You can't just take them up the wall and throw one in a crack like you can a spring loaded cam. I carry the smallest four as part of my basic trad rack (.5 pink, 1, 1.5, 2). Larger than that, buy them and use them if you have specific needs for large cams.
Tyler
Member since
"The downside is you really need to know how to use them and place them properly."
This is key. I think that a lot of the hate for tri-cams comes from people not taking the time to actually learn how to place and clean them properly. Tri-Cams are not bad to clean at all once you know what you're doing- I've collected a bunch from various climbs that people were apparently unable to clean.
.25 to 3.5
Scott Gilliam
Member since
Love these. Work great in a multitude of placements. Tri-cam placements give me a special pleasure. Great for adding a little something to your warm-up, keeping the multi-pitch rack light, or for building belays. Have taken a few falls on these and tough they can be hard to clean, they hold great.
I love these
Aggy
Member since
They are extremely versatile. I use them a lot when setting up top ropes, especially in cracks that run parallel to the edge of cliff.
Love 'em or Hate 'em
Rob H
Member since
I never leave home without these guys. The pink tri fits everywhere I need it to. I have yet to take a whipper on one of these guys, but just having it jam into place in active or passive mode puts my mind at ease. Perfect for those weird pockets that a cam or nut won't do.
View all contributions... Be patient, it might take a while.

alefland
Member since