We offer Free Shipping on orders over $50 shipped within the contiguous United States...that's the lower 48 to you and me. If your order is received before 5 PM Eastern Standard Time, we will make every effort to get it out the same day. Make sure to take Free Shipping into account when comparing prices.
Free Shipping (Economy) must be selected inside the shopping cart.
We guarantee complete satisfaction and an unlimited lifetime warranty. If at any time - now, next month, in 30 years - you're not 100% satisfied, send your gear back for a full refund. No questions asked. Need help returning an item? - Click Hereclose
Due to contracts with the following brands, we are unable to ship any of their products outside the US.
more...
Int'l Shipping
Backcountry.com uses UPS Worldwide Express or Worldwide Expedited
for all shipping outside the United States. We have found this method to be quick,
secure, and cost effective.
The Black Diamond Camalot C3 has an incredibly narrow head profile for fast, secure placements where other cams can't even think about going. Its head is 30% narrower than any three- or four-cam unit available—place gear in that tiny solution pocket your finger won't even fit in. The Camalot C3 uses interlocking lobes and an internal dual-stem design to achieve its slim profile and smooth action. Independent trigger springs allow each cam lobe to operate freely and to fit tiny irregularities in the crack. The large thumb loop makes this Black Diamond cam easy to place when you're pumped stupid and allows you to clip in short while aid climbing for that extra two inches of reach.
Bottom Line: Usher in the new age of thin crack protection with the Black Diamond Camalot C3.
Okay, the trigger feels stiff, but I have placed these things PUMPED out of my gord and never have been too pumped to pull the trigger! If anything the strong spring is confidence inspiring, knowing that even with a little dirt and grit the cams will expand and hold in the crack, I like the stiff springs! These things are narrow and fit in soo many places. Aliens are just not durable and you can't trust them to as bomber a standard as BD cams. I have replaced my aliens with these and have not looked back.
User error lead to blowing this cam out of the crux of moonlight buttress. Make sure you see your placements and don't stuff them in blind and pumped!!!!!
These are seriously inferior to Metolios Master Cams, and obviously even more inferior to Aliens.
Why? Because the head is suuuper wide. That means it won't fit in those tiny pockets it is designed for.
Also, the lobe shape is poor - not nearly bulbous enough (Master cams do this better, Aliens do it far better). So what, you say? It reduces the range of each cam, and makes the fit worse. I've seen these pop twice, which is scary. Never seen an Alien or a Master cam do that, and I've used the latter a lot more.
I have to respectfully disagree with this comment, on a factual basis:
Re: Head width. C3s have the NARROWEST heads of the major microcams, significantly narrower than aliens or mastercams or TCUs. Personally I find this usual since they're easier to slot into small pods in thin seams that are too small for other microcams.
Re: Lobe shape. All cams have the same lobe shape, a logarithmic spiral. The only difference between brands is the angle of expansion (how quickly the spiral gets bigger). C3s are intermediate in expansion angle. Metolius cams (TCUs and Mastercams) use a smaller angle and have a smaller range. Aliens use a larger angle and have a greater range. There is nothing "wrong" with the shape of the lobes, they simply offer a different trade-off between range and holding power than other brands, and this difference may be disconcerting to users who are used to a different brand with a different cam angle.
Obviously Jacon doesn't like the C3s; that's fine, and he's certainly not alone in that judgement. I like them, but that's irrelevant. I just wanted to correct some factual errors in the above comment.
I've whipped onto the green and simulated a whip onto the grey. Both held. The stiff trigger softens a bit over time, and is a good thing as it allows for much precise incremental changes in lobe range. Placing bomber tiny cams requires perfect lobe placement, the stiffer trigger enhances my ability to do so. To echo evan- I've never been too pumped to place one. Head may be wider than aliens, but they still fit into pin scars. Love 'em.
I've whipped onto the green and simulated a whip onto the grey. Both held. The stiff trigger softens a bit over time, and is a good thing as it allows for much precise incremental changes in lobe range. Placing bomber tiny cams requires perfect lobe placement, the stiffer trigger enhances my ability to do so. To echo evan- I've never been too pumped to place one. Head may be wider than aliens, but they still fit into pin scars. Love 'em.
I think the new C3s will be okay in the long run. I like the stiff neck for pushing them into cracks, but the mechanism is stiff and not that good when you are pumped.
I am super impressed with how these came out. I used early versions during the development stages, and saw all the hard work that Black Diamond put into these and I think it was worth it. These make previously unprotectable (without bolts) stuff safe. The narrow head is going to be great for pin scars in Yosemite as well as for any time you need a little piece of mind when other gear just won't go in. They action is little stiff, but you get used to that, and they are going to be very durable. They are pretty lightweight too. Two thumbs up!
I like the plastic covering on these caribiners; they make holding them in your mouth like a pirate knife quite nice. They have a nice width and feel nice when pulled. So far they have held my falls. I trust them with my life.
The trigger is stiff to pull when I'm pumped and I don't like the fell of the trigger pull in general - it's not very responsive. That said, all my friends rave about these and think they're the cat's meow.
I really like the C3s, the stem is very durable and the heads are very thin. I've fallen on a couple of them, and they held, so they have my confidence!
These are now my reach-for piece any time it gets thin. Nothing inspires more confidence than a Black Diamond cam, and the C3's follow the tradition. We'll see if they hold up in the long-run. But because the springs are usually the most delicate part of any cam, I'm betting their placement below the trigger will keep them out of harm's way. My only question is: why didn't they go one size bigger? That way I could stop carrying aliens all together.
Comment on Evan Stevens's review >