The ultimate camming-device review
It's a good year to be buying cams, with several hot designs hitting the market, including some at rock-bottom prices.

Buying cams is the most difficult choice you'll make with climbing gear. Over 20 different models swamp the market today, and between them there are endless varieties: two-, three-, and four-cam units; single-stem and U-stem cables; prices ranging from $29 to $113; and so on until you're dizzy with too many details. And that's before you even start considering each cam's actual performance highlights and downfalls.

To make sense of the morass, we collected piles of cams and plugged them in Utah's soft sandstone cracks, the flaky granite of Colorado's Black Canyon, and the odd flares of Eldorado Canyon. We also spent hours at the work bench, measuring head widths, comparing axle-stem connections, bending and re-bending stems to check durability, and scrutinizing each unit's price against its competitors. Along the way we identified our favorite units (some we liked best only in certain sizes), and discovered some real bargains. Whether you're looking to buy your first rack or just add another jewel to the collection, you might be surprised by our testers' findings.

What makes a good cam? When spread out on my living-room floor, many of the cams in this review look surprising similar. And to their credit, I felt safe using all of them when they were in a secure placement. So why not just go out and snap up the cheapest rigs you can find? Because the designs vary: Some are more secure in flares; some fit piton scars when nothing else will work; and others excel in shallow horizontal cracks.

In terms of easy placement and removal, the best designs have finger-friendly trigger bars that allow independent cam manipulation; extendable slings that give the option of two runner lengths; and reasonably long and flexible (but not noodley) stems that can reach deep into a crack or wiggle into tight corners.

In terms of security in small pods and pockets, a camming unit must actually fit in the tiny placement -- here a narrow head rules. Conversely, hand-sized cams and larger benefit from a wide head, which spreads the load over a larger area and helps prevent the unit from walking. Milled cam stops are a good safety feature no matter what the size of the cam, keeping the cams and springs from being over-expanded during removal or when walking into a wide pod.

Weight is another factor to consider, but because perfectly equivalent sizes do not exist between manufacturers for an exact comparison, we have mentioned only those brands that are particularly heavy or light for their size.

Finally, cams are available in two different cable designs: a single, center stem or a U stem. On a single-stem unit the cable sits between the two cam sets, and has the advantage of spreading the two inner cams' load over a wider area (but does not necessarily provide more surface contact area) -- good for flaky or crumbly rock. Manipulating the trigger is like squeezing a syringe, and allows for independent cam manipulation on either side of the stem. A single-stem cam has a couple of disadvantages in the tiniest sizes: The design does not allow for a narrow, three-cam unit and some brands (but not all) have a relatively thick stem compared to the small cams, so it can be difficult to fit the stem into irregular cracks.

U-stem cams have a horseshoe-shaped stem that connects on each end of the axle. Their triggers are broad and can be pulled with one, two, or three fingers, and the trigger wires are well protected between the two stems. This design allows for narrow, three-cam units that excel in small pin scars; also, in larger sizes, closely spaced cams may fit narrow pods and irregular cracks better than single-stem units. However, these models are more likely to walk because of the relatively narrow head width, and the U design produces significant leverage when placed in shallow vertical cracks where the stem protrudes horizontally, rather than in the direction of pull.