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April 2017

Beginning Trad Climbing Rack: What to Buy and What to Skip***

April 4, 2017 fmg-adminGear Reviews Rock Climbing

***Updated here, December 2020.

Beginning climber trying to put together a trad climbing rack?
I often get asked about what first pieces of trad gear the beginning climber should purchase. Most new climbers are not looking to go out and spend $3000 on a full trad rack and want to know what pieces make the most sense to buy first. So here are some of my suggestions on what you might want to purchase first.
Minimalist (cheapest) Rack:
Cams:
BD C4 0.5 to 3
BD X4 0.2 to 0.4
One set of nuts (skip the micros) so BD #5 to #11
One set of Tricam Evo’s Black through brown

Standard Rack:
Cams:
BD C4 0.5 to 4 Doubles 0.5 to 3
BD X4 0.1 to 0.4
BD C3 0.1 to 0.3
Set of Nuts #4 to #13
Set of Tricam Evo’s Black through Brown

High-End Standard Rack:
Cams:
BD C3 0,1,2
BD X4 .3 and .4 Doubles of .4
BD C4 .5 and .75 Doubles of both
BD UL 1 to 4     Doubles 1 to 3
Set of Nuts #4 to #13
Set of Tricam Evo’s Black through Brown

From here you can expand into all kinds of specialized protection like big bros, offsets, and many other size specific and placement specific protection based on your goals for climbing. I have found that the




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