When I rack for a multi-pitch trad climb, I rack like this:

  • Cams (with a biner on each cam), set of Stoppers on my harness
  • Quickdraws and a few spare biners on my harness
  • Over-the-shoulder runners with one biner on each—over my shoulder (well duh...)

If I need to place a cam, I grab one, place it, clip it and go.

I saw him fiddling at all of these cam placements and was wondering what in the world was going on up there—he's taking forever farting around with gear—maybe it's because he's so strong he doesn't get it—but for me, I need to place the piece and keep moving before I flame out. So as I'm seconding his pitches and having to deal with this unfamiliar conglomeration of slings on slings on cams, etc—I'm wondering:

  • Why is he doing this? and
  • How much does this affect the strength?
  • And, I am getting pumped out of my mind.

I mean nylon on nylon or Spectra on Spectra, etc—sounds like bad juju to me—and I'm not talking about girth hitching anything here—just looping it through.

I get to the belay and ask my partner what's up with the method—and then it all clicks—ahhhh "old school alpinist," light is right, save a biner, etc, etc—and old habits are hard to break. Regardless, I got back from the weekend, explained the situation to the crew in the QA lab and we proceeded to do a few quick tests.

The Tests

We slung some 8 mm Spectra through a typical cam sling and did a few pulls in the tensile tester and a few drops in the drop tower. We compared the results to a cam sling only.

MORE STORIES

Raised By The Mountains

RAISED BY THE MOUNTAINS

A second-generation mountain guide hailing from Chamonix, BD Athlete Fanny Schmutz was born from the...

READ ARTICLE
Yma O Hyd

YMA O HYD

Watch BD Athlete Hazel Findlay attempt her hardest trad route since becoming a mother. 

READ ARTICLE
Hazel Findlay’s Fall Picks

HAZEL FINDLAY’S FALL PICKS

Fall favorites from one of the world’s best trad climbers after becoming a mom.

READ ARTICLE
BD.dry™

BD.DRY™

Waterproof. Breathability. Durability. Stretch. Our 2.5L and 3L BD.dry waterproof technology is designed to keep...

READ ARTICLE
How to Choose a Ski Pack

HOW TO CHOOSE A SKI PACK

A guide to Black Diamond’s touring backpacks.

READ ARTICLE
A Swell Weekend in the Desert

A SWELL WEEKEND IN THE DESERT

Beat the Moab crowds and head northwest for climbing, running, and bouldering in the San...

READ ARTICLE
Designed For The Deep

DESIGNED FOR THE DEEP

The Black Diamond 2026 Winter Catalog

READ ARTICLE
The New Normal

THE NEW NORMAL

Black Diamond Athlete Hazel Findlay sets off on her first climbing trip as a mum,...

READ ARTICLE
Indian Creek Rack

INDIAN CREEK RACK

The essentials for sending splitters in the desert.

READ ARTICLE
Black Diamond Presents: Hard Sends with Seb Bouin—Le Chant des Muses (5.15b)

BLACK DIAMOND PRESENTS: HARD SENDS WITH SEB BOUIN—LE CHANT DES MUSES (5.15B)

Watch BD Athlete Seb Bouin find inspiration in an undone project near his home in...

READ ARTICLE
Making Of The Mission Duffel

MAKING OF THE MISSION DUFFEL

True Alpine-style. 

READ ARTICLE
Anything But Mid: How to Navigate the World of Midlayers

ANYTHING BUT MID: HOW TO NAVIGATE THE WORLD OF MIDLAYERS

Our essential layering picks for cold-weather mountain pursuits.

READ ARTICLE
Gear Myths: Does Anyone Use Stoppers Anymore?

GEAR MYTHS: DOES ANYONE USE STOPPERS ANYMORE?

They started the clean climbing revolution; now they may be a relic of the past.

READ ARTICLE
The Founder

THE FOUNDER

A film about the life of Peter Metcalf and the creation of BD.

READ ARTICLE
Black Diamond’s Love Letters to Indian Creek

BLACK DIAMOND’S LOVE LETTERS TO INDIAN CREEK

Bears Ears National Monument has been reduced (again). We are angry, but our love for...

READ ARTICLE