No Trees - Unique Hangs

**cataraftgirl** · 11-19-2010, 19:55

I've been thinking about using climbing cams on river trips. I'm not a climber at all, so I have no idea what to get. What would be a good size/type to bring along? I have REI & climbing stores available here in SLC.
KJ

**L.D. Cakes** · 11-19-2010, 20:26

Originally Posted by Scottybdiving

I bought these for an optional hanging method on an upcoming rafting trip. I never used them on the rafting trip but I did some testing at home, and they worked great.

What size Tri-Cams would you recommend?

**Pastorus** · 11-19-2010, 20:39

Originally Posted by Met77

This would probably do a good job for hanging on rocks. It's a climbing cam. They can support a lot of weight.
Attachment 15897

This is a great idea but IF I slept, I'm pretty sure that I'd dream of that cam grip all night long.

**Gnome77** · 11-19-2010, 22:31

Read a tip somewhere on here where you wrap the webbing around a rock and wedge it in a crack. Same as using rock protection device and they are free. But leave no trace, put it back where you found it.

**Bradley** · 11-19-2010, 23:17

Originally Posted by Doctari

Yew Just aint right!

Kinda what my wife keeps sayin'

so
Hew'l aft 2 4give me . . .

bow 2 comp

**Met77** · 11-20-2010, 14:15

Climbing Cams are rated in kilonewtons (kN). A rough translation of converting kNs to pounds is 1kN = 224.8 lbs. I am not a climber, but what I've read is that the kN rating illustrates how much weight the Cam will hold during a fall coming to a dead stop. This is much different than just supporting weight while hanging in a hammock. Some of the smaller cams on REI have a kN rating of 5-8 kN. This would translate in a weight bearing capability of 1,124 - 1798.4 lbs. Of course, the smaller Cams won't work in larger rock cracks.

**Mustardman** · 11-20-2010, 14:43

The old "Jeep on one end, tree on the other" has worked well for me. Here are a few shots of the technique in action, at the campground at Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Excuse the tent... the dogs needed somewhere to sleep

**zukiguy** · 11-20-2010, 15:41

I can't find the photos at the moment but a tractor and some ratchet straps saved the day on a canoe trip a few years ago. The only spot to hang that wasn't covered in poison ivy was a big lone poplar tree in the middle of a wide open field. There was a big lawn tractor with a roll bar parked nearby with the keys in the ignition so it got moved in line with the tree. The pair of ratchet straps went around the tree so the vinyl coated hooks ended up on each side. So when we got done we had a pair of HH set up in parallel and overlapping just a bit. It wasn't the best setup but it worked great for one night.

**the_gr8t_waldo** · 11-20-2010, 15:52

if it came down to carrying wedges,cams- i'd rather try pebbles/fist sized rocks, wedged into a crack and rope/webbibg looped around the pebble.

**Scottybdiving** · 11-20-2010, 19:45

Originally Posted by cataraftgirl

I've been thinking about using climbing cams on river trips. I'm not a climber at all, so I have no idea what to get. What would be a good size/type to bring along? I have REI & climbing stores available here in SLC.
KJ

REI has the CAMP USA Tri-cams individually or in sets of 4. I bought the set of 4. They can be used actively where the strap rotates the cam when tensioned or passively like a nut.