Totem Cams Totem Cams for Sale, Reviews, Deals and Guides

These cams are the best. Why? 1. They fit where other cams don't 2. They are bomber. and i've tested that. more times than I care to admit. 3. They are perfect in the small sizes. Everyone knows about the legendary Black totem. It has legendary status for a reason. Fits where other cams don't.

Totems go in and stay where a C4 or TCU simply won’t! Because the load is distributed and equalized from the lobes individually, you can place them in really wonky ways, almost like an offset (within reason). Perfect in pin scars, almost never walk, and load over corners like nothing else. Get totems.

I have been climbing on Totems for the last 5 years. It's nice to see them finally getting the recognition they deserve as they are the best cam on the market today. Just like front pointed crampons and banana picks that were mocked at first, these cams are revolutionary in the world of stagnant rock climbing gear. Maybe I'm a touch biased after so many routes with them, but they truly have no equal. I am incredibly excited to see Backcountry getting these in stock! Their price is a bit more competitive right now than when I did my YouTube review so I snagged another yellow! Sure can't have enough Totems... I'll attach my video review and a link to my blog review for those looking for some side by side comparisons and more in-depth information. www.armchairoutdoors.com/blog/5-year-review-of-totem-cams Cheers and Happy Trails from Armchair Outdoors! . . .

If you climb anything other than parallel splitters, these cams are worth the money. Confidence inspiring in flares, accommodates creative placements, and almost never walks.

They're hard to find, they're expensive, and they're almost never in stock. But they're worth all the trouble. For aid climbing, their ability to body weight two lobes is fantastic. For free climbing their low profile lobes fit into small placements other cams can't fit into. They're also particularly fantastic for pin scars, which means they're the favorite of every serious Yosemite climber.

On first look at these cams, one might scratch their head in confusion at the stemless design, the direct loading lobes, and the double sling. I was a bit stunned myself, but after picking up a few and testing them out, I find myself placing these bad boys before any other gear on my rack. I find myself placing them over my C4s in horizontal trending cracks due to their flexible "stem", as they tend to walk less and can bend over curved ledges better. The direct loading cam technology is also a plus, as it is even more confidence inspiring. I have yet to use them in two lobe aid placements, but I am excited to test them out. Bottom line: These cams are quite versatile and unlike anything else on the market. Go ahead pull the trigger if you are even just thinking about these cams, you wont be disappointed.

I got the red for a friend whose filling out his rack. Haven't had the opportunity to place it yet but like the action, flexibility, and opportunity for single lobe pair placements for aid. Definitely a little more bulky than a BD C4 but I will most likely pick up at least 1 in each size eventually as a complement to the rest of my rack!

I hate placing small pro but placing these makes me feel a bit better than placing X4s. The metal is softer but sticks better which is a good trade off I think and they are super flexible. I only have them in yellow-black which fills out my small sized cams pretty well for a "well rounded" rack.

I can't stop raving about these cams! They're absolutely great; easy to place, easy to clean, really wide placement range, and they're totally bomber! I always feel comfortable safe climbing above these cams, because I always get sense of confidence in their placements. They're a little bulkier than most other cams, but not any heavier! Do yourself a favor, and snag some up whenever they're in stock (not very often)! If you have any questions, give me a call at 801.204.4691, or email me a rlindsen@backcountry.com!

Just got the Orange - largest size they offer - and it's already replaced my #2 camalot. About the same range - tiny bit smaller - and seems to have a better active range and was able to place well in an awkward flare.

I got one of these cams (blue) and after climbing with it for a couple weeks I was sold! Every time I place one of these cams I know that its not coming out. I went back and bought the whole set up to the orange. The shape of the head allows for a much deeper camming motion. I have placed these cams many times in flaring and slightly offset cracks that the BD cams would never have worked confidently. When I just need a single set of cams these are the ones that are on my harness everytime now. Get them you will not be disappointed!!

It's definitely an exciting time to be a climber. The variety of cams on the market is better than ever and this is definitely one of the best cams out there. If you want to chat cams, trad gear or other climbing gear, drop me an email at jdowns@backcountry.com We can debate the best cam, which is the lightest, this that and everything. But here are my 2 cents on this cam paired in with the rack I'm currently rocking. I picked up a set at the end of last season but didn't climb on them until recent. Since they're a hot item and sell out quickly I decided to get a full set when they were in stock. Current Rack: C4's 0.3 - 4 (doubles) UL Master Cams 00 - 8 Master Cams 00 - 6 (for when I need doubles) Totems 0.5 - 1.80 BD Stoppers 1 -13 DMM Offsets 7 - 11 Tricam Evo's 0.25 - 1.50 Placing: These are much easier to place than any other cam I've used. I liked how its super easy to look at and see whether you're starting to over cam it and then you can stop and save yourself from a fixed piece or a headache. The lobe design doesn't resemble the lobe designs on other cams. My biggest gripe with cams like the UL Masters are the "range finder" for a "good" placement tends to be on the edge of being camed perfectly to over cammed. Plugging these in odd cracks (flaring) is where I really noticed the difference. Since each pair of lobes are operating on their own stem, the entire cam won't (or at least hasn't) walked on me the way I've been able to get other cams to walk in. Cleaning: This was beyond easy. With a great placement and easy access to the trigger, it was super quick to pull these out of the wall. Weight: This seems to be the hot topic. If you're worried about the weight of these cams and need to bust out your excel spread sheet to compare grams. Do your self a favor and stop. If you're worried about the weight these will add to your rack, consider wearing shorts on your climb instead of pants. Skip that post climb beer or burrito....that way you are lighter next time. Get a hair cut. Get a rope that is a 9.5mm instead of a 9.8mm. Those things will have a bigger impact on you and you'll have some peace of mind when you have a more versatile cam on your rack. The only time I personally see the benefit of the weight conversation is on alpine climbs or climbs with uber long approaches. That's where these are a nice item to supplement my rack for other climbs. I'm not big on a "one size fits all" approach for climbing gear. In the end, it's hard comparing weights and sizing across brands and different cam models. That to me is something that is welcomed. It means we've got options. This way we're not seeing a bunch of climbing companies all making cams with the same lobe sizing. But just for fun... UL Master Cam #6 32.5 - 48.0 mm 3.3oz Totem - Red (1.50) 31.6 - 52.2 mm 4.6oz BD C4 - #1 30.2 - 52.1 mm 4.8oz Racking: I didn't think these were the smallest cams to rack with. Compared to my UL Master cams or a set of C3's, Aliens, or Totem Basics, these definitely take up the most space. But That doesn't really bother me since I can fit just as many cams on the gear loop. But if you've got a single set of these to supplement the rest of your rack, the space they take up is worth it because of the ease of use. I save them for desperate times.

For a Spoooktacular Halloween, we decided to go out at night and climb the Coffin Crack in Little Cottonwood Canyon, by headlamp. Classic splitter finger crack to a rightward traverse finish. AS I headed right, I stepped out onto to the slab and engaged my right foot - unbeknowst to me - I had just stepped on a worm! During the autumn, these worms come out in droves and cover portion of the granite in LCC. AS I pressed into that foot, smushing the worm, my foot skated and I flew! My belayer, thinking I had it finished, had just given out a long armful of slack. I fell about 20 feet swinging to my left as i fell. But no worries here! I had placed the blue totem in a shallow but tight placement, and the thing held like a charm. Thanks for the catch totem!

Con: bulky on your harness and a little heavier than C4's Pro: great for flared crack, tough, flexible, durable, and a smart design: the cams are designed with double trigger wires so the cam will be secure with only 2 engaged lobes and doubly secure with 4 engaged lobes thus increases your options for placements I have one set of C4s and one set of Totems. I reach for totems when there is a flared crack or I need a bomber piece!

I have used the following cams: DMM Dragon (old and new), Demon, Metolius UL Powercam, TCUs, Mastercams, UL Mastercams, Black Diamond C4, UL C4, C3, X4, Wild Country Helium, Zero, Tech Friends, and new Fixe Aliens. So pretty much every cam on the market. I have subsequently sold most all of my other cams except for Metolius UL Mastercams, one new Fixe Alien, totem basics, Tech Friends and larger sized new DMM Dragons (Totem only makes these up to the 1.8 size, (BD Yellow). So basically only for BD,Blue SZ 3 and up do I use other cams. I do use Metolius UL Mastercams (only other thing close to these) to supplement if I am carrying multiples. These cams are superior in every placement. As shown in another review below, their ultimate strength is not affected by how engaged the cam is. It could be near the limit and have the same strength as a perfect placement. The flexible stems keep the cams from walking. the heads are small and can fit in places only CAMP Tricams could have fit before. Quite literally, sport climbs that were unthinkable to have been done on trad have been protected by totems, because they truly can go into places where no other cams can. The bottom line is that these are light, will change the way you think about gear placements, are tough, flexible, very high quality and increase safety by affording more potential placements and better placements in existing placements. People who swear by C4s are like people who are doubt the moon landings. Get with the times folks, the future of camming devices is here, and this represents one of the most significant changes in camming tech in decades. This is not some niche aid tool. This is the best cam available. Period. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TeTejh1ebs

I've used just about every cam on the market extensively and these are far and away my favorites. They are always the first cams I rack. They simply place more securely in more placements than a conventional cam. They work as well as any other cam in straightforward placements, and are leagues better in funky placements, flares, pods, pockets, and horizontals. I find them be be the easiest to place cams on the market, in that you can slam it in a crack just about anywhere and it's going to be good. These are always the piece that I reach for when I'm desperate and need a piece that is going to hold. A friend of a friend tells me the sling design makes for a really nice french freeing handle. I wouldn't know, because I would never do such a thing, but yeah, they work well for cheating your way through the crux. The unconventional lobe shape seems to makes them a lot less prone to getting stuck from being overcammed. This is a good thing. The only real complaint I ever hear about them is how they supposedly are bulkier on the rack, but I don't really find that to be the case when racking Totems together. They tend to lay flat against each other and take up about the same amount of room as any other cam. I can't wait until I can get my hands on the new Black and Orange sizes!

These cams are game changers. They stick better than any other cam, even flaring placements, they seem to walk less, and are less likely to get stuck via over camming. My first climb with a green totem was on the Prow in Yosemite. Near the end of the climb I noticed how much more I liked it than my others but couldn't explain it. They just seemed to stick better. SO, I tested it out above a bolt by placing a green link cam (which failed), a green C4 (which held my weight after fiddling with it for a long time to get it perfect), and a green totem. The totem could fit better, held aggressive bouncing better than either of the cams. After the climb, I bought the whole set and would gladly trade my BD C4s for more totems. I cant wait for the new sizes! I recommend you buy one, and prepare to buy the others after you try them out.

I say "specialty" only because if you already own full sets of cams you can probably live without these, but if you do aid climbing or climb funky cracks (flared) or pin scars, these things ROCK. They have amazing holding power on just two lobes like no other cam out there. Yes, they are bulky on the harness due to the way the sling loop hangs parallel (for lack of better description) to the stems - if they added another sewn loop they'd hang on the harness with with stems pointing out off your hip at 90º, taking up much less real estate on the harness. But that's a minor gripe and something you'll completely forget when your hanging on for dear life in a wickedly flaring crack...

Ive had the green and red for several years and I can honestly say they are the most trusted pieces in the rack. They place and remove easily, overall confidence inspiring, narrow width, good durability The biggest con is they are slightly more bulky than a c4 but the trade off is well worth it, these are the best cams available and worth the extra money. Anyone wanting the best should buy these you wont be disappointed.