climber-chick from United States, GA Public Profile

I have used these cams moderately now and I have used BD X4s extensively. I like the Totem Basics much better and sold all my X4s!

Pros:
+ compact head fits in small placements
+ large cam angle is more forgiving (vs. Metolius or Wild Country)
+ "tire tread" combined with soft alloy lobes gives bomber grip in placements
+ long stem with wonderful amount of flex to snake into placements
+ light in weight
+ smooth trigger action and comfortable, shaped trigger bar
+ solder beads prevent cam lobes from inverting
+ fairly long sling plus long stem reduces need to extend placement

Cons:
- expensive
- long stem/sling makes them rack low on your harness
- fragile (but no more so than other small cams)
- no real cam stops or passive rating
- large cam angle and soft lobes give less holding power
- no thumb rest in thumb loop

For those coming from BD:
Blue Totem ~ #0.2 Camalot (In practice, Totem feels slightly larger)
Green Totem ~ #0.3 Camalot (Feels about the same)
Yellow Totem ~ #0.4 Camalot (Totem feels slightly smaller)
Red Totem ~ #0.5 Camalot (Totem feels slightly smaller)

This helmet is awesome. It's incredibly light and breathable and is as close as you can get to feeling like you are not wearing a helmet. The suspension is comfortable and very adjustable; I can get a great fit. The magnetic buckle is a huge help when buckling one-handed. I don't like how it looks, but when it's on my head and I can't see it, I love how it feels.

I was worried about durability, but after using one for about ten days of climbing, I worry less about it. I just try to put it in the top of my pack or on the top of the pile of gear in my car to minimize the chance of it being crushed in a weird direction.

I got them for my friend to replace his board shorts for climbing. He says they're very comfortable and light. They are a little shorter on the leg than the picture suggests though....

The sizing seems to be a little weird, I would err on the smaller side if you are not sure.

This harness is surprisingly light and comfortable to wear. The gear loops are spacious and easy to clip, and the belay loop has a neat anti-crossloading pocket, which allows you to clip a biner in a grippy pocket in the belay loop. There's a well-sized haul loop in the back as well. It's really adjustable and has a wide range for both the waist and legs.

This women's-specific harness has a high rise and is meant to be worn up on your waist, not your hips (as I prefer). I found that for me, it tended to ride up toward my ribs as I moved, and become uncomfortable. Additionally the gear loops of the Small were about 1.5" off-center on my ~27" waist.

I bought four of these as snag-free replacements for some cheaper wiregates.

I love them. They are truly snagless, but the nose isn't wide or burdened with weird extra metal (a la the Hoodwire). Just the right amount of heft and a carefully designed shape helps prevent them from "twirling" around on alpine quickdraws on free-hanging clips. The quality of make is superb and the clipping motion

I'm a new fan of Tenaya shoes, and these did not disappoint.

They're more downturned than a pair of Muiras, less than a pair of Solutions, but oh so comfortable. An elastic strip along the arch allows the shoe to flex with your foot, and an expanded toebox gives your toe knuckles space to bulge. The velcro straps are adjustable in length and can be angled just so to get the snug fit you need.