Reviews & Ratings for Totem Cam — 13 reviews — Page 1

The most versatile cam on the market, covering a range not offered by others. Fits with other cams don’t and has the ability to hold on two lobes. Be confident in your climb by having confidence in your gear.

Totem cams are awesome, they represent the future of active protection. I have some duplicate sizes in C4s, and I always place the C4 first just in case there’s a worse placement ahead, because I know the Totem fits just about everywhere. Black-Purple are my favorite, the only downside to the larger sizes is they can be a bit floppy.

Before I started trad climbing I had heard a lot about totem cams and couldnt understand what all the fuss was all about. These cams fit so well into weird placements, flaring cracks, cracks with uneven surfaces etc. They are a bit bulky but definitely glad to have them on my rack

Got a double rack of totems, couldn't be more thrilled. These cams are hyped for a reason - easy to place, more secure in flares, narrow head width, really useful for tricky aid placements. Only cons might be that they aren't the lightest cams out there, and are a little bulky when racked on the harness. That doesn't matter for the vast majority of us though, as their practicality outweighs any minor downside.

Totem's are the best!! From the small black size to the purple (equivalent to a BD 0.5) these are by far the most secure feeling cams I've ever climbed on. Great for all-round trad, but also brilliant for aid climbing. They fit pin scars much better than any other cams on the market.

In the bigger sizes (green and up) they work fine, but I don't find any noticeable difference over the (cheaper) BD or similar cams.

I own four Totem now and have had a chance to use them quite a bit. The narrow head width lets them fit better in flared cracks and pockets, and the direct loading cams give me a lot of confidence in less than perfect placements. They are a little more bulky than other cams but that has not been an issue for me.

Had read the reviews on these and was using the previous generation C4’s still. Bought 1 and ended up changing the bulk of my rack to these. They feel amazing when placed and don’t seem to walk at all. Have not taken any falls yet but when placed the feel solid.

Totems are the future of cams! What makes these cam special boils down to a few basic design features that unleash placement potential. First, due to the cam's double axis design, a Totem's safe caming range is between 5% open to 100% open!! Apposed to black diamond c4's, which have the same caming range, but are only safe when 50% open to 90% open safe, meaning each Totem packs twice the placement potential than a C4!! Next, the double axis also allow Totem's to be placed off-set, eliminating the need to own an additional rack of off-set cams, should your projects require. Another feature of the simple double axis design is that that Totems are rated for body weight using a single set of lobes!! While this feature is recommended only for aid climbing, I have not hesitated to place a single set of lobes on extremely shallow placements in the middle of a runout.

In addition to the cutting-edge double axis design, Totems shine in other areas as well. The lobe heads more narrow, which opens up pin-scars and other small placements. The lobes are also made of a softer metal akin to the original Alien cam, providing a more secure catch. Some say this is a downside, because the cam will need to be retired faster. If you think protecting the life of your gear is more valuable than protecting your fall, then that is a valid argument. However I have some old original aliens and time and time again, that soft metal keeps catching without the need to retire. All in all, with totems, I f...
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top marks

I haven't use my new ones yet, but I do like the feel of them in the hand.