How to Choose a Basic Trad Rack

   Building your first trad rack is an exciting but daunting task. With cams ranging from sixty to hundreds of dollars (US) a piece it is not a cheap endeavor. Don't worry though, everyone has to start somewhere. Plenty of climbs are partially bolted and require some trad gear. This is a great place to practice with a small amount of gear because normally one or two specific nuts are needed. A good place to start would be to get two sets of nuts or stoppers. These come in a range of sizes (ex. 1-13). Nuts are passive protection and usually range from six to twenty dollars (US). Having two of each nut can get you through most trad sections without problems. If you are looking to do full trad routes you may want to invest in some larger hex nuts or camelots. Nuts are great for most standard cracks, but when they start getting wider or do not taper, cams and hexs are the way to go. The trad gear pictured below is enough to get you through almost all normal trad routes. After that it is up to your convenience and discretion on what to add. (Ex Big Bros, bigger cams or more cams). Happy Climbing :)  

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Updated 11/10/2014