Black Diamond Equipment: Camalot C4

Two thousand feet above the deck you find yourself in an interesting position. One hand is jammed in a splitter granite crack; the other hand is pumped beyond belief and grabbing for a piece of protection. Thankfully, you chose to rack up with Black Diamond's C4 Camalots, which increases your chances of choosing the right size on the first grab because of the unit's large expansion range. The cable loop and trigger are easy to grab, and the slings are large enough to manipulate with gloves. This is the third generation of BD Camalots and they just keep getting better-they are 30-percent lighter than the originals. So grab, place and keep moving... You're exploding up your routes with C4's by Black Diamond.

• Wide expansion ranges overlap sizes which allows you to carry fewer pieces and select the right size more often
• Ergonomic triggers can be pulled easily with gloved or mittened fingers
• Single-stem stainless-steel cables are rigid for easy placement, and the cable loops allow a higher clearance for aid climbing
• Fat cam widths distribute the load on soft rock while the overall cam width is narrow for cracks
• Radiused teeth increase cam durability and holding power