Wild Country Friend Camming Device reviews and deals for sale
Wild Country's Friend Camming Device started saving climbers in 1977, and what once was a bulky, heavy, steel-stemmed monstrosity is now a superlight, highly-refined beauty for the contemporary climber. Modern updates include the groundbreaking double axle design that allows passive placements, and Wild Country upgraded each axle with a hollow interior to reduce weight without inhibiting the cam's overall strength.
The Friend also features a new Dyneema sling that extends to resist rope drag and keep the rope out of cracks. Hot-forged construction keeps the cam as light as the competition, and high-friction faces ensure grip on the slipperiest stone. Both the trigger and thumb loop style an ergonomic feel, and the trigger features stops for easier cleaning.
$64.95
$45.47
$45.47
Product Specifications
Brand | Wild Country |
---|---|
Category | Camming Devices |
Material | [sling] Dyneema |
Placement Range | [0.5] 0.81 - 1.35 in, [0.75] 1.01 - 1.69 in, [1] 1.24 - 2.11 in, [2] 1.63 - 2.72 in, [3] 2.07 - 3.46 in, [4] 2.62 - 4.41 in |
Strength | [sling doubled] 12 kN, [sling extended] 10 kN |
Cam Lobes | 4 |
Axle | double |
Stem | single |
Includes | extendable Dyneema sling |
Claimed Weight | [0.5] 3.45 oz, [0.75] 4.05 oz, [1] 4.72 oz, [2] 5.6 oz, [3] 7.12 oz, [4] 9.98 oz |
Recommended Use | climbing |
Manufacturer Warranty | lifetime |
Wild Country Friend Camming Device Reviews
Adam Micah Baron
December 24, 2020Great Pieces!
Love these cams! I prefer them to the C4's in almost every regard. I have noticed that the lobes are prone to lateral movement along the axles, which in terms of function makes no difference, but sometimes bugs me from an aesthetic standpoint. However, the build quality is noticeably higher.
Mike
August 22, 2019Better than BD C4
I don't know why most people use BD C4s instead of these. These are way better for just about every reason.
cole addison
June 24, 2019Solid cam!
The extendable slings on these are a huge advantage, not sure why more people do not make them. I have used the #3 and #4 many of times and they feel so solid and never walk when place correctly. The extendable slings let you carry less heavy quick draws which is super nice on those harder routes!
Matt Hazelgren
December 7, 2018Extendable slings are awesome.
Extendable sling is a great. You can use a single carabiner for easy placements and save time.
Zach Blessing
November 23, 2018I'm a C4 guy.
These cams run a little bit larger than BD C4's, which was hard for me to get used to. Also, the triggers are a little bit smaller than C4's. The best thing about them is the extendable sling.
David
November 9, 2018Confidence Inspiring
In my experience these seem to walk less than C4's and are easier to place than Dragons, while being competitive in weight. I've found that extending the sling on the cam itself tends to be annoying, but sometimes still do it if a biner is going to be loaded over an edge.
Zina Bougri
September 25, 2018love, love, love
These cams are amazing. They're lightweight, easy to hold/place, and grip the rock better than C4s (in my opinion, at least in the smaller sizes). I also love the expandable slings! Makes it much easier to place more pro knowing that I don't have to use an alpine draw to extend some of my placements.
Eric L.
May 30, 2018Wild country provides
I bought the .5 and .75 to start(just out of curiosity, already have a BD rack) and man do these pieces perform. The lines are grippy, the trigger is super smooth and the sling is a great alternative to clipping fast instead of looking for alpines or draws on your harness. 10/10 will get a full rack of wild country cams.
William Bowen
May 30, 2018C4 + Dragon = Wild Country Friends!
I absolutely love the Wild Country Friends! I picked up a few of these cams and liked them so much I'm going to slowly convert all my cams over to them. They are what you get when you take the key advantages from the C4 Camalot with the DMM Dragon. You get the extendable sling and CNC machined lobes giving you better holding power from the DMM Dragon, with the thumb loop from… read more the C4. One thing that Wild Country has done that I haven't seen on other cams is the hollowed out axles, which I have noticed really makes a difference in the head weight and balance of the cam. I would highly recommend these cams!
Robert Lindsen
April 28, 2018My new favorite cams!
For the longest time IâÂÂve stayed true to the time-tested Black Diamond C4âÂÂs, but I finally gave these Friends a try. I love them! All the things you love about a Camalot, except lighter and it comes with an extendable sling! The along extension definitely isnâÂÂt a replacement for a proper alpine draw, but it really helps keep the rope drag down on… read more pitches that wander just a little bit. Give them a try!
Elliot
April 7, 2018Excellent cams
After a lot of research and much consideration on which cams to buy, I chose these ones and I am so glad that I did. Wild Country has been making cams longer than anyone else. They know what goes into making a reliable, durable camming device that will provide great protection for years to come. Some of the things I really liked about this Cam are first, the extendable sling. It… read more is a really nice feature to be able to extend the sling by a few inches when you are running out of draws or just want to reduce rope drag. Another thing I really liked is that similar to the C4's, these have thumb loops which make these so easy to grab and place. The last thing you would want to do is drop a cam when you are four pitches up. I would recommend these to anyone as I love them.
ch
November 26, 2017real friends
I think that the new Friends are better cams than the C4s.
Daniel Goodman
October 18, 2017My New Best Friends
I finally had a chance to get the 0.5, 0.75, and 1 out the other day and put them to use. I have a mixed set up of cams that I tend to use from different companies so I was excited to give these a shot and they did not disappoint. First, the cams feel extremely light and are in fact lighter than the Camalot C4s if only by a little. A little change in weight can go a long with with… read more a double rack and a full day of climbing ahead of you. Secondly, the action on the trigger is the best of any cam that I have used including, C3s, C4s, X4s, Totems, and Metolius cams. For me, that means when I'm redlining at the crux and need to place a piece, it is that much easier to get a solid placement. Finally, as others have stated, they place incredibly well and remove easily. These are all the things and more that you could ever want from a cam and I will be buying Friends first when it comes time to pick up some more cams. Feel free to reach out directly to me with questions on these cams or any others, I'd love to chat!
Ken Shafer
June 18, 2017She held.
First placement today about 25' up another 5' took a whipper, held strong, still easy to recover. Im sold, im gonna keep adding more friends to my rack, i want a whole set, maybe two. Helium friends are about a size and a half smaller than the friend v3.0.
Eric Poore
May 31, 2017Wild Country Friend
A look into what makes up the new Wild Country Friend.
austin
January 13, 2017Sexy
The C4's hot sister. Trigger action is incredibly smooth, and the extendable runner comes in handy more often than not. Only concern is that the force rating on these is lower (14kN vs 10-12 kN), therefore I tend to include a C4 in serious crux placements. I think the design of the runner has something to do with it - BD has shown that their wider, non-extendable nylon runners on… read more C4 are better at handling greater force around the thumb loop than extendable designs, so there's the trade off. I'm also unsure of how long I can make these last, they do seem to be more delicate than my C4s, and I would expect to get as much use out of them for the price point. 5 stars if they indeed stand the test of time. Have yet to whip on one, however they do inspire confidence when placed well, and the wider lobes are sooo sticky, and resist walking better than other cams. I haven't used the old single axle friends so I can't speak to the staggered sizing range when racked with C4's, and I personally like how well they line up with C4 sizes and colors. When lined up side by side, these new friends actually seem to be a few millimeters bigger than their BD counterparts. There's been a few times that a slightly tipped out C4 placement was made tighter by plugging one of the friends. If you're looking to supplement a rack and cut down on weight (fewer QD's), these are killer.
Scott Gilliam
September 19, 2016Nearly perfect
Wow! Take a C4 and make it better, nearly perfect. The New Friends are tweeners. This one sits nicely between BD gold and blue, where I used to use my 3.0 Friend. Lightweight and well finished, is it durable? Only time will tell.
Michael P.
August 18, 2016Inspiring Confidence
I just got back from a climbing trip to Colorado. I had a double rack at my disposal including a full set of BD Camalots C4 & X4s as well as WC New Friends. BD has been the gold standard for cams but I believe the New Friends to be a strong contender. I actually prefer the New Friends to the Camalots for several reasons. First, the extendable sling allows me to carry fewer slings… read more and/or alpine draws AND allows for quicker gear placement because I don't need to take a separate sling from around my shoulder to clip to the cam. All you need to do is plug the cam then extend the built in sling and keep moving. This single feature allows me to climb both lighter and faster. And the 2nd feature that, in my opinion, puts these ahead of the C4s is the lobe design. The lobes are a bit wider, providing more contact with the rock and they feel rougher and grittier, adding more friction between the lobes and the rock. The C4's lobes are painted and very smooth, granted they hold very well, so just imagine how a rougher, grittier, larger lobe will hold. Given the choice, I would reach for a New Friend before I would use a C4. They are both amazing products, but the Friends just inspire a little more confidence in my gear placements.
Trevor N.
June 16, 2016Cams
Can't wait to try these bad boys out, really want the 3 and 4 for my rack
Marisa C.
June 10, 2016wild country knows whats up
I am in love with these cams. I picked up a set of these cams to double my rack up. I have a set of BD cams and a set of the wild country cams. I must say that I am finding my self racking up and reaching for my wild country cams. they are so light and they place so well. The extendable sling is not much but it saves the weight of having to put a quickdraw on the cam if it is a… read more deep placement. My friends love them and are always asking for me to bring them. I have used them in New Mexico and Oklahoma both on granite.
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