Spring-loaded camming device

[3] Designed so that a load produces a rotational force, the logarithmic cam shape allowed for a single device to fit securely in a range of crack sizes.

Other popular brands include Black Diamond Camalots, Metolius Power Cams, DMM 4CUs, Trango FlexCams, and CCH Aliens.

The invention of SLCDs revolutionized rock climbing because it meant that parallel and flaring cracks could be easily protected.

Since the invention of the Technical Friend (that replaces the original one-piece machined alloy shaft with a brazed assembly incorporating a length of thick stainless-steel cable, which is better able to cope with loading over an edge), there has been a great deal of development of the SLCD by a variety of manufacturers.

For example, the adoption of the dual axle design by Black Diamond, the invention of three-lobed camming units to fit smaller cracks, and the more recent invention of the Link Cam by Omega Pacific, a design that allows one SLCD to span an even larger range of crack sizes.

A selection of spring-loaded camming devices of differing sizes
Climbers often carry a large number of cams on traditional climbs.
Use of a cam in a large crack