C.A.M.P., Version A	C.A.M.P., Version B

Shell, Version A	Shell, Version B	Lotus

Overview

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[ Top | C.A.M.P. ver. B | Lotus | Shell ver. A | Shell ver. B | Return to Belay Tubes ]

C.A.M.P., Version A
(#717)

Front	Rear	Top
Left	Right	Bottom

Technical Details

I acquired this C.A.M.P. from Jeejo Climbing in 1999.

This C.A.M.P. belay tube is forged from 6082-T6 aluminum. Mine is 53 mm. long, 46 mm. wide, 101 mm. high, and weighs 46 g. The slots are 33 mm. long and 14 mm. wide. The top of the Omega oval carabiner that I use for comparing belay tubes sits 15 mm. below the ends of the slots.

One side of is stamped "CAMP ITALY."

Comments

This C.A.M.P. belay tube has thicker walls than some of its competitors, so it should last longer before wearing out. The cord keeper makes it easy to stash the C.A.M.P. in a pocket, but I can almost guarantee that in use, the keeper will get caught between the rope and the carabiner and in the case of a fall, it will melt through. Plan on occasionally replacing the keeper.

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C.A.M.P., Version B
(#1691)

Front	Rear	Top
Left	Right	Bottom

Technical Details

I acquired my C.A.M.P., Version B from Chloe Reeder in 2010.

Version B is forged from aluminum alloy and hard anodized. Mine is 53 mm. long, 46 mm. wide, 105 mm. high, and weighs 60 g. The slots are 33 mm. long and 14 mm. wide. The top of the Omega oval carabiner that I use for comparing belay tubes sits 16 mm. below the ends of the slots.

The front is printed with "CAMP" and "06 09."

Comments

The Camp is one of the following closely-related belay tubes, all called "ATCs" after the original Black Diamond Air Traffic Controller:

Each of these is 54±3 mm. long, 46±1 mm. wide, and weighs 59±9 g. Their slots are all 32±1 mm. long and 14±1 mm. wide. They all have plastic-covered cable keepers.

The Black Diamond ATC was the first of these to appear, by many years. The basic design evolved and similar devices appeared from others.

The ATC is a lightweight, popular belaying device among climbers. Rigging is simple: insert a bight of rope and clip it with a suitably anchored carabiner, making sure that the rope is not running over the keeper. Two-rope rigging is similar. On thinner ropes, adding another carabiner helps.

My biggest complaint is that none of these give me enough friction when rappelling with a heavy load on fast 9 mm. rope. I also prefer more friction while belaying, unless my partner is particularly lightweight. For these reasons, I prefer using a Trango Jaws or one of its equivalents.

Any of these will overheat badly on long rappels. Overheating is not an issue when belaying, but can be a concern when lowering someone more than a short distance.

There are four different shell styles in use::

1. There is a small shelf at each end of the shell with a hole passing through it. The keeper cable has a crimp at the ends, which are visible from the top of the device.
2. There is a small shelf at each end of the shell with a blind hole in the bottom. The keeper cable enters the holes, and is staked in place. The stake dimples are visible at the ends of the device.
3. There is a bulge at each end of the shell with a blind hole in the bottom. The keeper cable enters the holes, and is staked in place. The stake dimples are visible at the ends of the device.
4. Like style III, but the shell has a shallow valley above the bulge.

The differences between the styles are cosmetic rather than functional.

None of the keepers-to-shell are strong enough to support body weight, so don't be stupid enough to rely on a keeper to protect you.

There are also several different diameter keeper cables used on these. Cable keepers are a compromise between a cord that stows easily but tends to get tangled in use, and a rigid rod that stands up to the rope running over it (by accident, of course). I prefer a stiff keeper, but any of these are stiff enough to be used without significant problems.

The maroon tape in the photos was added by the previous owner.

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[ Top | C.A.M.P. ver. A | C.A.M.P. ver. B | Shell ver. A | Shell ver. B | Return to Belay Tubes ]

C.A.M.P. Lotus
(#867)

Front	Rear	Top
Left	Right	Bottom

Technical Details

I acquired my C.A.M.P. Lotus from Walkhigh Mountaineering in 2007.

The C.A.M.P. Lotus is a notched belay tube. It is forged from aluminum alloy and then clear anodized. Mine is 65 mm. long, 47 mm. wide, 107 mm. high, and weighs 103 g. The is a double sided belay tube with two slots. O the top, each slot has a ribbed V-groove at each end. The slots are 34 mm. long and 13 mm. wide. The top of the Omega oval carabiner that I use for comparing belay tubes sits 23 mm. below the ends of the slots.

The Lotus can be inverted for use without the V-grooves coming into play. It has a plastic-covered cable keeper formed into a loop that sits between the two grooves, passing through two small holes. One hole is crimped to retain the cable; the other allows the cable to slide.

One side of the Lotus is etched with "Lotus," "7.6≤ø≤11 mm," and "01 06." The other side is etched with "CAMP."

Comments

The Lotus has V-grooves at each end of the slots. This does not really increase friction as much as one might expect, since only the grooves on the training end come much into play. More important is the shape of the V-grooves; they are deep and narrow, more like those on the Trango Jaws and its equivalents than on the, say, Black Diamond ATC-XP or Wild Country VC Pro.

The Lotus is reversible in the sense that one can use it with the V-grooves up, or disable them by placing the V-grooves against the carabiner. In the latter position, it performs much like a standard belay tube. The slots are abnormally deep, which help provide more friction and better thermal performance.

The keeper is only crimped in place on one side of the body, so it can be pulled through to one side or the other, depending on whether one is using the V-grooves or not. The keeper is flexible and there is some chance that it will get caught between the rope and the carabiner, where the plastic cover will melt through in the case of a fall.

The Lotus has much thicker walls than most of its competitors, so it should last longer before wearing out. The C.A.M.P. Lotus is heavy for a belay tube (roughly double a typical weight), but the extra mass helps it absorb heat better, and the double V-grooves provide a larger surface areas for radiating heat away.

Overall, I like the Lotus, and give it two stars.

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C.A.M.P. Shell, Version A
(#760)

Front	Rear	Top
Left	Right	Bottom

Technical Details

I acquired my C.A.M.P. Shell, Version A from K&R Adventure Gear in 2001.

Version A is forged from 6082-T6 aluminum and then painted. Mine is 52 mm. long, 46 mm. wide, 24 mm. high, and weighs 60 g. The slots are 33 mm. long and 14 mm. wide. The top of the Omega oval carabiner that I use for comparing belay tubes sits 15 mm. below the ends of the slots. The Shell has a stiff, plastic covered, cable keeper.

One side of the Shell is marked "CAMP" and "ITALY."

Comments

The Camp Shell is one of the following closely-related belay tubes, all called "ATCs" after the original Black Diamond Air Traffic Controller:

Each of these is 54±3 mm. long, 46±1 mm. wide, and weighs 59±9 g. Their slots are all 32±1 mm. long and 14±1 mm. wide. They all have plastic-covered cable keepers.

The Black Diamond ATC was the first of these to appear, by many years. The basic design evolved and similar devices appeared from others.

The ATC is a lightweight, popular belaying device among climbers. Rigging is simple: insert a bight of rope and clip it with a suitably anchored carabiner, making sure that the rope is not running over the keeper. Two-rope rigging is similar. On thinner ropes, adding another carabiner helps.

My biggest complaint is that none of these give me enough friction when rappelling with a heavy load on fast 9 mm. rope. I also prefer more friction while belaying, unless my partner is particularly lightweight. For these reasons, I prefer using a Trango Jaws or one of its equivalents.

Any of these will overheat badly on long rappels. Overheating is not an issue when belaying, but can be a concern when lowering someone more than a short distance.

There are four different shell styles in use::

1. There is a small shelf at each end of the shell with a hole passing through it. The keeper cable has a crimp at the ends, which are visible from the top of the device.
2. There is a small shelf at each end of the shell with a blind hole in the bottom. The keeper cable enters the holes, and is staked in place. The stake dimples are visible at the ends of the device.
3. There is a bulge at each end of the shell with a blind hole in the bottom. The keeper cable enters the holes, and is staked in place. The stake dimples are visible at the ends of the device.
4. Like style III, but the shell has a shallow valley above the bulge.

The differences between the styles are cosmetic rather than functional.

None of the keepers-to-shell are strong enough to support body weight, so don't be stupid enough to rely on a keeper to protect you.

There are also several different diameter keeper cables used on these. Cable keepers are a compromise between a cord that stows easily but tends to get tangled in use, and a rigid rod that stands up to the rope running over it (by accident, of course). I prefer a stiff keeper, but any of these are stiff enough to be used without significant problems.

The shell is slightly larger than the older C.A.M.P. belay tube described above (Version A). The walls are thicker as well, providing more room for wear.

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[ Top | C.A.M.P. ver. A | C.A.M.P. ver. B | Lotus | Shell ver. A | Return to Belay Tubes ]

C.A.M.P. Shell, Version B
(#2857)

Front	Rear	Top
Left	Right	Bottom

Technical Details

I acquired my C.A.M.P. Shell, Version B from Moosejaw in 2021.

Version B is a forged from aluminum alloy and then soft anodized. Mine is 53 mm. long, 46 mm. wide, 106 mm. high, and weighs 59 g. The slots are 34 mm. long and 15 mm. wide. The top of the Omega oval carabiner that I use for comparing belay tubes sits 16 mm. below the ends of the slots. The Shell has a stiff, plastic covered, cable keeper.

One side of the shell is printed with "CAMP," "SHELL," and "11 18 0172." The other side is printed with "EN 15151-2/UIAA," a book-with-an-"i" icon, "∞½ø7.6-9 mm," and 1ø9-11 mm."

Comments

The Camp Shell is one of the following closely-related belay tubes, all called "ATCs" after the original Black Diamond Air Traffic Controller:

Each of these is 54±3 mm. long, 46±1 mm. wide, and weighs 59±9 g. Their slots are all 32±1 mm. long and 14±1 mm. wide. They all have plastic-covered cable keepers.

The Black Diamond ATC was the first of these to appear, by many years. The basic design evolved and similar devices appeared from others.

The ATC is a lightweight, popular belaying device among climbers. Rigging is simple: insert a bight of rope and clip it with a suitably anchored carabiner, making sure that the rope is not running over the keeper. Two-rope rigging is similar. On thinner ropes, adding another carabiner helps.

My biggest complaint is that none of these give me enough friction when rappelling with a heavy load on fast 9 mm. rope. I also prefer more friction while belaying, unless my partner is particularly lightweight. For these reasons, I prefer using a Trango Jaws or one of its equivalents.

Any of these will overheat badly on long rappels. Overheating is not an issue when belaying, but can be a concern when lowering someone more than a short distance.

There are four different shell styles in use::

1. There is a small shelf at each end of the shell with a hole passing through it. The keeper cable has a crimp at the ends, which are visible from the top of the device.
2. There is a small shelf at each end of the shell with a blind hole in the bottom. The keeper cable enters the holes, and is staked in place. The stake dimples are visible at the ends of the device.
3. There is a bulge at each end of the shell with a blind hole in the bottom. The keeper cable enters the holes, and is staked in place. The stake dimples are visible at the ends of the device.
4. Like style III, but the shell has a shallow valley above the bulge.

The differences between the styles are cosmetic rather than functional.

None of the keepers-to-shell are strong enough to support body weight, so don't be stupid enough to rely on a keeper to protect you.

There are also several different diameter keeper cables used on these. Cable keepers are a compromise between a cord that stows easily but tends to get tangled in use, and a rigid rod that stands up to the rope running over it (by accident, of course). I prefer a stiff keeper, but any of these are stiff enough to be used without significant problems.

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[ Top | C.A.M.P. ver. A | C.A.M.P. ver. B | Lotus | Shell ver. A | Shell ver. B ]