Photos (used with permission) are all from Pacific Northwest climber Dave Hill, thanks Dave!

Original idea from British expedition climber Andy Kirkpatrick.

Got a frayed or broken wire on a cam? You might be able to make a quick fix with plastic trimmer cord from a weed whacker. (Other options are Dyneema string, and bicycle brake cable with small swages.) Trimmer cord comes in different diameters, experiment to see what works with your equipment. This example is for a Black Diamond cam. Other makes and models might have a slightly different procedure.

How long you can expect a trimmer cord repair to last? Good question. While some people have got years of use out of a fix like this, others might consider it more as an temporary “field repair” than a long-term solution. It’s probably a good idea to replace the trimmer cord with something more substantial once you get home.

Black Diamond replaces cam trigger wires for about $15, not sure about other manufacturers. (Web search: “Black Diamond cam repair”.)

Finally, here’s a link to a PDF tutorial from Metolius of how to repair their Master Cams with Kevlar cord, sent to me by @dumbanchors.

What you need:

• wire cutters

• needle nose pliers

• lighter / flame

• weed whacker cord - get a couple of feet from your neighbor with all the tools, or from a yard maintenance person