How and where you climb can determine whether you go with a smaller, lighter carabiner or a larger, heavier carabiner that may be easier to clip. This can also affect ease of use, especially if you have large hands. The smaller the carabiner, the lighter it is, but also the more difficult it can be to manipulate (i.e., unclipping the quickdraw from your harness and clipping the bolt or rope.) Carabiner Shape Climbers call these alpine quickdraws or extendable quickdraws (“extendable” refers to a technique for racking the quickdraw so that the sling can be shortened and then extended if needed. You can do this by taking a 60cm or longer sewn sling and clipping two carabiners of your choice to the sling. Trad climbers often make their own quickdraws rather than buying pre-made ones. Sport climbers find it helpful to have a selection of both short- and medium-length quickdraws on their harness so they’re ready for whatever the route has in store. 17 – 18cm slings: These medium-length slings are useful for reducing rope drag, especially when the route is more than 12 quickdraws long or if the rope is not traveling in a straight path.10 – 12cm slings: These short-length slings work in most situations when the route is relatively straight.Sport climbers often buy pre-made quickdraws that are available with different-length slings:
Longer slings are more effective at reducing rope drag, but they’re also heavier and bulkier. The next thing most climbers consider when picking out quickdraws is the length of the sling (sometimes called a dogbone). However, some wiregates have "hooded" noses that keep them from snagging on gear, similar to the keylock nose. Wiregates are also less likely than solid gates to freeze up in cold temperatures, so if you ice climb or mountaineer, you’ll probably prefer them.īy design, wiregate carabiners cannot have the keylock feature that some straight- or bent-gate carabiners have. This momentary opening caused by inertia or a collision with another object is called gate lash and it can reduce the carabiner’s overall strength to its open-gate strength.
The wire loop creates its own spring mechanism as it pivots, decreasing overall weight and eliminating the need for extra parts found in solid gates.Īn advantage of the low mass of the wiregate is that it is less likely that the gate will vibrate open during a fall than a solid gate. Wiregate carabiners: Wiregate carabiners use a loop of stainless-steel wire for a gate. You’ll likely pay a little extra for this feature, but it’s a nice upgrade. This keeps the carabiner from hooking and catching on your harness gear loop, bolt hangers and other slings, any of which can be quite annoying. A keylock carabiner has a smooth notch where the nose of the carabiner and the gate interact. Some straight- and bent-gate carabiners are also keylock carabiners. As the name implies, straight gates are perfectly straight from the pivot point to the end.īent-gate carabiners: These have a concave gate that makes clipping a rope quick and easy, and for this reason they are reserved only for the rope-end of quickdraws. Straight-gate carabiners: Common on many quickdraws, these carabiners have solid straight gates that are easy to operate.
Because each quickdraw has two carabiners on it, a quickdraw could have a combination of straight, bent and/or wiregate carabiners. The three primary types of gates on quickdraw carabiners are straight, bent or wire. That superlight quickdraw might be awesome for multi-pitch adventures where every gram counts, but not so awesome on a single-pitch sport climb at the crag, where weight is a lower priority. Features that make a quickdraw great for one type of climbing might not make it so great for another. But, this type of quickdraw will also be harder to clip than a heavier one with large carabiners and a stiff sling.Ĭonsider also the type of climbing you do and your priorities. For example, a quickdraw with tiny wiregate carabiners and a flimsy sling will barely weigh anything, helping keep your gear rack light and nimble. Your choices involve tradeoffs in weight, strength or ease of use. When you’re shopping for quickdraws, you have three main considerations:Īdditional considerations: Subtler quickdraw features like carabiner size and shape, sling width, sling material, weight and strength can also be important, especially as you become more experienced. Once you have rock shoes, a harness, belay device, locking carabiners and a helmet, your next logical gear purchase is a few sets of quickdraws.
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