Gear Review: Carabiners

Clipping bolts and hanging out
in El Potrero Chico, Mexico

Finding the right carabiner may not be the most important decision a climber makes, but it may be the most complicated. With a wave of new designs reaching the market, I want to share my observations of the ubiquitous aluminum clip.

Climbers have different demands and anatomy, thus I offer this as a guide, not a definitive ranking. As the trend towards small and light equipment has pushed some carabiners to comic proportions, a couple specific criteria have been considered. The primary qualities I am looking for are how well a carabiner will clip (depending on the type of the gate and the size of the gate opening) and how much it weighs. There are a too many carabiners on the market to review them all, so I have focused on those that are most common or most progressive.

Black Diamond OZ vs DMM Alpha Trad

 Extra small:

• Metolious FS Mini - gate opening 17m, weight 25g
• CAMP Nano - gate opening 21mm, weight 23g
• Old Black Diamond OZ - gate opening 22mm, weight 28g

Midsize wiregate:

• Trango Superfly - gate opening 26mm, weight 30g
• Mammut Moses - gate opening 25mm, weight 27g
• Black Diamond Neutrino - gate opening 22mm, weight 36g
• Camp Photon - gate opening 28m, weight 29g

Petzl Ange L vs DMM Alpha Trad

Solid gate, clean nose:

• Black Diamond Positron - gate opening 26mm, weight 49g
• Old Petzl Spirit - gate opening 20mm, weight 49g
• 2013 Petzl Spirit - gate opening 25mm, weight 39g

Wiregate, clean nose:

• DMM Alpha Light - gate opening 25mm, weight 28g
• DMM Alpha Trad - gate opening 27mm, weight 34g
• Petzl Ange L - gate opening 26mm, weight 34g
• Wild Country Helium - gate opening 27mm, weight 34g
• Black Diamond HoodWire - gate opening 24mm, weight 37g
• 2013 Black Diamond OZ - gate opening 22mm, weight 28g 

So, what does this all mean?

I categorized carabiners according to general similarities. Some noteworthy technical notes are marked in red, because I think it illustrates a glaring weakness.  I marked my favorite pieces from each category in blue, according to statistics and personal experience.

For recreational climbers: Consider cheaper midsize wiregate or solid gate carabiners. Find a color you like, avoid the extra small carbiners unless you have extra small hands, and you can't really go wrong.

For Avid climbers/gear heads: You get what you pay for. More expensive gear ages better and is less likely to become obsolete.  Variation in craftsmanship between brands is significant. The gate action on an old, well used Petzl or DMM carabiner is much snappier and consistent than on an old Black Diamond or CAMP carabiner. As far as innovation goes, most manufacturers are moving in the same direction, but that does not mean they are equal. For example, I recently picked up a new, clean nose Black Diamond OZ. I was impressed with the elegant design, but the gate action is is more difficult the further it is pulled back. My temptation to pick up a pile of sexy new BD 'biners quickly faded.

That's all for now. Comment with your favorite carabiner, and have fun out there. My next climbing trip will be to Chattanooga, TN. Look for a trip report in March.