the.com/carabiner
the tiny aluminum loop that's all that stands between you and gravity's invoice.
means A metal loop with a spring-loaded gate used to quickly connect ropes, gear, and anchors, especially in climbing.
from Short for the German Karabinerhaken, "carbine hook" — the spring clip a soldier used to fasten his carbine (a short cavalry rifle) to a strap or bandolier. The rifle's name traces back through French carabine, and the hook simply inherited the gun's name once climbers and others borrowed the handy clip for purposes far from the battlefield.
- name origin
- German for rifleman, who clipped equipment to carbines
- strength rating
- good ones hold over two tons of force
- keychain fraud
- cheap clip-ons are explicitly not for climbing
- the gate
- its weakest point, halving strength when open
- locking types
- screw, twist, and magnetic mechanisms prevent accidental opening
petzl william carabiner — french climbing equipment manufacturer's flagship locking carabiner, used by mountaineers on everest since 1995
black diamond positron — american climbing brand's best-selling sport climbing carabiner with over 2 million units sold since 2005
dmm wall master — british carabiner designed for big wall climbing, standard gear on el capitan routes