There are a lot of different types of carabiners out there. In this particular post we’ll look at some basic elements of carabiners. Each of the following videos discusses different aspects that you should be aware of when looking at carabiners:
Carabiner Basics:
The following video defines the parts of the carabiner and hits on some baseline knowledge that you should have.
Most climbers will need an array of lockers and non-lockers. For entry level toproping or baseline mountaineering, you should probably start your rack with four lockers and six non-lockers. You’ll be able to do quite a lot with that.
Offset D Carabiners:
This particular video looks at two offset-D carabiners. These carabiners are designed with a large basket and a small neck to ensure that slings and draws stay where they belong when in use.
This is an uncommon issue, but users should be aware of this potential problem.
Tri-lock carabiners are nice because they are considered an equivalent of two locking carabiners. These can be used in critical points — like in a toprope master point, or holding a portaledge — where you cannot have failure and you need security beyond a single locking carabiner.
So do you need an innovative carabiner, or several? Maybe. Each of these provides something. Some are faster, and others provide more security. And while you might want one or two innovative carabiners, your rack should be dominated by workhorse screwgate lockers and non-lockers.
There are a lot of different types of carabiners out there, many more than what’s been described here. As you develop as a climber, you should try different types of carabiners and see what works best for you and what you’re doing.
Finally, many climbers use the word “biner” for carabiner. This is a pejorative word for certain populations and probably shouldn’t be used. If the word carabiner seems too long to say all the time, then you might use “snap-link” or the British word for carabiner, “krab.”
–Jason D. Martin