I am starting to do climbing that requires rock protection. For my cams and wedges, what kind of carabiners should i use, locking or non-locking, aluminum or steel. Thanx for your help!

-- Stephen (ststur@hotmail.com), July 23, 2001

Answers

Well, more or less that's up to you and your confidence levels. There are several things to keep in mind, i.e. gate flutter. Now, I have a cam or two that has on it a simple Omega Oval, which is on the weaker end of biner's. To boot, this biner is going to go through some serious flutter in the event of a fall, so I use these cams very sparingly and almost always accompanied by a close relative in the protection family. Locking biners are great and strong, and they won't open if the rope drags the gate into a bulge in the rock, plus there's no gate flutter, but you jam a 5.10 offwidth, place a hex from your rack, re-rack your hexes, then put a draw on, clip your rope, and THEN spend time screwing the gate shit and come back and tell me if it was really that worth it. My favorite? Wire gates. No gate flutter, light, easy to clip, and strong as hell. Basically the idea is that you're probably going to have an assortment of draws that you'll be attaching to placed nuts and hexes, so it's really about whats on the end of the draws. For the biner going on the pro I like a good D biner, Black Diamond, Omega, I don't care the company, just a strong, straight gate and a strong overall biner. For the lower I like a wire. Now, on some really runout adventure style climbs I will use all screwgate Omegas (I like Omega, really strong shit and cheap). But that's only if I need as strong as they come and that's because falls will be big if they happen, and with runout there's always the fact that you're relying on few pieces. On a more difficult crack that I'm sewing up it won't matter as much and the wires are handy cause pro will be every three-six feet at most and I just need to clip and go. As for cams, like I said above, that's all about comfortability. Cams place quick, are racked individually, so it's more like a sport climb, and they each have their own biner on the back. Me, I have lockers on my bigass cams, for the bigass adventure climbs, though I won't always lock them, and wires on my finger jam cams, unless I'm gonna be using them on something else like an adventure climb. Ok, that's about all I have for ya. Feel free to e-mail with q's. peas

-- adam hicks (climbhoser@yahoo.com), July 24, 2001.

I would just stick with ovals period, they are the most versatile beanners out there especially if you decide to go wall climbing you can't beat them save the lockers for special situations.

-- Terry (ayersst@aol.com), September 20, 2001.

Stay the hell away from steel biners. Steel biners weigh way to much to use for anything except on primary points in Rescue work. My rescue team use's steel (or as we like to call them "Jesus Biner's") in points where we can't double up normal aluminum biners.

Aluminum is light weight and strong. I seriouslly doubt that you'll ever place a piece of gear that will hold 20+kn. Most cams fail right around 16kn, and thats with absolute bomber placements.

As for what shape you want, it's your call. I'm going to be using the new Omega Dovals cause they're light, strong, versital, and have great gate clearance.

D's are a little stronger, so i'd use them on the hanger side of a draw, but you can do more with an Oval biner.

I'd say buy a handfull of each and see which you like better, you can't go wrong with either shape.

-- Jim Davis (jmdavis384@aol.com), January 05, 2003.