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Biner ???

Original Post
McHull · · Catoctin Mt · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 260

Hey All
As my profile says, I'm coming back into the fold after a several year hiatus from climbing.
I've been slowly upgrading/updating my rack and I'm pretty good to go with pro.

Now I'm working on draws for trad climbing and I need some advice on biner selection.
There's quite a few to choose from, hell wire gates weren't even an option "back the day"

Help me upgrade from these....

Way old school

Thx
Matt

FrankPS · · Atascadero, CA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 276

Matt,

These are good, all-around carabiners:

rei.com/product/840180/blac…

The hooded notch prevents the rope and runners from snagging. There are many good carabiners out there, and you will probably get recommendations for the Helium and DMM Trad Alpha, but they are significantly more expensive.

Nathan Self · · Louisiana · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 90

Matt,
For trad draws, I use Wild Country Astro Biners on 60cm Mammut Contact Slings. Very deluxe.

Good luck out there,

N_

Sam N. · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2011 · Points: 0

I use the same setup as Nathan. It's great but if I was rich I would buy the Wild Country Helium biners instead since they have the no-snag nose. Astro biner is a great balance of small and light but still has nice handling.

McHull · · Catoctin Mt · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 260

Thanks guys
What's the reseasoning behind using two different biners for rope & gear ends?

Ernest W · · Asheville, NC · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 25

Wild Country Heliums but they ain't cheap. If you want to save money, do it on the gear side and splurge on the rope side.

Pete Spri · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2009 · Points: 347
McHull wrote:Thanks guys What's the reseasoning behind using two different biners for rope & gear ends?
It's nice to keep biners yhat you clip to bolts identified, because you can gouge the inside of the biner. If you then have the rope running through the gouged biner, you can damage your rope.
McHull · · Catoctin Mt · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 260

Thanks Pete! I should have thought of that.

Thank you guys for the input.

Sam N. · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2011 · Points: 0

Exactly. For my Astro biner'd trad draws I put a silver Astro on the gear/bolt side and a red Astro on the rope side for clipping. I also have some Astro draws with dogbones and they are set up the same way from the factory. This way the red ones are for the rope and it keeps them in better shape so as to not damage the rope.

mountainhick · · Black Hawk, CO · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 120

Once that "bolt end" biner is gouged, you're going to run the risk of shredding your cam slings just as you would the rope.

I don't differentiate rope or pro end biners on trad draws (Meaning single runners/shoulder length slings), they are all multi purpose biners.

I do carry a few longish quickdraws when trad climbing with pro and rope end biners thusly color coded. But, in the event of clipping and falling on a bolt on a trad route that gouges the biner to where it could cause shredding, it is retired from the trad gear entirely and is moved to service as a sport draw bolt end biner only.

Robert Cort · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 800

Maybe I missed it in somebody else's answer, maybe you weren't even asking the question...but the reason for a wire gate on the rope end is to minimize the risk of gate flutter. Because of the relatively low mass of the wire gate versus the solid gate, it is less likely to momentarily bounce open during a fall. Slap the spine of a carabiner against your palm to see the difference, you can hear a 'click' when doing it with a solid gate biner (which is the gate momentarily bouncing open), you are less likely to be able to get the same result from a wire gate.

McHull · · Catoctin Mt · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 260

Thanks for the tips/ advice.

I like te idea of color coding rope & gear/ bolt biners.

SRB25 · · Woodside, ca · Joined Nov 2014 · Points: 5

Backcountry online has Ozs on sale for 25% off. $6.71. If done through active junky get additional 10% cash back. As does REIs in store sale all black diamond gear is 25% off.

Max Forbes · · Colorado · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 108

I use red DMM alpha trad's for my gear end. Mammut contact strap dynemma runners and silver camp photons as my rope end. Great combination...

Pete Spri · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2009 · Points: 347
mountainhick wrote:Once that "bolt end" biner is gouged, you're going to run the risk of shredding your cam slings just as you would the rope. I don't differentiate rope or pro end biners on trad draws (Meaning single runners/shoulder length slings), they are all multi purpose biners. I do carry a few longish quickdraws when trad climbing with pro and rope end biners thusly color coded. But, in the event of clipping and falling on a bolt on a trad route that gouges the biner to where it could cause shredding, it is retired from the trad gear entirely and is moved to service as a sport draw bolt end biner only.
That's why if it is a bad gouge you file it off.
It also helps you know what biners to inspect quickly.
Its also why it is nice to designate a few bolt only draws on your trad rack.

Better to keep the heavy sport whippers on sport designated draws if you can help it.
Mark Thesing · · Central Indiana · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 60

I recognize you profile picture. Triple S is a great climb.

Last year I got back into climbing after a 30 year break. I must say biners were the last piece of equipment I replaced. For draws, I ended up going with the DMM Alpha Trad biners and Misty Mountain slings. A lot of the light weight wire biners out there are pretty small and didn't feel right in my hands. Maybe that's the way it's done nowadays but being old school, I just couldn't wrap my head around these new small biners. Then one day at the cliff I saw someone using the Alpha Trads and got to play with them. I knew I found the right biner for me. They're expensive but I'm very pleased with my decision to purchase a rack of them. If I need more biners I will definitely be getting more Alpha Trads. I'll just make sure to keep my eyes open for sales. That takes a little sting out of the purchase.

Andrew Blease · · Bartlett, NH · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 470
madrockclimbing.com/product…

I use these on the rope end of all of my draws. They're cheap, reasonably light, and are dead easy to clip with the bent wiregate. Yes, it says mad rock. Mine have been going strong for 8 years now.
Chris Rice · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 55

My advice for biners in general is to try out every biner you can find and see which ones just "feel right" in your hands when clipping forwards and backwards etc. My hands are more like paws and the small biners are awkward for me for example. All the newer biners are safe so handling becomes one of the more important attributes. Wire gates, std gates - bent gates etc all enter into the decision but within those categories - handling is a big deal.

McHull · · Catoctin Mt · Joined Aug 2012 · Points: 260

thanks for the advice Chris.
I have big ole monkey hands

Andrew Steavpack · · Castle Pines, CO · Joined Mar 2017 · Points: 105
McHull wrote: thanks for the advice Chris. I have big ole monkey hands

I understand your pain, I too have large hands. The DMM Ultima is my biner of choice for easy clipping with my large hands. I rack all my gear with it, the only drawback is the minor weight penalty. 

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Beginning Climbers
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