About to get my first set of quickdraws. (woohoo!)


There is no way I will be in any shape to worry about the wieght difference for anything other than climbs with maybe 5 bolts anytime soon, but I wanna do it right.

The thin dynex is little sketchy to me and I don't know if the quality of the material is that much safer for my peace of mind. :)

Thanks guys!
Martina

Get what you like. They will all hold falls. If one makes you feel better, then you will lead harder so get those. You will still be climbing on these in a few years when you are a super rad sport climber. If you get ones that you dislike because they are cheaper you will kick yourself later. When you rack up with 14 of these for a long pitch the limited bulk of the thinner draws is nice.

Pay attention to the carabiners too. I like wiregates. They are easy to clip and light. Large carabiners are also easier to clip but small ones are lighter.

think you'll ever be climbing trad? if so, i would definitely go with the dynex/dyneema draws. they're lighter and more flexible than the nylon, which you will care about down the road if you become a trad climber.

you should always buy what you're most comfortable with but i seriously encourage you to consider wiregates. i've known beginning sport climbers that were nerved out by wiregates, but they're just as strong and substantially lighter than solid gates, and easier to clip. last year I bought a couple sets of Black Diamond FreeWire quickdraws for the climbing club i was in charge of, and many of the members and myself were very impressed. they're black diamond's cheapest and second-lightest draw, and clip super nicely. a great value for a piece that performs quite well, plus they've got the nylon dogbone.

http://www.bdel.com/gear/freewire_qd.php

For purely sport draws, I can't stand the dynex. They twist and flop and generally annoy me.

For clipping bolts, it's hard to beat the standard 1" wide classic Petzl.

If you want to be the envy of hard sport climbers everywhere, get Petzl Spirit draws. They are the benchmark.

IMO, nylon is the better material for quickdraws. However, because of the lightweight craze, besides the Spirits, almost all draws with nice carabiners use dyneema dog bones. Dyneema is stronger (and lighter) than nylon, but does age quicker. With all that said, it really makes very little difference.

Edited to add:

super rad sport climbers just want lots of draws so they hang them over all their projects and not having to haul them to the crag.

Most sporty's love nylon for it's size. Nothing like hauling through the crux on a nice Petzl jug.

If you are going to be doing more trad or alpine then the dynex is the way to go, but for short sport climbs it is hard to beat a Petzl Spirit QD.

you guys rock! Literally!

And yes Aaron, I am completely nerved about the wiregates. I am so nerved in fact, that I put locking biners on my anchors. (doing lots of top roping right now.) Hopefully this will stop and I can get more efficient equipment. :)

I got couple of those Petzl runners at rei today, the thickest thing they got there. Ha! I like the rubber end cap I must say.

I have been reading a lot about eveyone's opinion and before I start doing some trad where weight matters, (I'd be more annoyed with the twisting and knowing it wears off faster is not good for me :))I will probably get new ones by then. Everyone I know does trad and trad is rad so I will for sou!

Thanks guys!

I have the petzl spirit express (anodized), and they are awesome. They are a little heavier than other draws, but I have not felt like I've been held back. As far as trad goes, you really won't be carrying a lot of draws with you...more runners than anything else. Don't be afraid of wiregate draws, they're just as strong as any other non-locking draw. If weight is really an issue for you than I highly reccommend the DMM Phantom Draws, as they weigh less than any other dyneema draw on the market. One word of advice...get the good stuff now cause it's unlikely you'll want to replace your rack of draws within a few years...so don't go cheap.

Martina,
Considering that most climbing products will last years, I would think of your long term goals as a climber when selecting a set of draws...as they will last you through your "noob" transitional phase...I usually factor in features, function and lastly price when buying new gear.

Hopefully that helps

I climb mostly trad. I have used Petzl Spirit QD for > 10 yrs. and have no complaints. The best feature is that when you clip the protection end to anything the rope end will not twist about. This is due to the general stiffness and width of the QD material.

Last year I replaced my old QDs with a new set of Trango SuperTape skinny ones. I am not a big fan. In general the twisting of the draw due to it's narrow design can sometimes be a problem. True they are lighter, but's it's nearly neglegible for most real world situations.

Be sure to outfit your QD set with wire biners.

Even if you prefer the floppy dyneema 'draws it's nice to have a couple of stiff nylon ones so that you can extend your reach when the bolt is just out of your arm's length.

Lockers on the anchor is always a good idea. Being attentive to every detail--especially when it comes to safety--in climbing is a good thing.

The quality of a sewn dyneema sling/dogbone is superb--it will hold a leader fall while weighing less than nylon. This might not be a concern now, but it might be later in your climbing career when you're carrying 15 of these and maybe some trad gear too.

I have a couple of draws with the Petzl 1" nylon dogbone, and I have several Wild Country WildWire draws with the slender dyneema dogbones. I prefer the dyneema draws to the nylon draws any day of the week. In fact, the nylon draws have been made my "anchor draws" and I've fitted them with lockers specifically for this purpose. I take the longer Wild Wires with me on trad days, the Petzls stay at home.

Get some varying length draws. Most of mine are 20cm, I have a few 15cm, and a couple 10cm. I use the longer ones the most. Also get a few long slings (20" or so) that you can triple up and make "alpine draws"--extendable runners. It is good to have various and long lengths to a) keep rope drag down, b) make sure your carabiners are not loading against a bulge or ledge, and c) prevent pulling pro out (trad.)

Don't worry about wiregates: not only are they lightweight, they're safe. Maybe even safer than solid-gate carabiners; due to the fact that the gates don't flutter nearly as much when they're loaded. But read this thread--it is an important safety issue to think about as you're clipping bolts and it applies equally to wiregates and solidgates.

http://mountainproject.com/v/colorado__rocky_mountain_region>>>>>

Happy climbing!

Peter has a point though, a stiff draw is nice for those deparate just-out-of-reach bolts. I duct-taped a coat-hanger to one of mine for that, but don't need it very often. :)

i went all dyneema when i first got all my draws. however there is a low melting point and it's completely now dynamic. basically i have 12" runner that is nylon to extend my belay device so that if my rope rubs on it it is not as dangerous (i.e. wont'get cooked) as fast as dyneema. also if your ever in a spot to hook into an anchor with a shoulder length sling there is greater risk of failure due to shock load with dyneema cuz even nylon will have some stretch to it to absorb (plus if the dyneema sling in question was "cooked" a littel bit) it will snap even quicker. that's from an amga guide i was out with before. anyway, i use both dyneema and nylon.