Favorite lightweight biners (lockers and wire gates)

I have Petzl Ange draws for mixed and hard ice. Love em. I got some Camp Photons for moderate ice. Love em Big gates and light but the gates are flimsy. I wouldn't wanna fall on them. I have a mix of DMM Alpha Trad alpine draws, WC Helium alpine draws and BD Posi wires for rock. I like them all. The DMM biners have held up really well.

For lockers I went with Camp Photon for clipping in the anchor and auto block. I got BD Rock locks for everything else. There cheap and strong so I don't mind bailing off them or wearing them out. I also carry two Positron biners on a 120cm sling. Nitrons are 12 grams lighter but..

Fortuna Wolf wrote: I think you mean the Petzl Ange? People either love or hate it. I love it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZHwxIL9oYo

Ball wrote: youtube.com/watch?v=HZHwxIL…

You got any petzl ange's that you wanna sell cheap?

Ted Pinson wrote:Matt, I think he's saying he would just hang one big biner on the masterpoint, and partner/belayer would clove to that as well as the Grigri (in guide mode?). Not sure how this would work for transitions, unless you have a tether clipped somewhere else...?

It works okay for transition when swapping leads but if someone if you have one person in your party doing pitch after pitch a tether will make things allot easier.

Favorites are the DMM Phantoms: very light, not too small (about the size of a Neutrino), DMM quality is worth the price. The Spectre 2 is a little larger if that suits your preference.

Wild Country Astros are similar in size/weight and quality also, but the Phantoms/Spectres sit better on wide nylon slings (Camalots). I use these on quickdraws/alpine draws. WC Nitro is a nice full size version of the Astro.

Camp Photon wiregates: Gates stick open, gets nose hooked all the time. The specs look good, but in practice this 'biner sucks. Buy this 'biner if playing Russian Roulette is appealing to you.

As others have said, a round stock 'biner for belaying is well worth the slight weight penalty. Metolius Element and DMM Rhino are both good for this. For your other lockers, small and light is the way to go. I rarely find any need for a 'biner to hold more than one clove-hitch, so that works for me. Phantom screwgates are really light and nice, but I don't think the brand matters as much for lockers.

one note for folks ...

if you use an alpine smart (or perhaps a megajul) is to always bring another HMS biner (can be ibeam) such as an attache 3D in case you drop that belay biner ...

otherwise your belaying with a munter through a tiny locker, or trying to set up carabiner brakes with tiny biners ...

on a side note i always bring 2 solid gates (usually for racking nuts) for this reason as well, for carabiner brakes

at the very minimum you should have enough "full sized" biners to easily use a munter and biner brake

;)

That's a fair point to make about having backups. Always have a backup, somehow, especially on multipitch.
A atc-xp (or clone) only weighs 64g.

My main device is an edelrid mega jul that weighs 65g, so a second mega jul wouldn't be bad weight wise either, but why buy one why almost everyone has a spare atc (or tuber, or something light) from when they started out.

Also, never had to use my spare belay device, but my plan would be to use two opposite and opposed nano 23s (my racking biner) instead of having to carry a spare round stock locker for it too.

An additional note. A single rope through a nano 23 is ok, but belaying double ropes off an nano 23 is a bit weird, since one rope will be pretty far away from the spin and pulling up on the nose. I think you'd want a different biner for doing double ropes in an atc.

Fortuna Wolf wrote:That's a fair point to make about having backups. Always have a backup, somehow, especially on multipitch. A atc-xp (or clone) only weighs 64g.

Yep, 100%. I was on Tahquitz and somehow I managed to drop my ATC when I was adjusting my gear. I didn't trop the 'biner, just the ATC and it slipped through the open gate. If I didn't have a second device, we would have been royally screwed.

^ I can, I just would rather not. And I am sure my partner prefers to be on an actual device.

J Marsella wrote:^ do you not know how to belay/rap without a device? That would be a good skill to develop, just in case.

I know how to, and if I have a spare ATC that would preferrable.

Matt Himmelstein wrote: Yep, 100%. I was on Tahquitz and somehow I managed to drop my ATC when I was adjusting my gear. I didn't trop the 'biner, just the ATC and it slipped through the open gate. If I didn't have a second device, we would have been royally screwed.

Why? Do you not know the munter hitch?

folks the problem is not "spare devices"

the problem is trying to use an alpine smart or megajul without some kind of HMS or pear shaped biner ... especially on thicker ropes ...

go ahead and try it ... it aint fun ...

or try rapping on 10mm ropes with mini wiregate biners with a biner brake ...

;)

If the spare belay device, or munter doesn't work I'm capable of hip belaying and dulfersitz rappeling. Not that I would want to use them for continuing a climb, only for getting back down. Unless you have another suggestion?

Fortuna Wolf wrote:dulfersitz

How do you keep the rope from running across your cornhole?

Ball wrote: How do you keep the rope from running across your cornhole?

How do you know I don't like that?

Real answer, that's why I use 11mm rope. None of this fancy butt floss all the kids are using now.

that guy named seb wrote: Seb, why do you need a huge biner like the boa for the master point? How could you not? it makes everything sooooo much easier, when i can just put everything in one point, me the grigri, my partner, all can go in the master point, so easy.

You clip all that into the master point or into a huge biner attached to the master point?

Love Oz, love DMM Spectre and for lockers love BD and Petzl