CAMP Nano 22 vs. Metolius F.S. Mini II

I'm looking at lightening up my rack with some smaller biners for racking cams and the rope end of my draws. Do you (the community) have a distinct preference between these two carabiners?

I can only find the Metolius' at the gear shops where I'm at otherwise I would probably just make a decision myself if I could handle the Nanos before buying.

I have a whole rack of 22's and the older 23's. My partner bought a few minis to try. We are not fans of the minis the gate opening feels smaller and a littler harder to clip the rope into.. Not sure if it actually is just feels that way to me.

+1 to walmongr's response. FS minis are too small and hard to operate with a normal sized hand. The Nano 23s were good, the 22s are great. I own dozens of all three biners.

22 have a significantly smoother action and a wider opening.

Thanks guys! I'll go with the Nanos then! Except for when I need a black one, looks like I'll have to go with Metolius for that.

Gearx.com has black 22's for $6.95ea

Nano 22 is godly. They are the only carabiners I use for racking cams and for the gear side of alpine draws.

Slogger wrote:Thanks guys! I'll go with the Nanos then! Except for when I need a black one, looks like I'll have to go with Metolius for that.

Nick Drake wrote: They make them in black, that's what I use for the gear side of my alpine draws. I love them.

walmongr wrote: gearx.com has black 22's for $6.95ea

Fs mini for $4 at sierra trading post
sierratradingpost.com/metol…

Definitely the nanos, the fs minis are so small they feel like toys and are hard to handle without fumbling. I hardly even notice my nanos' small size anymore.

Neither, edelrid 19G.

The Nano 22's are far better in every respect. The gate action is smoother and most importantly they are larger. The FS biners are so small they can be difficult to clip.

Edelrid 19g's are actually more useful than they look. Despite appearing so small, I got a handful and used them as bolt side biners on alpine draws. No problem at all compared with normal size biners and the weight savings is big (% wise of course). Wouldn't wanna use them for rope side, but for racking gear, bolt side biners and similar uses, definitely recommend. good gate action too. I found the CAMP ones waay too stiff, hate em.

SwabianAmi wrote:Edelrid I found the CAMP ones waay too stiff, hate em.

yeah, sorry, the 23s. I hate mine and just use them for belay gloves and glasses, never real use.

The Metolius F.S. are ridiculously small, too small really. I scored some free so I rack my tiny 0, 00 and even smaller cams on them.

I also discovered they do a great job of an improvised fifi-hook when there isn't a climbing store in town that sells fifi-hooks....

I too was thinking of picking up some CAMP Nanos, and/or some Photons. I ended up going with FS minis for racking biners, because i read complaints about the gates wearing out on CAMP biners.

Specifically outdoorgearlab reported design and QC problems with the Photon wires. The gates failed to close fully after light use, and the measured length of the gates varied significantly out of the box.

outdoorgearlab.com/Carabine…

Maybe the problem is limited to the Photon's and not the Nanos, but my buddy has a Nano 22 (his only one) with a worn out gate after very little use.

Has anyone else experienced these problems, or did outdoorgearlab just have bad luck?

I have photon wires on all my alpine draws and no issues with them yet. The gate action is pretty light, which is good or bad depending on how you look at it. The nose can be a bit snaggy at times.

I use nanos (22s and 23s) for racking cam and slings, and for extending pieces, and they are great. The newer 22s are definitely nicer to use, but I don't mind the older 23s either. Due to the small size I would be hesitant to recommend an entire rack comprised of only nanos.

For a non-crusher, climbing mostly alpine/moderate routes well below my limit, the cost to performance ratio of the Camp biners is tough to beat.

+1 for the Nano 22. They are excellent for the price and are very functional. They are great racking biners and I also find they work great for the gear/bolt end of draws. I still like to clip full size biners on the rope end, however.

I also own trango phases and can recommend them as well.

Nano 22's on sale at backcountry for $5.56:
backcountry.com/camp-usa-na…

The photons have definitely been more prone to issues than the Nano 22s. However, CAMP has updated both designs and I find that my newer Photons are fantastic - the gate action is much better than the old ones that felt sloppy. All of my alpine draws are now Nano 22s on the gear end and Photons on the rope end.

I've heard that Trango Phase carabiners are solid, but they are heavier than the Nano 22s. On alpine routes, it is common for me to be carry 35 (or more) wiregates, so even the slightest weight reduction per carabiner adds up.