Best tethers on the market?

here to debate the merits of climbing with or without tethers.  I'm passing my BD spinners on to my girlfriend and am looking for a replacement.  I've done the homemade route with webbing and am not a fan.  What are the best tethers on the market right now with regards to strength and usability? Anything new worth getting?

I don't love the strange steel biners on the BDs I have currently.  They regularly come unclipped and the gate will pop out the front and have to be forced back in.

I've never fallen on to my tethers and don't plan on it but I'm still surprised that many are rated to just bodyweight or a couple KN.  I'd rather have overbuilt tethers that have a potential of catching a short fall or which I could trust to hold me when in a bomber placement, crack, or chains.

is a US supplier of the Boa Leash from Blue Ice.  I use their old style that Dane reviewed a while ago but I see the new version is two completely separate pieces and much more colorful.  Not sure I'd call them overbuilt but they serve their purpose and they never come unclipped (since there are no clips needed). 

I suppose the difference between the Boas and homemade is that my homemade are a custom length and tied, not sewn. Also, for my homemade tethers there is only a single loop to girth hitch to the harness. What is the width on the Boas webbing? 

Camp has some nice ones.  But I really don't think you want ones that are rated.  There is a reason that they are all barely bodyweight.  You want them to break if you fall, not slingshot an ice tool at you. 

+1 for CAMP/Cassin

Stagg54 Taggart wrote: Camp has some nice ones.  But I really don't think you want ones that are rated.  There is a reason that they are all barely bodyweight.  You want them to break if you fall, not slingshot an ice tool at you. 

Is this actually why they are so weak?  I thought I remember reading something about on paper them being rated around 2KN but testing much higher.  

It seems like if they were meant to break they'd break like ski leashes at lower weights.  2KN is weak but not break easily weak...

greggrylls wrote: Is this actually why they are so weak?  I thought I remember reading something about on paper them being rated around 2KN but testing much higher.  

It seems like if they were meant to break they'd break like ski leashes at lower weights.  2KN is weak but not break easily weak...

That was my understanding.  

+2 for camp/cassin

+3 X-Gyro

Has anyone tried the Grivel tethers?

+4 for the Camp X-Gyro.. really nice. 

I threaded some elastic through some small tubular webbing, then stretched it out and sewed it closed to make it bungee like. Small knots on end w/ biners, girth hitch it to belay loop. 

Just get some cheap shock cord, tie some knots and clip it to your tools. 

In before: “da rope.”

If you want pre-made, I think Petzl currently makes the lightest one it's called the V link. It spins around and whatever and it stays out of the way, you definitely don't want a full strength one.  The shock load of falling to the end of one of those tethers if they were full strength is going to whip that tool back out at you really fast.  Although I certainly understand the wanting for a full strength tether.

Greg Shea wrote: If you want pre-made, I think Petzl currently makes the lightest one it's called the V link. It spins around and whatever and it stays out of the way, you definitely don't want a full strength one.  The shock load of falling to the end of one of those tethers if they were full strength is going to whip that tool back out at you really fast.  Although I certainly understand the wanting for a full strength tether.

I have the Petzl one but the gates on the mini binders are shitty, 1 popped out and got lost on a climb for me. I want to remove the current ones and replace them with mini lockers (not full strength) but haven't found any suitable ones like the Grivel tethers have. 

I haven't had any issues with the provided mini-biners on the x-gyro. Also, I'd forgotten, on the x-gyro, I replaced the sewn loop that would girth to your harness with an edelrid 19g (it's the only carabiner I was able to find that would fit inside the metal ring), makes it easier to take it on/off as-desired.

greggrylls wrote: Not here to debate the merits of climbing with or without tethers.  I'm passing my BD spinners on to my girlfriend and am looking for a replacement.  I've done the homemade route with webbing and am not a fan.  What are the best tethers on the market right now with regards to strength and usability? Anything new worth getting?

I don't love the strange steel biners on the BDs I have currently.  They regularly come unclipped and the gate will pop out the front and have to be forced back in.

I've never fallen on to my tethers and don't plan on it but I'm still surprised that many are rated to just bodyweight or a couple KN.  I'd rather have overbuilt tethers that have a potential of catching a short fall or which I could trust to hold me when in a bomber placement, crack, or chains.

I had the same issues with the BD "carabiners" on my spinner so I cut them off with bolt cutters and replaced them with Metolius FS Minis.

Black Diamond anyone?

I would rather take a a chance  on a sling shotted  tool than accept  death..  almost  never  fall on pure  ice.  Once in 37  years.  Be  nice to at least have a  chance  of  surviving a  medical emergency  or other freak  incident while  soloing 

Nick Goldsmith wrote: I would rather take a a chance  on a sling shotted  tool than accept  death..  almost  never  fall on pure  ice.  Once in 37  years.  Be  nice to at least have a  chance  of  surviving a  medical emergency  or other freak  incident while  soloing 

In an ideal world I'd have a second set of full strength tethers for soloing.