Alternative to Mad Rock Trigger Wire Carabiner

Hello,

I'm trying to create my own Panic Biner for projecting hard sport / aiding through to set TR to practice moves / bolt ladders. 

I was going to use a 25cm Petzl Express sling + the mad rock Trigger Wire Carabiner (per this guide: alpinesavvy.com/blog/diy-ma…) but it seems they don't make it anymore? Is there a good alternative biner?

I would just get the Kong Panic but it's pretty expensive.

Have you seen this one?

https://www.kongusa.com/products/ergo-open-latch 

Looks like the Trigger Wires are available again madrock.ca/collections/esse…

I taped a chopstick on either side of the sling for extra stiffness.... "Clippy Longstockings" has saved my butt a few times!

I can still buy them.

Dan The Manwrote:

Looks like the Trigger Wires are available again madrock.ca/collections/esse…

I taped a chopstick on either side of the sling for extra stiffness.... "Clippy Longstockings" has saved my butt a few times!

Madrock won't deliver those to US from the .CA website. Can't say I blame them, who knows what the current tariff is or if it's being enforced or what the heck is going on in general

Looking like the Kong biner may be the best option from the US?

amariuswrote:

Have you seen this one?

https://www.kongusa.com/products/ergo-open-latch 

I have seen this guy. This one is a tad more expensive, but perhaps it is the best option us US folks got right now?

I'll sell you one. I think I have one new in packaging sitting around. 

i'm also looking for one to make a stiff draw for my partner if anyone else has one laying around.

I own and use both - the Kong is FAR superior and worth the extra cash. 

in what way is the kong better? i wanted the mad rock because it's lighter and smaller.

parker brownwrote:

in what way is the kong better? i wanted the mad rock because it's lighter and smaller.

The trigger on the Mad Rock can be missed by the hanger. There's a gap.

The weight difference is a fair note, but I'm of the thought that if I'm down to measuring grams I'll just take a bigger dump in the morning - and, if someone is using this to stick up a route, it's not a process where grams count. The extra weight gets you better construction, and a MUCH bigger head and basket to hit the hanger while you're 10' out with a wobbly clip up and pumped. The Mad Rock is light in a way that feels cheap and flimsy. It's also a lot harder to engage the snag while gripped on route; the lock open action is way smoother, easier and intuitive on the Kong. 

cool, good to know. you'll have to teach me to take a bigger dump at will, tho

La MoMofacewrote:

I'm of the thought that if I'm down to measuring grams I'll just take a bigger dump in the morning  

Well I know what my reply will be from now on to anyone who questions the amount of gear I'm taking on a route

I prefer the Madrock over the Kong. I use it with my homemade stiffy draw. I find it much easier to use and I set the trigger when it is easy to do so, including before leaving the ground. It hasn't popped closed until I drop it into a bolt hanger.

If anyone wants to sell one, please contact me.

Daniel Saffordwrote:

Madrock won't deliver those to US from the .CA website. Can't say I blame them, who knows what the current tariff is or if it's being enforced or what the heck is going on in general

Looking like the Kong biner may be the best option from the US?

Oh that's weird... the Mad Rock headquarters are in California. Maybe it's just a mistake on the website?

Of note, the girth of the Kong carabiner will not fit into small piton eyes. The mad rock will.

For those that ever find themselves in such a situation. 

Having used both a fair amount, the Kong will not fit in pitons or 1/4" bolts which may not be an issue depending on your usage. The Kong also can easily and frequently will close itself unlike the madrock which you can just set open before starting a pitch. 

The weight of the kong is more annoying becuase it makes the stiffy draws more floppy at the end of their reach. 

Its true the madrock will sometimes not close the trigger initially but its rare and easy to just shake it a bit to get it to close and even if it doesn't its still hooked through the bolt.

Daniel Saffordwrote:

I have seen this guy. This one is a tad more expensive, but perhaps it is the best option us US folks got right now?

Just my opinion, but this is the best engineered design on the market. For this price I would just buy the Kong Panic for a few more dollars. 

I've handled all of these. Trigger on the Kong is more sensitive compared to the Mad Rock iirc, so can be triggered while climbing (but also easier to set one handed). Climbing Technology also makes a variant of these (even more sensitive though). Their stiff draw is better than all the others though, the Kong/Beal variant is too wobbly. You can sort of recreate it with one of the CT quickdraw rubbers using the Mad Rock biner + some support for the sling. I don't think the trigger not catching is a big issue if you plan on using this for grabbing the draw anyways. My gf went through lots of variants of these including one I built from a stiff kevlar sling + support - she concluded mad rock biner with CT sling was the best variant. In the end neither of these really saw a lot of use, they're all collecting dust now. Using them is pretty fiddly.

YMMV but I don't think these are very helpful for sport climbing if you just want to cheat your way up quickly. It's almost always more efficient to just climb from draw to draw, use normal draws with wide slings and pull on them. If you're really stuck on something, you can always fix yourself to the bolt and lower a loop of rope and pull up a clipstick. Faffing around with one of these and then changing to a normal draw isn't sensible. Obviously, if you want it because of fear of falling or because of reach issues, that's another issue.