Metolius FS II mini biners-gear or keychains?

Just bought a couple of these to clip shoes and such and noticed that they are rated at kN 22\7, same as the other biners I climb on. The Metolius site has them touted for climbing, and I'm considering using them to rack my cams. Anyone using them as such, and with what success or lack thereof?

How meaty are your hands? How fat are your fingers?

They're plenty strong but whether you decide you like them, prefer them, put up with them, or not use them is totally up to you.

I won't go smaller than a Neutrino and my hands aren't big (7.5 glove size).

Yep, they are small and possibly a good option for racking cams, or alpine gear. Like many things convenience vs. light weight. My fat hands don't love them, but I do have some FS Mini Long draws that I like for alpine routes. Cuts down on weight quite a bit. 

I rack my cams with them.  When I place a cam, I'll usually clip a sling into the mini.

I find I can learn to clip the Nano 22's just fine, but the main problem is that it's a lot harder to pull off the rope for your follower. The gate opening is so small your thumb gets in the way of the rope while holding open the gate.

I'm impressed anyone can clip these! 

I've switched all my biners to Nano22s which are 1g lighter (totally makes the difference when sending the 5.8+ project) but quite a bit bigger and I'd have trouble with anything smaller... Neutrinos feel ridiculously large and heavy now!

The Nanos are $1 more expensive a piece than the Metolius though.

If you can clip these ok, then do it!! They're much smaller and lightweight making it way easier to deal with in all forms... except clipping them...  

#3 camalot is perfect hands for me, and I find the mini's to be a huge pain in the ass to clip. I've started using them for hanging gear in the basement, hammocks, or as shitty pulleys for weighted hangs. 

I use them to rack all my cams. I have two very different size hands and I have no issues with clipping.

I use them to rack my Metolius cams.

I have no trouble clipping them, but I do have slender fingers.

Khoi wrote:

I use them to rack my Metolius cams.

I have no trouble clipping them, but I do have slender fingers.

For me, the benefits of a tiny racking biner outweigh the drawbacks.  

Metolius produced a video showing clipping technique in a bunch of positions.  

https://youtu.be/UhjPRybOUXg

Notice @0:22 the rope running over the top/meat of the thumb instead of in your palm.  That trick helped me with clipping in general, and especially with clipping the FS IIs.

That said, the Camp Nano 22 biners are definitely an improvement over the FS IIs.  So if there's not too much of a price difference go with them instead.

cyclestupor wrote:

So if there's not too much of a price difference go with them instead.

$4 a piece on Sierra Trading Post right  now.

If you want lightweight but not lilliputian, go with the Camp Nanos.

I'll add to my previous comment by saying that it depends on the climb.  If you're doing a moderate climb with a long approach, then they're VERY nice to have.  At least in my opinion.  For any other day at the sport crag or whatever, then I wouldn't recommend them. 

Camp Nano 22 is what you want.

Tried them at the gear store. I find them too small to be comfortable to work with. Much prefer my Camp Nano 22's that are larger and lighter. If you are going down this route, have a look at the Edelrid Nineteen G instead, as at least it is one gram lighter than the Nano 22. 

Racking with tiny carabiners is a great way to get me to volunteer to bring my rack every time we climb.

I rack all my cams on these and while at first I had concerns about handling them it turns out I got used to them just fine in short order.

For draws, I use the small Petzl Ange biners - one third of them on long Metolius dogbones, the rest as trad draws on 11m slings.

The rope is a little harder to clip when doing hard trad leads. Those desperate clips get just a little bit more desperate.

Thanks for the feedback! I need to look at the Nano22s. I just got super excited about the weight difference when I found these. Been out of the game for a while and after hauling my old gear bag a few weekends full of old ovals and Ds it seems like a godsend for a geezer. I hate to think about a re-rack from a monetary standpoint but DANG! They're sweet! Trying to get smarter AND stronger! Cheers, friends!

Too small to be incredibly useful, but they're absolutely legit as far as strength goes, can't hurt to rack on them. Check out the nano 22 for a similar weight and cost in an actually useful nonlocker.