What are carabiners? A carabiner is a metal loop or spine having a screw locking gate or spring gate. Carabiners are commonly used in mountain climbing and industrial works. A number of graded carabiners are manufactured with certified safety ratings.
What are the types Carabiners?
Carabiners that are popularly used in climbing come in the locking and non-locking varieties. Locking carbiners are installed with auto locking gates or twist lock gates to secure the gate from getting accidentally opened or unclipped. Climbers usually use locking carbiners while setting up any anchor so that the system is secure.Climbing is a dangerous activity and all steps should be taken to use the right gear to avoid any accidents.
Non-locking carabiners have a spring swinging gate that open and shut with the pressure of the spring. The gates used in a non-locking carbiner can be a straight gate, bent gate or a wire gate. It is common for climbers to connect two non-locking carabiners by using a short sling, and turning it into a quickdraw.
Different shapes of carabiners are available such as the oval carbiner which can be used for any purpose and are the cheapest. The D shaped carabiners carries most of the load on the metal loop and is a stronger variety though more expensive. The offset-D carabiners have a bigger gate opening thus facilitating easy clipping of things.
Where is the carabiner used?
Carabiner hooks could be used in industry involving the use of rope for work such as window cleaning, construction work, fire service departments, and rope rescue operations. Heavier steel carabiner is generally used for industrial purposes. With a screwed shut gate instead of the sprung gate commonly used in carabiner. The screwed shut gate can be operated only with a special tool to open or close it.
The climbers use carabiner during rock climbing, mountain climbing or tree climbing. The climber can use the it to facilitate attaching it to a rope quickly and easily. The technique used in the carabiner ensures that the harnesses and ropes are connected to one another in a fairly secure manner. The use of carbiner ensures that the climbers are safe from any accidental falls.
The other common and popular use of carabiners is in sports, involving the use of ropes, such as sailing, climbing, hang gliding, canyoning, caving and slack lining. The carabiners used for such sporting activities are made from 7075 aluminum and generally lighter than he ones used for industrial purposes. More recently carabiners are being used by hikers as bottle holders and key holders.
Carabiners are being popularly used nowadays even in houses, offices and workshops. Carabiners are being used for rigging a hammock, as camping equipment, and even for hanging tools. Carabiners are easily available in sports and recreational shops, and outlets retailing boating and other marine equipment. Carabiners used for simple home and recreational needs may not subscribe to safety standards. So it is essential to determine the purpose for which the carabiner is going to be used before going out to make a purchase.
