How do I choose the right carabiners?

 Carabiners come in many shapes and for many different applications. That requires you to make the right choice for use in canyoning, caving, climbing or via ferrata.

Shape of the carabiner
The shape of the carabiner largely determines how you can best use the carabiner.
The shape also affects:

• The main axis strength
• Weight distribution
• Closure opening and capacity
• Good luck in certain positions
• Ease of use

Other less obvious features of the carabiner that can be taken into consideration are the functioning, balance and positioning of the carabiner. For example, a pear-shaped carabiner has more room to move when a self-locking device is attached to it. A D-shaped carabiner is a better choice here.

See this page for different shapes and closures of carabiners

Shapes of the carabiners and maillons

• Snapper carabiners
• D shaped carabiners
• Oval-shaped carabiners
• Pear-shaped carabiners (HMS carabiners)
• Wide Opening Carabiners
• OMNI multidirectional carabiner

Closure of the carabiner

Carabiners are equipped with different closures, which can be divided into manual closures and automatic closures.

• With a carabiner with a manual lock, the user must lock the carabiner manually. Such a closure is useful when the carabiner only needs to be opened every now and then. A carabiner with manual closure is also recommended when used in an environment with a lot of dirt (sand, mud, etc.). The chance of the closing mechanism becoming clogged is then smaller than with a carabiner with an automatic locking mechanism.
• A carabiner with an automatic closure closes completely automatically, an advantage for carabiners that are often opened and closed, such as carabiners that connect a belay device to the climbing harness, for example.

Carabiner close types:

• Manual closing
• Screw closure;
• Semi permanent screw closure;
• Automatic closing
• Triact Lock
• Wire lock
• Ball lock

For a detailed description to come to the choice of your carabiner see: CanyonZone's Knowledge Base What is the right carabiner for me?

Overview Knowledge base General canyoning and caving equipment : Go back.