When considering the assortment of climbing gear you'll need for nearly any kind of climbing adventure, carabiners are certain to be on the list. Carabiners are meant to connect things together, such as connecting a climber to their rope and connecting a climber with any necessary safety equipment. Carabiners are basically lightweight, metal loops with metal snap links that are used by climbers for many different climbing scenarios. Here is a quick rundown of the different types of carabiners to help make choosing them easier.

Carabiner Shapes

Oval – Oval carabiners are perhaps the most popular shape for carabiners. They are versatile and affordable, but not as strong as some of the other shapes you have to choose from. They have a smooth uniform top and bottom curves.

D – Shaped – D shaped carabiners are lighter and stronger than oval carabiners, with a very high strength to weight ratio. They are, of course shaped like the letter D and are designed to shift the weight load towards to back of the carabiner. Another great plus is that these carabiners are easy to clip into.

Asymmetrical D Shaped – These carabiners work like regular D carabiners, except they are slightly smaller at one end to help reduce weight. They do typically have larger gates, which can make clipping in easier, but not a lot of inside room as the others.

Carabiner Gate Options

The gate of the carabiner is simply the part of the carabiner that opens to allow access. There are several different kinds of gates which you should be aware of, as they can save your life.

Straight Gate – Straight gates are definitely the most common kind of gate. They're perfectly straight from the pivot point to the end, and spring loaded to open easily when pushed.

Bent Gate – Bent gate carabiners have more of a concave gate which is designed to make clipping in easier. Make sure you know how to use them correctly though, as they can unclip from your rope if you're not careful, do not use for directly clipping to protection!!

Locking Carabiners – Locking carabiners have gates that can be locked in the closed position to provide extra protection in the case of accidental gate openings. They should be used anytime you are depending on one of them for safety.

Wire Gate – Wire gate carabiners use a loop of steel wire for their gate, and allow for larger gate openings. These carabiners are suprisingly strong.

Now that you know what kinds of carabiners are available they should be more recognizable the next time you climb with friends or use a local climbing wall. If you're new to climbing this should give you the knowledge you need to add to your gear collection.