| Carabiners can be used for a variety of applications, | | | | gate from accidental opening. |
| but one of the most common is climbing. There are | | | | An auto-locking carabiner as one would assume, |
| many different types of carabiners, however they | | | | automatically locks the gate and is good for quick |
| can all be divided up into two separate categories: | | | | applications. The screw-locking and triple-locking |
| locking and non-locking. Additionally there are also | | | | carabiners lock via a sleeve that screws up and down |
| several different shapes of carabiners for various | | | | to lock the gate. |
| applications. | | | | Shape |
| Non-locking | | | | In addition to the gate type, carabiners also come in |
| A non-locking carabiner has a sprung swinging gate | | | | various shapes which are used for different |
| that snaps shut under the spring's pressure. There | | | | applications. |
| are three main types of gates: straight gate, bent | | | | The most basic shape is the oval which equally |
| gate, and wire gate. | | | | distributes the load. Unfortunately equal load |
| Straight gates are the most widely used and also the | | | | distribution can be a downfall with carabiners since |
| strongest of the three. Due to their durability and low | | | | the gate side is the weakest. |
| price, straight gates are a great choice for many | | | | The next type is the D-shaped carabiner. D-shaped |
| climbing applications. | | | | carabiners, unlike oval carabiners, reposition the load |
| Bent gates are bent to allow ease of clipping. Not | | | | to the spine which is the strongest. Therefore, |
| only do bent gates clip more easily but they also | | | | D-shaped carabiners generally have a higher load |
| unclip with ease, which make them a great choice for | | | | capacity than do their oval counterparts. |
| quickdraws. | | | | In addition to straight D-shaped, there are also |
| Finally the wire gate is the last of the three. Wire | | | | modified D-shaped carabiners. Modified D's are shaped |
| gates, as the name implies, are made of wire which | | | | so that the gate opening side is larger than the hinge |
| make them the lightest type of carabiner. Due to the | | | | side. This allows for the gate to open further and |
| light weight, wire gates are less prone to gate flutter | | | | makes clipping easier. Modified D's are also the most |
| and are a good choice to minimize weight. | | | | commonly used carabiners. |
| Locking | | | | The final shape is pear or HMS. This style of carabiner |
| Similar to non-locking carabiners, locking carabiners | | | | is similar to the modified D, however they are |
| have several different types: auto-locking, | | | | generally larger and have a pear shape which helps |
| screw-locking, and triple locking gates. The way that | | | | distribute the load to the bottom hinge portion of the |
| a locking carabiner works is via a sleeve that slides | | | | carabiner. |
| over the gate opening. The sleeve then prevents the | | | | |