Every once and awhile a climbing product will come along and as a community we’ll collectively be like, “that’s a great idea, why didn’t they think of that sooner”? The Edelrid Bulletproof carabiner is one of those items.
Retail: starts at $12.95
The concept is simple, but it’s definitely a game changer. Edelrid has designed a carabiner that has a steel insert where the rope runs through. This drastically reduces the chances that a carabiner is going to become sharp, which could potentially damage or cut the sheath of one’s rope.
I picked up a set of these quickdraws this fall, and have used them every time I’ve been climbing since. I often place one on the first bolt of a route, which traditionally gets worn the most. I also use them at the anchors of a route while toproping. After months and months of use there’s relatively zero evidence of wear. When comparing that to a “normal” carabiner that’s being used at an anchor the difference is very noticeable. These are carabiners that are going to need to be replaced less, and also reduce the risk of a sharp edge cutting your rope.
I love these things.
The next thing that came to my mind is that it would be awesome to have a locking carabiner option for this same feature. After all, don’t most of us replace the carabiners we use for rappelling quite often? I know I do. The good news is the Bulletproof locking carabiners are on their way, and the folks at Edelrid have told us they are expected for a March release. You can be sure I’ll be adding a couple of these to my rack.
The Edelrid Bulletproof Quickdraw (on Amazon)
The Edelrid Bulletproof Carabiner (on Amazon)
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About us: The Climbing Zine was started in 2010 by Al Smith III and Luke Mehall. It continues to the day with the mission of representing the true essence of climbing. Our crown jewel is our printed version, but we also do the interweb thing, and Kindle.
We have also published five books: Graduating From College Me, American Climber, The Great American Dirtbags , Climbing Out of Bed, and Squeak Goes Climbing In Yosemite National Park (a climbing children’s book) .
Check out our film, Last Thoughts on The Dirtbag, made with Cairns Film.
