anyone else use rope clips instead of carbiners for thier up ropes?

[outofmytree]

Interesting. I have found that the triple-action biners can be pretty "sneaky" when it comes to actually being closed. That is, they will sometimes look like they're closed but, in reality, they will not do the final twist that locks them. I have never had that problem with my snaps. Once the gate hits the crook, that puppy is locked.

Yes it is true that a poorly maintained karabiner is as much use to a climber as an ashtray on a motorbike. Gratefully they are easy to keep working. We buy cans of compressed air from local pc supply shops (they sell them for cleaning keyboards) and blow out the dust that gets trapped inside the "sleeve". A little graphite powder is sometimes useful for keeping the action smooth.

 

[ozzy42]

I have used steel rope snaps for as long as I can remember.

Never had any issues with a double action type.

Have recently been trying a split tail though, and to tell the truth the weight of 2 steel snaps is a bit awkward.

I might go with 2 steel krabs,1 with the enclosed eyes ,as I like to terminate with a bowline with yosemite tie off .Cant do that with a regular krab.

I am probably just paranoid but,I ain't hangin my fat ass off of anything aluminum,be it caribiner or snap.

 

[Hddnis]

I use the steel rope snaps and I'll be using them even more in the next year.

The triple action biners I have don't like sap. Climbing a fir is ok, but gums them up in time. Climb one big technical pine and you might as well throw them out. lol Maybe not quite that bad, but the point is they gum up and are a pain to clean and then never seem to work right again. They won't finish locking and I have had them pushed open by mere twigs. I didn't like that feeling at all.

So far I've never had a safety type rope snap open on me any time other than when I opened it. I've found them quick and secure. Still always do a visual check to be sure no matter what I'm using.




Mr. HE

 

[lego1970]

I like the old steel snaps. They are easy to open and clasp onto a D ring in a bind. I've never had one open up and since I use two D rings hopefully at least one D ring will stay in the gate if that did occur. As mentioned they lock good as long as you lube it every month or so where as I've had a couple self locking carabiners that don't close good on their own. Also the steel snaps can take a pretty good beating. Having said that I've snapped several retired climbing lines while useing standard size aluminum carabiners and the carabiners have held up but I've also torn up a couple aluminum carabiners, especially if being used to drag heavy brush or logs over rough terrian. I like snaps but use carabiners every now and then. If I had a rope bridge saddle I wouldn't feel comfortable useing the steel snaps because the gate is a U shaped stamped piece of metal that is not sharp but not excactly smooth either and I would be concerned it could wear out the bridge pre-maturely. That's just what my experience and views are.

 

[Mitchell]

Snap

I use biners on my line; I would not feel unsafe with a snap mind you. I think a biner is safer. war story to follow...

One of my snaps on my flip came undone when i was blocking a spar last summer. I was 30' up at that point left holding the flip in my hand unattached to my right D! I had dropped the saw and its lanyard across my flip line instead of setting it back on my hip. In the process of adjusting the flip the saw lanyard unclipped the snap on the prussic side of my flip. I have not been able to repoduce it [not that i really want to], but I assure it can happen.

 

[StewartTreeCare]

i used to when i used the traditional method, i switched to split tail and now i use biners, i did like the snap hook but with a spliced eye i rather the biner.

 

[voxac30dude]

so i guess maybe then i wont take the chance and use rope snaps for my main line.:jawdrop:
triple action steel caribiners for me then

 

[ozzy42]

Looks like the tally was more or less split.
I think either one is safe depending on how you use them.

Cant terminate to a krab if you use a bowline like I do.
I don't like the tripple fishermans because they are so hard to untie,and I like to untie[as opposed to unclip] for redirects as I don't like the odds of a krab or snap hook getting hung up in a crotch [or the occasional bonk on the hard hat].

As far as the split tail goes ,I may switch to a krab because I tie into my splittail with a tripple anyway.Don't really need another heavy RS.

I believe the TCC covers these options in more detail in the book.

 

[Tree Pig]

some good points here, I may switch to one of these

 

[Tree Pig]

Aluminum biners all the way, and carry a 14oz throwball on the saddle for rope advancement. Spliced eyes for the win.

Throw bag is fine when needed but lots of the time you just need a short advance to your next working height and you can swing your snap up and over the crotch. The weight of the snap can allow you to get just a little farther then just a rope or aluminum biner.

 

[southernoutdoor]

Well a little different scenario but, I worked in the oil field for a few years.. Safety has been taken to the extreme I promise ya! hell if you sneeze to many times you have to write a report on it, anyways we did some pretty extreme stuff that noone would admit they had us do pretty high in the air or off the side of a rig and the snap type lanyards never let me down...Matter of fact probably saved my life a few times:crazy1:

 

[jomoco]

Well a little different scenario but, I worked in the oil field for a few years.. Safety has been taken to the extreme I promise ya! hell if you sneeze to many times you have to write a report on it, anyways we did some pretty extreme stuff that noone would admit they had us do pretty high in the air or off the side of a rig and the snap type lanyards never let me down...Matter of fact probably saved my life a few times:crazy1:

Are you a SPRAT certified rope tech by chance?

Society of Professional Rope Access Technicians.

jomoco

 

[southernoutdoor]

Nope just a graduate from the school of "Hard Knocks"

 

[Bermie]

I have snaps on my lanyards and I like the quickness of them just keep an eye on them especially when doing a changeover, but I have and will always use biners on my main line.

I used one biner only when I was using a blakes hitch and a bowline termination, now using the hitchclimber setup which has two biners one above the other...but still only one attached to the harness bridge.