Cheap and easy. (The quicklink, not me.)
I like always have a quicklink (a.k.a. maillon rapide) on my harness. As seen in the pic, I have it on my back left gear loop, which is my least-used loop. It’s great to always have one of these with you because:
- You don’t have to leave a biner or draw when bailing off a sport route.
- You can replace warn anchor hardware if you need to.
- You don’t have to leave a locking biner on a webbing rap anchor.
Sure, it’s a little bit heavier than a biner, but it’s cheaper. It never gets in the way and I never notice that it’s there. Consider spraypainting it to minimize visual impact.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I used to carry a quicklink until somebody pointed out one at the local crag that was ‘left behind’ on a hanger. It was rusted shut. There was no way to get it off the hanger unless you carried a torch up there and cut it off!
Quicklinks are $3? at your hardware store…
A “leaver-biner” can be $5 or $6? Sure it’s double, but you can remove a biner after sometime instead of leaving a rusted quicklink that ruins a climb by clogging up a hanger.
just sayin! (love the blog btw).
Yea, I second uber’s comment.
Unless you are really really broke, you’re better off investing the 2 extra bucks on leaver biners.
It’s just nicer for the following climber, and often it’s the beginning of a “pay it forward” kinda thing where quicklink-leaving climbers become biner-leaving climbers.
Same thing for worn anchor equipment: climbers should really consider leaving biners instead of quicklinks to make lowering off quicker and safer.
Same thing for rap anchor webbing: leaving a bomber locking-biner is a nice way to contribute to your local crag.