Climbing Carabiners and Snap Hooks

Tree climbing carabiners are used in everyday work situations by arborists. Arborist carabiners and rope snaps  vary in their uses from rigging, life support, and even just for carrying accessories.

Carabiners often have gates that require multiple deliberate actions to open, especially when locking mechanisms are involved. By comparison, most snap hooks require an action on the spine followed by pressing the gate to open. Many carabiners include an auto-locking function to help prevent accidental opening during a climb, and some designs feature double-locking mechanisms.

Carabiners are not snap hooks--there is a difference. Carabiners employ a gate mechanism that necessitates multiple actions to open. In contrast, snap hooks, while still requiring two separate actions to open, do not solely rely on the gate mechanism for this purpose.

USING ARBORIST CARABINERS FOR LIFE SUPPORT

Any carabiner used for life support must be auto-locking, have at least three consecutive, deliberate actions to prepare the gate for opening per ANSI Z133. They must have a minimum tensile strength of 5,000 pounds (22.24kN). Ones made from aluminum would be a good choice for life support being that they are lighter in weight than their steel cousins, just like the Petzl Carabiner OK Triact Lock as an example.

USING ARBORIST CARABINERS FOR RIGGING

Carabiners used for light rigging do not have to be double locking, but for some applications, double locking would be the safer option. Choose steel for rigging as they won’t warp or fail as quickly as aluminum ones may. A good example is the very popular ISC Steel Oval Screwgate Carabiner.

USING ARBORIST CARABINERS TO CARRY CLIMBING ACCESSORIES

Non-locking carabiners are used as accessory clips for attaching ropes, rigging gear, or saws to a climbing harness. Some are made of plastic and others are made of aluminum. A good choice for carrying accessories would be the Petzl Spirit Carabiner.

USING ARBORIST SNAP HOOKS

Arborist snap hooks can be used for many similar tasks as carabiners such as tree climbing, lanyard attachment, rigging, tool organization, and even safety lines. Their design allows for quick attachment and release making them easy and efficient to use.

If you’re looking for a heavy duty snap hook, the Triple Action Snaphook by ISC is a great option; this design also comes in a swivel snap hook, built to reduce rope twist and correct gear orientation. For something quick and easy to operate with one hand, US Rigging’s Steel Rope Snap will do the trick.