Climbers have been using carabiners for a long time, but in recent decades paddlers have discovered them, as well. No surprise there. Carabiners are great for making connections, both on the water and off. They hold things together, in other words, and they help you lift, lower, and haul. They’re handy time‑savers, too. With a carabiner, you can attach a line to a boat — or a lanyard to your pack — with just a quick click. If there’s already a loop in the line, there’s no need to fuss with knots or hitches. And you can release the line as quickly as you attached it. Carabiners can also be used, alone or with pulleys, to rig improvised tackles like the Z‑drag, and these “force multipliers” are essential tools in salvage and rescue operations. Carabiners even make lashing boats for storage or transport easier.

But I’m getting ahead of my story. Let’s begin at the beginning. Just what are carabiners, anyway? Easy. They’re snap hooks. (The word comes from the German Karabinerhaken, or “carbine‑hook,” the snap‑swivel that secures a sling to a carbine. You’ll also see it spelled “karabiner,” frequently abbreviated “krab.”) Be careful, though: Not all snap hooks are carabiners. Don’t confuse novelty carabiners and light‑duty snap hooks with the real thing. You’ve seen these little guys on key fobs, on water bottles, and in dozens — maybe hundreds — of other applications. They’re fine, in their place, but when you really need to make heavy‑duty connections, baby ‘biners will let you down. Hard. That’s no fun, is it? So for serious work, when lives or vital gear are at stake, you need the real deal. Big jobs call for the big boys, hardware that can shoulder the load and take the strain without letting go.

Carabiners fit the bill. And every paddler should carry a few, just in case. That’s a given. But are you sure you know what to do with them, now that you have them? Or how to care for them? No? Then keep reading. First, though, a few words on what this article isn’t: It isn’t a primer on river rescue, nor is it a substitute for hands‑on instruction. If you’re lucky, you’ll find at least one good book on rescue and salvage techniques in your local library. (I can recommend the Whitewater Rescue Manual by Charles Walbridge and Wayne A. Sundmacher.) Read it. Then put in a little time under the watchful eye of someone who’s had a few years’ experience pulling boats and boaters out of troubled waters.

OK. I’ve offloaded my cargo of Good Advice. It’s time we got down to the business of the day—’biner basics… Read more…

 
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