What Are Carabiners?

  Carabiners are essentially metal loops, which have a hinged gate that provides access to space in the middle of the loop. They function like a clip and allow you to connect a variety of different items together. Carabiners are also known as carabiner clips or carabiner keychains.

  Carabiners clips were originally used by German soldiers called carabiners, because they used carbine rifles. The soldiers would use the carabiners (originally called Karabinerhaken in German) to attach things to their belts, backpacks or bandoliers.

Because they work very well with ropes, webbing and similar materials, they quickly became popular with mountain climbers and others who needed a safe way to connect ropes and other items.

  Carabiners hoops are fairly simple devices, which only feature a few parts:

· Metal Loop –Made from any of several different metals and forged in any of several different shapes, the metal loop serves as the foundation for the carabiner. Different portions of the loop have their own names: The long, straight length opposite the gate is called the spine, the length of metal between the spine and the gate is called the basket, and the tip of the basket – the portion that connects to the gate – is called the nose.

· Gate – The gate is a length of metal or wire that closes the opening in the metal loop. Gates come in a few different shapes, but most are essentially straight.

· Gate Pin – The gate pin is a spring-loaded metal rod that keeps the gate connected to the metal loop and serves as a hinge. Gate pins cause the gate to return to the closed position automatically.

· Gate Lock (optional) – Some hooks contain locking mechanisms to prevent the gate from opening accidentally.