Why you shouldn't use non-locking carabiners!!!

TREEfool · Oct 31, 2015

Haha, ya... I don't know if many arborists climb with non-locking biners hanging off their harness but I have like 10,000 non-lockers so I usually bring a bunch into the canopy with me just for hanging stuff off of other stuff when tree camping.

On my last trip I lended (lent?) a bunch of gear to a friend who was learning how to tree climb. When I traversed into another tree I needed to control the traverse back to the original tree so I rigged up a munter hitch on my lanyard using a non-locking biner since I didn't have any lockers available. As I attempted to film the traverse I weighted the rope and SNAP the tail end popped through the gate and I had a mini free fall. You can see it in the video from our trip:

How did this error happen? I got over confident and thought, "I don't need to follow the rules cuz I have been climbing for like, an eternity". Well, luckily my big head didn't get me hurt. I of course would not have ever used a non-locker as my only safety line but this was a real slap in the face to always use a locking biner on all weight bearing points.

I hope you guys enjoy the video. I played off the fall as if it wasn't a big deal simply because I was embarresed at how badly I could have gotten hurt.

-Logan

monkeylove · Oct 31, 2015

Glad you're okay Fluff. That is the exact reason I do not ever carry non-lockers on my harness. If they aren't there you can't make that bad decision. Now I am going to watch the vid.

Tom Dunlap · Oct 31, 2015

I'm glad that you're OK and can now make a gear change. It's taken me a while to use up the non-autolockers in my bucket. Some are used to hang my canoe and kayaks...tie-downs in the trunk...none in my climbing kit anymore.

TREEfool · Nov 2, 2015

Thanks guys. I am convinced that I need to invest some money into more autolockers. It just sucks that they are so darn expensive. One hour of work equals one carabiner, yuck!

moss · Nov 4, 2015

There are so many steps in tree climbing especially advancing in a tree where I'm attaching and detaching life support carabiners, autolockers end up saving a lot of time. Beyond the safety factor that time saved adds up over many climbs. Always check to be sure the gate is engaged on an autolocker before you put your life on it.
-AJ

moss · Nov 4, 2015

I carry non-lockers on my harness, I really like them for a third or fourth hand when I need it. For example when I want to lock off my main rope to avoid dropping it when I'm doing some sort of configuration change. No temptation to use them for life support.

It was pretty cool the way that Munter opened the gate, would like to see that in slow-mo, very glad you weren't hurt.
-AJ