Rigging Carabiners

This is a holy war in caving circles. People have strong opinions about which carabiner is best for rigging. Here's the short version: the best rigging carabiners are the cheapest ones you can find that are safe to use underground and will last a decent while.

We've had good luck with Fixe Puput carabiners recently. They're cheap, they work, and they hold up. Plenty of other options exist, but that's our current pick.

You can use steel carabiners underground. They're cheap but weigh a ton. You can use maillons. They're cheap and strong but take ages to screw and unscrew, so they're a pain on a wet pitch. For a first set, get cheap screwgate carabiners from a known brand.

One thing to watch with very cheap gear: read the manual. Some budget carabiners aren't certified for underground use. We found one where the manual said in Spanish, buried on page 40, "not for use during caving". If it's a bargain, check every detail.

Realistically, use club rigging gear as long as you can. It saves you money and means you don't have to inspect and retire your own hardware.

Rigging carabiners are for setting up pitches, not for your personal SRT setup.

Get competent at SRT first, and then buy your own rigging gear. You'll need rope as well.

This gets complicated. A carabiner that looks fine might have invisible damage. On the other hand, rigging carabiners don't take repeated falls like climbing ones. If you know what to check for and trust the seller, secondhand can save money. If you're not sure, buy new.