CE rated quick links from CAMP

---

• CE rated quick links from CAMP

• 5mm, 8mm and 10mm (Note, the 5mm is stainless only, not CE rated, and 25 kN)

• galvanized or stainless

• starting at about $3 each

• strength - 25 kN to 50 kN (!!!)

Let's take a moment to appreciate the humble quick link. Also known by a few other terms, such as “rapid links” or “maillon rapide” of just “maillon”, it's a simple, inexpensive, near bulletproof, and long lasting connection point that’s useful in many aspects of climbing. It was originally used by farmers, who needed an easy way to repair or extend chains. They are popular with cavers, who needs sturdy connection points that take a lot of abuse.

Of course you can buy quick links from the hardware store, but they're going to be made at some unknown machine shop in a far away country. Is that where you want your life support hardware to be from? I didn't think so. (Although, I added a video at the bottom of the page that shows even these hardware store versions are probably gonna be fine. . . )

Instead, for about the same price, get a proper CE rated quick link from a reputable manufacturer, such as CAMP or Metolius.

The 8 mm galvanized steel quicklink, rated 40 kN /9,000 lbs(!), is just $3, whatta deal!

Try a Google for “CAMP quick link” or visit the CAMP website.

---

But quick links are too heavy . . .

Many people like to hate on quick links, grumbling that they are “heavy” and single use item.

But are they really that heavy, compared to the gear you’re already carrying? Perhaps not! Check out the photo below. The 5 mm stainless steel quicklink is actually stronger, lighter, and less expensive than a small snapgate carabiner.

It does look about as robust as a paper clip, but can't argue with 25 kN! Yes they are a fairly specific single use item, but they do that one thing pretty darn well.

NOTE: the CAMP website says the 5 mm link is a: “Minimal oval quick link for accessory uses.” “Accessory uses” probably means the CAMP legal team would prefer you not rappel from it. Personally, I'm OK with 25 kN. You are free to make your own choice. Remember, my website offers, ideas and information, not advice.

When rappelling, it’s best practice to run your rope through some sort of metal connection at the anchor. Doing this gives a smoother rope pull, with no chance of damaging the anchor webbing. In alpine climbing where you don’t have bolted/chain anchors, this usually means three options: quick link, rappel ring, or your least favorite carabiner. (Carabiner tip: tape the gate shut to make “cheapskate locker” for a more secure rappel anchor.)

Quick links are a good choice at rappel anchors for two reasons:

1. You can open the threaded sleeve and put it OVER existing cord or webbing (which you can kind of do with a rappel ring, but I find it sketchy).

2. They have a very small opening, which lets them be used with a blocking knot. (Blocking knots are an advanced technique; you can learn about them here.)

---

Notes . . .

• It's best practice to close the sleeve of the quick link by screwing it down toward the ground. This means that gravity is helping keep the sleeve closed. A little pneumonic to help remember this is: “Screw DOWN so you don't screw UP.” Also applies to locking carabiners.

• If you have a link that you want to fix it more permanently, give it an extra turn with a pair of pliers; a multi-tool is your friend. And if you’re a route developer, feel free to put a few drops of Loctite on it to really hold it closed.

• A study from On Rope Canyoneering states that quick link breaking strength increases by roughly 10% if you use a wrench to tighten the sleeve rather than your hands.

What size quick link should I get?

• 5mm: Leave behind at alpine rappel stations, and as a master point if you're going to use a knot block, because it's so small. Fits rope up to about 10.5 mm. Yes it might look like a paper clip, but it's rated to 25 kN, #SuperGoodEnough!. From CAMP, comes in stainless steel only. (Legal notice: CAMP suggests using these for “accessory only”, choose wisely.)

• 8mm: Nice all around size. Fits two carabiners, and rotates through a standard bolt hanger. Good for connecting chain to hangers and rings. Rated to 40-50 kN.

• 10mm: Tie up aircraft carriers, and for master point / rope connection / lowering point at high use areas. Last a long time, cheap and easy to replace. (Yes, it's good practice in most areas to lower off for the last person rather than rappel. ) Rated to 40-50 kN.

When are quick links useful?

• An alpine climb where you anticipate building your own rappel stations. The 5mm stainless is a good choice here.

• If you're a good Samaritan and want to improve anchors at your local crag. (It's best practice in most outdoor climbing areas to use stainless steel hardware whenever possible. It lasts much longer. If you are equipping outdoor anchors, spend a few more bucks and get stainless steel.)

• Making an anchor where you want to do some kind of a knot block (Reepschnur), and want to be 120% certain that the knot is unable to pass through the master point. A quick link is perfect for this.

• Making a durable and (mostly) theft-proof “gym quickdraw” from a fixed eye steel carabiner and a quicklink for your project route or “clip & lower” sport anchor. (Photo below.)

• You can chain two “dogbones” together to make an ultra-long quick draw. (Photo below.)

• For certain applications in big wall climbing or rope soloing, where do you need a supe- strong, very reliable connection.

• Please do NOT use them to bail off of a sport climb, use a carabiner instead. Reason: the gate is often quite difficult to open for the next person up who needs to remove your gear.

DIY “perma-draw”, like what you find on lead routes in many climbing gyms.

You can chain two quick draws together with a quick link, as seen on the right.

Here's where you should probably NOT use a quick link: retreating from a sport route. It can make it difficult to clip for the next climber, and they can be hard to remove, especially if they've been there for a while and the threads start to rust shut.

Leave a carabiner instead. If you're not comfortable with lowering from one snap gate, leave a locker, or tape the gate closed, aka “cheapskate locker”.

So, how strong are those hardware store quick links after all? Here's a video from On Rope Canyoneering that tries to answer the question.

They tested two diameters, zinc (non-stainless steel) hand tightened, five links of each size tested.

• 5/16” (8 mm) broke at an average of 31.5 kN

• 1/4” (6.4 mm) broke at an average of 10.5 kN

---

Gear Breaking, Italian Style

Let's get one thing straight. The CAI has a terrific logo. =^)

---

Click below to watch the video.

As climbers, we never want our gear to break. But it sure can be fun watching people do it in the lab!

The Italian Alpine Club (Club Alpino Italiano, or CAI) founded in 1863, is the second oldest alpine club in the world. They have been doing gear tests like this for more than 50 years. They made a terrific video showing all manner of testing and destruction - ropes (both sudden drop test and slow motion steady pull, with and without knots), slings, carabiners and harnesses. Also, various tests of the flat overhand bend, with different combinations of rope material and diameter. Girth hitch? Yep, we got that too.

Lots of these gear testing videos are in the original language, often Italian or German. I paid to have subtitles added to this video so this important information could be brought to a wider audience. (That's why it's on my YouTube channel, but all content is from the CAI.)

---

Note, the units in this video are the kind of unusual “kgf”, or “kilogram force”. This is different than the more commonly used kilonewton (kN), which has a climber you are hopefully familiar with.

Fortunately, the math conversion is easy: simply move the decimal two places to the left for an approximate conversion to kilonewtons. For example, if something in the video broke 1268 kgf, move the decimal place to places to the left and you get around 12.6 kN. (technically it's about 12.4, but hey I'm not an engineer and that's good enough for me.)

Yep, they tested Dyneema girth hitches.

Plus the flat overhand bend, in lots of different combinations of material and diameter.

Pocket Fresnel lens for the small print

So, the way I heard the story . . . Several older and experienced hikers were hiking in the Columbia River Gorge. As light was fading, they needed to make a route choice at a trail junction. They pulled out their map . . . and couldn’t read it because no one had reading glasses! They didn’t know where to go, and decided to stay put for the night. (That was probably the best choice, and luckily they had the gear to do so in reasonable comfort.) The next morning, when there was enough light to read their map, they walked out unassisted.

For more “well seasoned” climbers, reading the small print on a map or phone screen can be tricky. But who wants to bring reading glasses on a hike or climb? 

A lightweight, inexpensive, and functional solution is a pocket Fresnel (pronounced fruh-nel) magnifying lens.

image: https://www.amazon.com/Outus-Plastic-Reading-Magnifier-Firestarter/dp/B06W5FCS4Q/

These little puppies are simply thin, flexible, plastic magnifying glasses. About the size of a credit card, they are dirt cheap, magnify to about 3x power, and really help to read that 8 point font. (The image clarity is not as good as what you’d get with a lens actually made of glass, but it’s probably  good enough to read your map and make the correct trail choice.)

If you want to show off your bushcraft skills, they can apparently be used in a pinch to even start a fire, provided you have steady hands, perfect tinder, and bright sunshine. (Disclaimer, I have never done this, your mileage may vary, and YouTube is your friend.)

You can get a multi-pack of pocket magnifier lenses online for something like $1 each. So, buy a bunch, keep them scattered around your gear bags, and give ‘em away to your friends. Search Google for “pocket Fresnel lens”.

---

Science geek note: the Fresnel lens was invented by a French physicist in the 1800s, and was originally used in lighthouses to concentrate the light beam. Several excellent examples can be seen at historic lighthouses, including several in Oregon.  When seen full size in a lighthouse, they are quite amazing! 

Fresnel lens in Cape Mendocino lighthouse, California. Image: Wikipedia

Backup battery and charging cable - the 11th Essential

Phones, watches, satellite communication devices, rechargeable headlamps . . . Most of us are carrying more important electronics into the back country, so it's crucial to have a means of charging them.

While always putting your phone in airplane mode at the trailhead to save battery is good practice, having some backup power is inexpensive and lightweight.

Here’s a very detailed article I wrote about battery saving tips in the back country.

Some people only will take an auxiliary battery on a multi-day trip. That works great provided you remember to charge your phone fully in your car driving to the trailhead, but that is a little task that's easy to forget. For me, it's more reliable to just carry a fully charged extra battery and cable as standard practice.

Anker and Nitecore makes great auxiliary batteries in a variety of sizes. With the larger batteries of modern phones, probably 5,000 mAh is the smallest you want to go, which should give you one full charge. (Geek note: “mAh” means milliamp hours, a way to describe battery capacity.)

The photo above is a few years old; now I'm using a 5000 mAh battery. but you get the idea. (Sharpie pen shown for scale)

If you're going on a longer trip, sharing your battery with partner(s) or don't mind carrying a little more weight, go with a 10,000 mAh battery. That can last last one person up to a week.

I like having both - a small one for short term emergency backup, and a 10,000 for longer trips.

A small auxiliary battery and charging cable together cost about $20, and weigh 3.5 ounces / 100 grams. Personally, I consider a battery and charging cable the 11th essential, and carry this tiny additional weight with me on every trip. 

Cables . . .

iPhone Lightning. USB-A. Micro USB. USB-C . . . Aaaaaargh!

We all know that having 4+ different flavors of cables is a hassle! This is especially true when you're trying to minimize your gear. Let's hope the move to USB-C as a standard happens fast!

You can get a tiny 4 inch long charging cable for your iPhone; no need to bring the long cord you use at home. I'm sure there's one for Android folks as well.

Tip: cheap charging cables can get damaged getting banged around in your pack and fail when you most need them. Try to buy cables that are a little more durable, and consider bringing two of them on longer trips, they are inexpensive and extremely lightweight.

If you search online, you'll find loads of different battery options, many from off-brand companies. I’ve tried a few of these trying to save a few bucks, and been disappointed. I recommend you pay a tiny bit more and get a name brand like Anker or Nitecore.

---

Update: as of 2024, this is about the lightest weight and most compact 10,000 mAh charger on the market. I don't have one yet, but it comes highly recommended by some pro guide friends.