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CAMP Nano 23 Full View
  • CAMP Nano 23 Full View
  • CAMP Nano 23 Full View
  • CAMP Nano 23 Full View
  • CAMP Nano 23 Full View
  • CAMP Nano 23 Full View
  • CAMP Nano 23 Full View
  • CAMP Nano 23 Full View
  • CAMP Nano 23 Full View
  • CAMP Nano 23 Rack Pack

Nano 23

Rating

My vote: None ( 3.3 avg )

Description

The lightest carabiner in the world! CAMP has achieved carabiner perfection by taking away everything possible while maintaining the safety and performance standards of the world’s most technical climbers. The wire gate has good clipping action and clearance. The Nano 23 is an excellent choice for alpine and trad climbing where reductions in weight can realistically increase the chances for success. The Nano 23 is also ideal for anchoring at the top of sport climbs because the nose gets into and out of chains without snagging.

-Rock Climbing, Alpinism, Racking
-World’s lightest full-strength carabiner!
-Significantly reduces weight and bulk on any rack

Retail price

US$ 6.95
Weight (g)

Weight (g)

In grams, the weight, as stated by the manufacturer/brand.

23 g
Shape

Shape

Rule of thumb

Almost every carabiner you use will be non-locking offset D’s, with the exception of a Pear/HMS locker as your belay ‘biner.

Offset D (aka Modified D)

60% of the market

A modification of the standard D shape, the top of an offset D is much wider, allowing for a larger (and superior) gate opening. When loaded, most of the weight is transferred to the spine of the carabiner making them stronger than most other shapes. Used for top and bottom quickdraws, as racking carabiners, and lightweight lockers.

Pear / HMS

22% of the market

The Pear/HMS carabiner is used primarily for belaying and/or setting a powerpoint in an anchor. The wide top means they can hold a lot of gear. They are almost always locking and are generally heavier (than D/offset D's) because they need more material to gain back strength lost due to their shape.

Oval

8% of the market

The first carabiner shape to be mass produced. When loaded, the pressure is shared equally on both sides of the ‘biner. Since the weaker gate shares the load with the spine, oval biners aren’t as strong as shapes that direct the load to the spine. The bonus is, your gear rests squarely in the middle, so it's great for holding nuts, pulleys, and prusiks.

D (aka symmetric D)

7% of the market

D’s have a symmetrical shape that sets the rope closer to the spine, putting the load on the spine (versus sharing the load with the weaker gate side, like the oval). Since the strongest part of the carabiner carries the weight, D’s are the strongest shape. Downside: Smaller gate openings than the offset D.

Quick Link (aka Oval link, Maillon Raptide)

1% of the market

Although most climbers wouldn’t refer to this shape as a “carabiner” they are certified by the same EN standard as all the other carabiners. These semi-permanent links ensure the gate will not accidentally open. They're used when setting up a semi-permanent rappel station (not used while climbing up).

Semi-Circle / 3D

less than 1% of the market

Semi-circle: Mostly used by Search and Rescue as this is a great way to secure a chest harness.
3-D: Designed to increase the gate opening and to reduce the chance that the rock will rub your rope and/or the locking gate open. Buy if you’re the curious type; they’re not cheap, and there’s not many in the US.

Learn More

Pros and cons of each shape, graphs and more examples
D / Offset D
Locking

Locking

main non-locking carabiners uses:

  • quickdraws
  • to rack (hold) your gear on your harness
  • part of an anchor setup

main locking carabiners uses:

  • belay carabiner
  • main anchor powerpoint
  • when you need the gate to stay shut

screw gate vs auto-locking gate

Screw gates are generally lighter and cheaper.

Auto-locking gates are usually considered safer as they automatically snap shut, not counting on one's memory to close and are harder to accidentally unlock. The debate comes on opening speed as some are much faster while others can be a struggle.

Learn More

See the newest auto-locking gate technologies
No
Straight or Bent

Straight or Bent

It's easier to see the difference between straight and bent gates on solid gate carabiners:

Straight Gate

The standard. Always used as the bolt-end of the quickdraw, and still sometimes used on the rope-side too. Also used for racking gear such as cam and nuts.

Bent Gate

Created to make it easier to put the rope into a quickdraw with their larger gate opening. Primarily used on the rope-end (bottom) of quickdraws.

Extra Notes

  • Choosing a bent or straight gate does not significantly change the weight, strength, or price of the carabiner.
  • All locking carabiners have straight gates.
  • Today, many wiregates have a hybrid almost-straight-but-kinda-bent gate and are offered in this version only (not as a classic a bent or straight option). We have classified these as bent gates since they're not totally straight.

Important Note

Many manufacturers are now making the bolt-end carabiner come standard in silver (to match the bolt color), and are coloring the rope-end with other anodizations.

Do not mix (interchange) bolt-end carabiners and rope-end carabiners. This can be very dangerous as small abrasions made by the bolt can easily wear your rope. DMM put out a great video/write-up on this issue.

Straight
Full Size

Full Size

Full size carabiners are easier to hold but generally they're also heavier.

This is a totally debatable field as there is no official size, weight, or gate opening necessary to be full size. There are no certifications and this isn't a standard the manufacturer's normally describe specifically.

We did our best to compare (descriptions, in-person use, etc), as a way to help give more information about this carabiner. Like always, if you see something that seems totally off, send us a note.

No
Keylock

Keylock

A keylock nose means the nose is smooth. Keylock carabiners are also known as: snag-free, notch-less, and hook-less.

Keylock Benefit

The lack of a hooked nose makes for less snagging on gear and bolts – a dramatic improvement.

Keylock Drawback

Given that they’re more complicated to manufacture, keylock designs often come at a higher price, especially in wiregates.

Worth Considering

There are more design features necessary to guarantee a snag-free experience, like the curvature of the nose. Some keylock carabiners will still catch on the nose because of the lack of a smooth nose arc (smoother the arc, smoother the clip).

Learn More

Check out our blogpost that goes over carabiner nose design to get all the details
No
Solid or Wire

Solid or Wire

Solid Gates

Generally on beefier carabiners, so they're usually heavier and more durable. They can also feel more substantial in your hands while clipping. Often favored by sport climbers.

Wire Gates

Featured on the lightest carabiners, so they're favored by trad and alpine climbers.

Some considerations

If you want keylock nose carabiners, then solid gates will be much cheaper compared to wire gates.

When wiregates first came out they were not trusted (too new, looked too simple). Now, it's proven that wiregates have less gate flutter and gate shutter than solid gates.

Learn More

Compare gate flutter and gate shutter
Wire
Gate Opening

Gate Opening (mm)

Gate opening refers to the distance between a carabiner’s nose and the fully open gate.

General Guidelines

top of your quickdraw: 17 mm – 22 mm
bottom of your quickdraw: 23 mm – 26 mm
as an anchor holding webbing/gear: 19 mm+

Adding bias towards a larger gate opening is a great option once you’ve narrowed your choice to a few similar carabiners and need help determining which one is the best.

Learn More

Gate opening comparisons, examples, averages, shape, sizes, graphs, and explanations
21 mm
Number of Colors

Number of Colors

The number of different colors that you can find this carabiner in. This color-coding practice was started with just 2 colors, usually silver (that goes on the bolt side of a quickdraw) and another color for the rope side. Now, carabiners come in 5+ colors sets known as "rack packs" so your carabiners can match your cams.

Climbers can also match their carabiner color to their harness or other gear just for fun.

Learn More

Carabiner Rack Packs Explained
8
Lock Indicator

Visual Warning

A lock indicator is a visual warning only seen on locking carabiners. It adds some sort of visual to show if the carabiner is unlocked such as the color red, a danger sign, an unlocked image, etc. When the carabiner is locked the visual indicator is hidden.

Only a small list of manufacturers add this safety feature, although you can easily add one yourself with a permanent marker.

No
Strengths (kN)

Strengths (kN)

In kilonewtons, the strength, as stated by the manufacturer/brand.

Major Axis Closed Gate Strength

This is the strongest orientation and the way carabiners are designed to be loaded.

Major Axis Open Gate Strength

This strength is measured because while climbing, carabiners lying against the rock can be opened slightly as they move across an uneven surface. A carabiner can also open slightly during a fall as the ‘biner starts to vibrate, dispersing the energy (also called "gate flutter"). A weak gate closure (due to a poor/failing spring or an over-stressed wire) could also leave the gate ajar.

Minor Axis Gate Strength

Carabiners are not intended to be loaded along the minor axis (cross-loaded), but it is possible for a carabiner to unintentionally rotate during use, especially while belaying. Of all accidental misuses of a carabiner, cross-loading is the most frequent suspect, which is why there is a rating for it.

Generally wire gates are stronger than solid gates in the minor axis. During the test, the wire gate bends, absorbing some of the force, as compared to a less pliable solid gate.

Learn More

How carabiners are rated, recommendations and strengths.
  20 kN   7 kN    7 kN
AVG RATING
3.03
( 3 avg )
Rating
2.58
( 2.6 avg )

Light, but lacking

Pros
Light
it won't kill you
Cons
Action
small
it'll drive you insane
Disclaimer
I'm a crotchety climber

The action on other CAMP biners (especially the photon) is wonderful, but it's disappointing that the action on the nano sucks so hard that it renders this biner almost useless.

The gate is very stiff and takes a large amount of force to open it fully, and while it's heavy handed, it's not consistent in the force needed to open the gate either. Push hard at the start, then you have to really crank on the thing from about halfway to fully open. Given that the action on the other microbiners on the market (Metolius Mini), it's obvious CAMP did a terrible job designing and implementing the gate spring on the nano.

On the positive side; they are pretty great for racking. Small, very light, and they come in a "rackpack" full of colors to color coordinate your cams. Since I don't have to fully open the gate to get the biners on and off my harness, I don't mind the shitty action. They're slightly cheaper than their Metolius brothers too.

I prefer the other sub 23g biners out there to the nano. The gate action is just so horrendous that it kills them for me. Good freaking luck trying to clip a rope into these while you're pumping out. Let's not even talk about using these on ice climbs with gloves on.

If my partner would pull out a rack of these on draws, I wouldn't let him take any. If he insisted, I'd beat him with them.

Use them for racking; or beating some sense into climbers who use these to clip into ropes.

Rating
3.48
( 3.5 avg )

Maybe I'm too needy and can't handle micro biners

Pros
uber lightweight
Cons
super small gate opening
stiff gate action

I have pretty small (girl) hands. I still think the gate opening on this biner is too small (and rather stiff). Only one finger can fit comfortably on the gate (two fingers = one gets smushed when you go to close the gate).

I've heard a few people claim “you get used to it” but I'm not hardcore enough to keep trying something that doesn't work for me. I have two of these biners and they rarely accompany me on a trip. For a small biner, I'd rather have 4-7 more grams and a pleasant experience. It works like it should, but that just doesn't work for me. Note: I know CAMP has slightly improved the Nano 23 since it's first release, which is the model I have. I haven't tried any of the newer ones.

Outdoor Gear Lab Gear Review rating 2.6/5

The CAMP Nano 23 is one of the lightest full strength carabiners on the market. CAMP likens using lightweight gear to giving your rack an enema. We could take that analogy one step further, and say that while it might lighten you up, you probably won't enjoy the process. Our testers found it hard to clip and unclip, and you wouldn't want to use these with gloves on or at an anchor. All that being said, if you are looking for the lightest possible climbing rack (and aren't into fee-soloing), then the Nano 23 really is your best option.

GearFlogger Logo

The CAMP Nano 23 sets a new high mark for logical product naming: it weighs 23 grams, or .8oz for the rest of us. This is versus 28 grams or almost a full ounce (fattie!) for the Black Diamond Oz. Other specs are equivalent to the Oz, with a slightly slimmer gate opening of 21mm versus 22m for the Oz.

Rock and Ice Gear Review

A complete Nano 23 draw weighs under two ounces— about half the weight of a standard quickdraw, and makes me wonder if carabiners and draws could get any lighter or smaller. If you are looking for the very lightest rig for onsighting and alpine climbing, this is it. Of the six ultralights reviewed here, the Nano 23 is the most diminutive: its smallish gate opening can trap a finger if you use the finger-follow-through clip method. This was the biner I was most likely to mis-clip, but after a few outings I got the hang of it just fine.

CAMP Nano 23 Review