No-twist quickdraws

Svelte, ultralight carabiners tend to slide around in quickdraws, even when the draw is cinched tight with an elastic band or bartacking—this can leave the biner cockeyed and hard to clip. Not so with these Metolius draws, which have a rubber fitting that loops up around the biner and locks it in place (Metolius calls this the JIG). The carabiners on these draws are the Bravo wire-gates, which weigh just over an ounce but test to 24kN (major axis) and an impressive 10kN open-gate strength. “I had no clipping issues whatsoever with everything from my thin 9.1mm rope to a ‘fat’ 10mm,” said one tester. The draws, available in 5- and 7-inch lengths, are sewn from waterresistant Monster webbing (a Dyneema/nylon blend), making them a good choice for ice and alpine routes, too.