Camp Photon Screw Gate

No matter how many “groundbreaking” new carabiners are released each year, climbers seem to reach for their favorite biners time and again. After using the Photon Screw Gate for the past eight-plus months, our chief tester placed it permanently in her must-rack category. From tying in to a threeman rope team for an ascent of Mt. Baker in Washington to the Yellow Spur (5.9+) in Eldorado Canyon, Colorado, this locking biner won points for being light (1.5 oz.), strong (major axis: 21 kN; minor axis: 7 kN), and just the right size. It was easy to handle with gloved hands, and it didn’t freeze or malfunction after being left in the snow overnight at 6,500 feet.