Smallest

I have Jimmy Dean fingers, so I’m an outlier in terms of hand and digit size. (Laptop keyboards confound me.) That said, I had little trouble clipping rope into the FS Mini, which ties for the second-lightest biner reviewed—and is certainly the smallest. Because of its keychain-biner size, the FS Mini will have detractors: It’s a tough sell for gloved alpine climbing and for hangdogging, when you sometimes grab biners to clip the rope. (I couldn’t open the gate with even one finger inside.) But for me, the space savings offset these issues: These biners won’t eat up pack room, which likewise makes them attractive for racking cams and wires, or for extendo-sling trad draws. The FS Mini also slips into the funky, homemade bolt hangers found on some American rock. With spry, springy gate action—quite notable for its stature—it will excel on multi-pitch trad where lightness is a must. The welcome Jet Set ($43.50) has six biners color-coded to match six Metolius cam, nut, and hex sizes, from blue (No. 1) up through green (No. 6).