DIY - Mark your locking carabiners for safety

The history of climbing accidents is full of examples of climbers who have taken an often fatal fall because they did not notice that their screw-gate carabiner was unlocked.  An easy way to make sure if your locking carabiner really is locked is to paint a warning mark on the gate of the carabiner in the unlocked position.  Here’s how to do it.

1. Buy some bright red finger-nail polish, masking tape and gather up the locking biners you want to paint.
2. Put the screw of the carabiners in the locked position and mark the top of the gate in the locked position by wrapping a piece of masking tape around the gate. Seal it well at the metal.
3. Unscrew the gate to the unlocked position and carefully paint the portion from the bottom of the tape to the top of the unlocked gate and let dry. Three coats of nail polish is pretty typical.
4. When the gate is unlocked you will be able to easily see the red paint and be warned by it.

If this is too much work, then you can go out and buy this feature on the Petzl screw-gate carabiners.  They use the red visual indicator to show when the carabiner is unlocked.

This Tip is from Mazamas Jon Putnam and Whit Fellers