The Quickdraw

The quickdraw is ideal for sport and indoor rock climbing. Quickdraws reduce rope drag when a rope is pulled through a series of carabiners which are not necessarily aligned.

What does a quickdraw do?. The quickdraw allows the rope to pull to the center and allow a less resistive path from the belay point to the climber. The quickdraw is made of two non-locking carabineers connected with a sewn webbing. One of the carabineers is a non-locking bent gate carabineer and the other is a non-locking straight-gate carabineer. The carabineers are attached with a sling. The sling can vary in length from about 5 cm to 25 cm or 4-1/2 to 10 inches. The webbing is made from a strong material and usually it is sewn on to the carabineer. It can also be tied using a runner or sling. Either of the carabineers may be snap gate or wire gate type.

The quickdraw has one straight gate carabineer and one bent gate carabineer. The bent gate carabineer should always be the one clipped to the rope. For leading and top roping at an indoor climbing wall usually a quickdraw is already attached to each of the protection points on the route. The lower carabineer, (the one with the bent gate) should be clipped so the gate is pointing away from the rope and pointing away from the climbing wall or rock face. Doing this will help prevent the quickdraw from twisting the gate into the wall. The rope should run freely through the spine of each carabineer, not along the gate. The spine is the strongest part of the carabineer.

Z-Clipping. Z-clipping happens when the climber grabs the rope under the last clipped quickdraw. In other words, on the rope going to the belayer. Then attempts to clip the next protection using that rope. This usually happens when protection is close together. See diagram.

Example of a "Z-Clip". The climber incorrectly grabs the rope going to the belayer instead of the rope going to his harness, then pulls it up to the next quickdraw. This type of clipping could cause the gate to twist against the rope and open; and causes excessive rope drag, not to mention a red face.

Example of correct clipping. The climber grabs the rope going from the quickdraw to his harness, then pulls it up to the next quickdraw. The rope stays free and has the lease amount of rope drag.

Black Diamond Quicksilver/Hot Wire Quickdraw. This Quickdraw has a wiregate on the rope-clipping end with the wide gate opening on the top for easy bolt clipping, while the bottom biner is light and makes it easy to clip to the rope. The type of nose of the top biner helps prevent gate flutter and lash, (see carabiner). They are connected by a Spectra dogbone for both strength and durability.

Black Diamond Quicksilver Quickdraw. For a simple, functional, and commonly used quickdraw, the Black Diamond Quicksilver quickdraw is your choice. The two biners are connected with a Dynex dogbone. The combination bent gate, straight gate quickdraw is loved and used by indoor gym climbers as well as the sport and trad. The connecting dogbone firmly holds the biner in place for easier clipping.

Black Diamond Dynotron/Livewire Quickdraw. This quickdraw uses a wire gate and keylock carabineers. The Dynotron Livewire Quickdraw is used by sport, ice and trad climbers. The wire gate is freeze-proof making it versatile for mixed climbing.

Black Diamond HotWire Quickdraw. This quickdraw uses a keylock biner and a wire-gate biner. The result is fast and easy clipping. The dogbone is a Dynex. On the rope end it has a rubber straight jacket which holds the biner in place for stability and correct orientation to the pin. The Positron biner is on the bolt end with a keylock gate which makes cleaning steep routes much easier.

Black Diamond Dynotron Quickdraw. Both the straight and bent-gate carabiners have huge gate openings. This is why the Dynotron quickdraw is one of the easiest to clip of all quickdraws. The keylock gates ensure the climbing rope doesn't snag. The dogbone has a rubber insert in the clipping end biner to keep the gate orientation correctly pointing the way you need it.

DMM Prowire Quickdraws. The DMM quickdraw is easy clipping, has a low 2.9 ounce weight making it a great choice for sport, trad and ice. The wiregates perform well in cold conditions and help defend against gate lash. The Dyneema sling twists readily, reducing back clip potential.

Black Diamond Positron Anodized Quickdraw. This Quickdraw combines two keylock ‘biners for the easiest clipping available. They are sleek without protrusions so it reduces the tendency to catch or snag, making it easier to clean a route, and easier to clip quickly while leading.

Mammut 8mm Gold Wire Quickdraw. This is a lightweight quickdraw and excels on mountaineering, trad and alpine climbs. It is lightweight with an 8mm Dyneema Gold Wire quickdraw. The two wire gate biners and a thin sling give the best balance in saving weight and making a versatile quickdraw. The sling sheds water and the gate will not freeze shut, so this is ideal for mountaineering.

CAMP USA Nano Wire Express Quickdraw. The CAMP Nano Wire Express Quickdraw is very light weight. It is achieved by the Nano Wire biner and the Dyneema sling. This quickdraw weighs only 2.5 ounces. A rack full of these will significantly lighten your load--an excellent choice for a long trad.

Black Diamond LiveWire Quickdraw. This is a quickdraw made for sport climbers. It is an easy to clip and remove when cleaning. The bolt end has a large LiveWire biner which effortlessly receives the rope. The bolt Black Diamond added a Dynotron carabineer with a keylock gate on the bolt end to make cleaning your 30-foot roof project a bit easier.

Black Diamond Neutrino Quickdraw. The Neutrino Quickdraws takes off critical weight from the climbing gear rack and yet provides a wide gate opening to make it easier to make those difficult clips. This quickdraw is only 3.3 ounces, so it is the perfect way to cut weight. Neutrino Quickdraws are widely used with trad and mountaineering climbers and the no freezing wire gates on the biners make them perfect for ice climbers too.

Petzl Express Quickdraw Sling. Petzl Express Slings for making your own quickdraws. The string webbing protector keeps carabineers aligned for ease of use and clipping. Just combine biner of choice and you can make your own quickdraws.

Climbing Gear:

Backpacking Tents
Tents for all types of uses and conditions and sizes.
Tents.html

Camping Accessory
Things to make it easier and more enjoyable camping.
Camping_Accessory.html

Climbing Gear Manufacturers
All the manufacturers of the gear used in our sport.
gearmanufacturers.html

Discount Outdoor Gear
Incredible deals on the top sports gear and equipment.
Discount_Gear.html

Sleeping Bags
Bags for any condition, temperature or environment.
Sleeping_Bags.html

Sports Clothes
Apparel for sports enthusiasts for all type of active wear.
Sports_Clothes.html

Travel Backpack
Diverse selection in sizes, application and functionality.
Packs.html