Carabiners…not Caribbean

Jan 24

Clips, hooks, and carabiners… and no these are not islands off the Caribbean, they are carabiners clips, spring action and all serve the same purpose to latch on, connect and hold something, but when it comes to backpacks and backpacking it’s the carabiner that has the strength and security as well as my vote, in my opinion, the go-to clip. The carabiner has come a long way since the eighties for me, just so much ingenuity and add-ons now, the evolution of the tool seems to be never-ending now. I believe backpack manufacturers cater to this too, adding extra anchor points for this tool and trying to provide that option for their customers. I know for me it started with my clip around my grab handle because that was the only spot for it. Well, even today I still use the grab handle to clip my boring almost 40-year-old repelling carabiner, I am surprised that I haven’t lost it. But let’s look at some history, per google the word came to English around 1915, its root from a German word that means “carbine hook” a hook used to connect a soldier’s carbine (type of rifle) to a strap, and the first modern carabiner was invented by a German climber Otto “Rambo” Herzog around 1911. Cool name and a cool tool! right? I love learning new things! Amazing how the common backpack adopted this climbing tool for its convenience and versatility, and how perfectly well they go together. Just go on Pinterest and you will see a ton of carabiners in all sorts of shapes and styles and how it is combined with even gadgets on them, what is even cooler is how they all use them in different ways.