Extendable Quickdraw Issue: Alpine Trad Sling / Rabbit Runner - rock climbing

A potential issue with single strand, sewn end slings when used in an extendable or "alpine quickdraw" configuration.

The tight sewn end and fewer strands make it very easy to unclip and extend this quickdraw. The loose sewn end, however, presents problems.

First, you may need to use full size carabiners to allow the sewn section to flip around inside the carabiner. It will often get hung up in small, ultralight carabiners. Using a larger and heavier carabiner could negate the weight savings of single-strand sling material.

Second, if the quickdraw is unclipped incorrectly and the bottom carabiner is allowed to pass through a loop, funky things can happen. This can also be an issue with typical alpine quickdraws, but is usually not as problematic.

The white sling used here is a double length "alpine trad sling" and is best carried around the shoulder, with one carabiner clipped to both ends. Other options are acknowledged in the manual. If I were to use this 120cm length sling in an extendable quickdraw configuration, I would twist it up and clip the carabiners together to keep the quickdraw from hanging down and getting tangled. This often works just fine, but care must me taken when extending to avoid passing through the loop.

[andrewhunter]

Do you find this happens more when climbing than with a normal alpine draw?