Preferred carabiner orientation?

[2COR517]

Is there a preferred, safer or recommended orientation of the carabiner when clipped in to bridge? Gate facing up or gate facing down? Does it matter?

 

[Zero One Actual]

When using a carabiner for rappelling or attaching your harness to a belay device, it is generally recommended to have the gate facing up. This orientation helps prevent the rope from accidentally unclipping and ensures that the carabiner is less likely to cross-load, which is a dangerous situation where the force is applied to the weaker axis of the carabiner.

 

[2COR517]

When using a carabiner for rappelling or attaching your harness to a belay device, it is generally recommended to have the gate facing up. This orientation helps prevent the rope from accidentally unclipping and ensures that the carabiner is less likely to cross-load, which is a dangerous situation where the force is applied to the weaker axis of the carabiner.

Thank you. Makes sense.

 

[OSUTodd]

I like mine gate up so it's easier to clip in my back band.

 

[Horn]

Pretty sure when using a screw gate rock climbers say to put the gate so it screws downwards to tighten it. That way it self tightens if it works loose.

 

[muzzyman88]

Gate facing you and down is what I have always heard and been taught. Think the saying is "screw down so you don't screw up" or something like that.

 

[raisins]

When rock climbing with carabiners clipped to anchors and the rope passing through them as it goes up a face, if the carabiner isn't locked or doesn't lock, then they have to worry about the rope being whipped down and over the gate and unclipping itself. I don't think those concerns apply to us hanging off a tether. It's way different.

 

[NimbleTimbo]

whether getting tethered in on the ground or after climbing with a LB, I generally have the biner facing down simply because I attach the biner to the hitch, ascender, or belay device first before clipping in to my bridge, and I find this orientation easier to clip in this way. I doubt either way matters much in our use, but I'm about efficiency and an easy, repeatable process.

 

[elk yinzer]

Two competing schools of thought that have already been mentioned

On the gravity side you have "screw up so you don't screw down".

On the OCD side you have no fancy sayings that I know of, but gate up is easier to visually inspect.

I do neither religiously, I think both have merits in different applications. If I had to lean one way, put me on team visual inspection

More importantly I think is taking your time and just committing to habit double checking. Any time you disconnect and reconnect it's critical you double check visually and preferably test the connection points. Your gate can be closed but if you accidentally "clipped in" to a tag end of rope, you're going down.

 

[Jammintree]

I’ve heard so many things about this that it’s dizzying. Seems to me like it’s all application dependent. When I’m rope climbing I like my gate facing me so that I don’t hit the gate with my hands. When I’m tetherd at hunting height, I like my gate facing away from me so that I can’t possibly catch my bowstring on it. One of my saddles has a webbing bridge - and when I’m wearing that I like my gate facing down so that my bridge glides smoothly. And then there are numerous kinds of gates…

I’m just a layman, with no technical knowledge. But it seems to me like there is no singular answer to the question.