DMM Zodiac Carabiner

The DMM Zodiac is an auto-locking carabiner made for climbing and work positioning. It is a good everyday connector for lanyards, friction savers, and devices on an arborist saddle.

An everyday connector

Most climbers carry a handful of carabiners that do the plain work: clipping the lanyard to the saddle, connecting a friction saver, or holding a device on the bridge. The Zodiac fits that role. The gate locks itself when you let it close, so you are not relying on memory to screw a sleeve shut.

When you buy several, keep them the same model so you know how every gate on your saddle opens. That consistency counts when you are tired, wearing gloves, or working fast at the end of a long removal.

Inspection and retirement

Before each climb, open the gate and let it snap shut. It should close fully and lock on its own without sticking. Look for cracks, sharp edges, grooves worn by rope, and deformation at the nose or hinge. Sap and grit are the usual cause of a lazy gate, so rinse and dry the carabiner and keep the gate mechanism clean.

Retire any carabiner that has been dropped from height onto a hard surface, shock loaded, or shows wear you cannot explain. Read the markings on the spine and confirm they meet what your system needs. Life-support gear must meet the applicable standard (ANSI Z133 and the manufacturer's instructions), be inspected before every climb, and be used only by trained climbers. See more auto-locking carabiners.