Essential in climbing and mountaineering, locking carabiners are used to connect elements of the belay system. They are used for tethering yourself to an anchor, abseiling, building belay stations, placing protection points, setting up hauling systems... In short, they’re a key component you simply can’t do without.

An incredible range of carabiners

Nowadays, every manufacturer offers a wide selection of locking carabiners, whether screwgate or auto-locking. If you need help understanding the topic, feel free to check out our guide: "how to choose your climbing carabiners". But beyond the purely technical choice of your climbing gear, it’s also worth considering its weight.

Lightweight carabiners for multi-pitch climbs and mountaineering

When setting off for a day on a multi-pitch route or heading into the mountains for several days, it’s important to choose your carabiners wisely. It’s not uncommon to have half a dozen clipped to your harness – or even more on certain routes. And when you compare the weight of all the models available, you quickly realise that for the same minimum certified strength, the weight of carabiners can vary dramatically. By opting for the lightest models, you can easily shave over 200 g off the gear hanging from your harness.

Comparison table of all screwgate carabiners currently available on the market

Model	Brand	Weight (g)	Category
Hawk Screw	Ocun	42	B
Photon Lock	Camp	43	B
Be Quick	Beal	44	B
Orbit Lock	Camp	45	B
Rocha screw lock	Petzl	45	H
Sm’d Screw Lock	Petzl	46	B
Hotforge Screwgate	Black Diamond	50	B
Pure Screw	Edelrid	50	B
Pure Screw III	Edelrid	50	B
Nitro Lock	Camp	56	H
Warlock	Climbing Technlogy	56	H
HMS Strike Screw	Edelrid	57	H
Attache Screw Lock	Petzl	58	H
Be One Screw	Beal	58	B
Attache Bar	Petzl	63	H
Oval Keylock Screwgate	Black Diamond	63	X
Be Link Screw	Petzl	65	H
Be Safe Srew	Beal	66	B
Nimbus Lock	Camp	69	H
Am’d Screw Lock	Petzl	70	B
Oval Power 2500 Screw	Edelrid	71	B
Eagle HMS Screw	Ocun	73	H
HMS Bullet Screw	Edelrid	74	H
Gridlock Screwgate	Black Diamond	76	H
Pearlock Screwgate	Black Diamond	76	H
Orient Express	Beal	81	H
Core Lock	Camp	81	H
Atom Lock	Camp	82	B
HMS Bulletproof Screw	Edelrid	82	H
Core Belay Lock	Camp	84	H
William Screw Lock	Petzl	85	B / H
Rocklock Screwgate	Black Diamond	85	H
Be Lock Screw	Beal	86	H

Which are the lightest carabiners?

By looking at the table above, we can see that the lightest type B carabiners are the Hawk Screw by Ocun, the Photon Lock by Camp, and the Be Quick by Beal, weighing 42, 43, and 44 grams respectively. These are minimalist versions, but they’re more than adequate for most common operations, whether on the crag or in the mountains.

In the HMS category (class H), the Rocha Screw Lock from Petzl clearly stands out at just 45 grams.

As for pricing, the type B models mentioned are all fairly similar. The final decision will mostly come down to the feel and quality of the locking sleeve – and of course, the colour.

Which are the lightest locking climbing carabiners?

An incredible range of carabiners

Lightweight carabiners for multi-pitch climbs and mountaineering

Comparison table of all screwgate carabiners currently available on the market

Which are the lightest carabiners?