What is a Captiv?

By Josh H.
07-05-2024 - Blog Post 041 -

What is it?

A small carabiner attachment that is semi-permanent and prevents accidental cross loading of your carabiner.

How do you say it?
"Cap-teeve"

Why do you need it?

Prevents cross loading of carabiners

[Navigating up and over this clothesline pole]

Examples and Case Studies:

I was having a blast trying ascending and descending with a prusiks and a handled ascender.  

My wife snapped some pics, and afterwards, I noticed some major cross loading going on... 

Could the Captiv have prevented this?  

The carabiner would have had to have been fixed on the belay loop... So, maybe there is another solution...?

But, the point is — that I was totally unaware that the carabiner was cross loading!  I probably would have never known unless I saw pictures afterwards.

**Update: After further research, the Captiv only works with certain types of carabiners... There are other ways of keeping a carabiner from cross loading, which I'll post soon.

[Sliding my "chest ascender" up... Waist loop in this picture]

[Look at that gate loaded, cross load!]

Never mind the fact that the handled ascender and foot loop were on the bottom... I was trying it out for the first time.

More Resources:

There is a great webpage that shows more about bad loading of carabiners, check it out here:

Examples-of-dangerous-carabiner-loading

What are some other options?

-Black Diamond - Gridlock Screwgate - Carabiner

-The little bar that goes across the inner part of the carabiner

-In a pinch, R.D. used tape to prevent cross loading carabiners.  It worked and it was in a professional setting.

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