Whether you’re whitewater boating or sea kayaking, there are definite advantages to using an auto lock carabiner. In whitewater kayaking, non-locking carabiners are a no-no. There’s too much risk of getting your PFD or a throw rope caught in the open gate of a non-locking carabiner. This could cause entanglement that might hold you underwater.
On the other hand, locking carabiners can take more time to deploy and can be difficult to open with cold hands.
That’s why I made this video to show how I use an auto locking carabiner on a “cow tail” tether, not just for towing a swimmer’s boat during a swiftwater rescue but also for sea kayak contact towing.
My thanks to Idaho boater Bob Tracy for cluing me in to this device, and to Justin Farrell for making my cow tail with auto lock carabiner. You can get your own by contacting Justin at Weare138Designs@hotmail.com. He offers them in a variety of colors at 45 bucks each.
For more about carabiners for swiftwater use, check out this blog post by Rafting Magazine.
Or this one specifically about carabiners for sea kayaking.
