Survival

Carabiners come in steel or aluminum and many sizes and shapes. Carabiners come with a breaking strength marking to tell you the amount of force it can tolerate. Make sure you use the correct one for the load you are carrying.

Ascenders come in both left and right handed versions and they work by grabbing onto the rope. There only function is as an ascending device and they do this very well.

The Petzl Parana is a relatively new device which can be added midrope. This video demonstrates multiple ways to thread the device depending on your situation and use.

The Figure 8 Descender is one of the best devices for rappelling because it is light-weight and you can control the rate of your descent quite easily. It works by adding friction to the rope in a twist-type design.

The Fisk is a strong, durable, multi-use device. You can add or decrease friction to this device with ease and it is excellent in a rescue situation.

The Petzl Reverso is a great multi-use device. It can be used as a descending device, a lowering device, a belay device and also a progress keep, depending on how you thread the device.

The ATC is short for Air Traffic Control. It is a descending device, which is designed to add friction to the rope; a favorite in recreational use. It can also be used as a self-belay or a lowering device.

A Brake Bar Rack is a great device for rappelling or lowering a load. It has the advantage of variable friction by just adding or subtracting bars and there is very minimal rope twist.