Belay Device Buyers Guide

Navigating the world of belay devices can be a mission. There are so many different styles available and within each style, multiple iterations of similar designs. Below is a guide that walks you through the decision-making process. If looked after, your choice in device will last you many years.

What Style of Climbing Are You Doing?

Different styles of device are more suitable for different styles of climbing. For example whilst autolocking devices make the catch super easy for sport climbers taking repeat falls all day, they usually don’t allow for double ropes which are often used in trad climbing. It is not uncommon to see a trad climber using an autolocking device or vice versa but using the devices described below can make the experience more comfortable.

Gym Climbing

In the gym the standard device is the tube style device as it is the simplest to use. Despite this, due to the elevated number of falls accrued in the gym it is a good idea to consider an assisted braking device for this purpose. With short and uncomplicated approaches (from the carpark) a bulkier more durable device can be used without much consequence.

Sport Climbing

In sport climbing the climber is often taking multiple falls in a session whilst working a project or going for redpoint attempts. Assisted braking devices can make it easier to belay in these circumstances. They also allow for a little bit more confidence in the belay when pushing hard at your limit. Sport climbing also comes with a smaller rack and hence the need for a lightweight device is often replaced by the need for durability. Finally many sport climbs don’t require you to abseil at any stage and so the device generally only needs to handle a single rope.

Trad Climbing

Traditional climbers often carry far heavier racks of gear and spend less time falling than sports climbers do. This means you will benefit from using a lighter weight device that is less bulky. On top of that, climbing on trad often involves the use of double ropes and so it is important to have a device that can handle this. This also allows for a more simple abseil setup on the approach or descent, which is often more complicated on trad routes.

Ice and Alpine Climbing

Ice and Alpine climbing usually involves the use of thinner ropes which is an important consideration when purchasing a device. These ropes will provide less friction for both the belayer and abseiling climber and hence must be used with an appropriate device. They also need to be light weight as the approach to these areas is often long and involves heavy packs. Devices for this style also need to be able to take double ropes as these are quite common for both climbing and abseiling.

Styles of Devices

Tube Style

Tube style devices (often called ATCs) use a sharp bend in the path of the rope to generate large amounts of friction when catching a falling climber. This is the style of device the top-ropes in gyms are usually set up to use. They are not normally assisted braking and are often made entirely out of aluminium which means they wear down faster. The use of aluminium does make them lighter though and so they are also often used for Trad and Alpine climbing. In these styles of climbing they allow the climber to climb and abseil on double ropes. Many tube style devices often come with a ‘guide mode’ which makes them even more adaptable. Guide mode allows them to be used as an auto-locking top belay in a multipitch scenario, as an ascender and as a progress capture device in a rescue scenario. This makes them a great do-it-all device.

Camming Style

Camming style devices use moving parts to pinch the rope when a climber falls. They are most commonly used by sports climbers as they are excellent at catching consistent falls. Because of this they often use steel in certain high wear components of the device to make them more durable. While this means they last longer it also makes them heavier. They are also usually more bulky than tube style devices as they have more critical parts. These devices often have a handle which allows you to release the lock when lowering a climber or abseiling off a single strand. Some devices also come with a ‘panic’ function which prevents this handle being released too quickly. They are usually more complicated to use but once mastered make the act of belaying far easier and more comfortable.

Examples of Tube Style

Examples of Camming Style

By Daniel Butler