Gear Feature: Avant “Flip-Stop” Cam Carabiner Stabilizers Review
Right Where You Need It: No Fuss, No Flips
First Impressions
If you’ve ever reached for a cam only to realize the carabiner is upside down (again), you’ll get why we were excited to try out Avant’s Flip-Stop Cam Biner Keepers. We took a set to Red Rocks to put them to the test – and yeah, we’re impressed.
Quick Details
Product: Flip-Stop Cam Biner Keepers
Brand: Avant Climbing Innovations
Purpose: Keeps the carabiner oriented properly on cams
Design: Rubber keeper fits snugly around sling and carabiner, but slides out of the way when extending draws
Pros & Cons
✅ Easier Clipping – no upside-down carabiners, period.
✅ Easier extension of cams
✅ Easier racking/unracking
❌ Installation is not a 3-minute affair
❌ Small possibility of increased cam-walking
❌ Can’t be used with extendable cam slings like Friends or Dragons (while maintaining extendable function)
What we found out
There’s no doubt these things work for their intended purpose. You simply won’t encounter another upside down carabiner with them; the carabiner can still move around on the sling, enough for it to get out of the way when you extend a piece, but the flip-stop doesn’t move which means the carabiner can’t flip. Historically, some trad climbers used tape to achieve the same thing, but the shortfall is that it breaks when you clip an extension draw in the cam and load it. Racking and unracking becomes easier when the carabiners can’t flip upside down – so you’ll do less faffing about while clipping in the rope, but also while removing the cams from your harness.
A happy little side effect of installing these things is that it’s actually easier to clip in an extension draw to your cams. The flip stop works by holding the cam sling to the carabiner but in doing so it adds a little bit of bulk to the carabiner and keeps the loop of your cam slings propped open a bit more, which makes it easier to clip a quickdraw or alpine sling in – especially with one hand when the cam is deep in a crack.
Now the down sides… Installation is a bit of a chore, but really not bad. Plan to do this at home, and not in the trunk of your car at the crag parking lot after showing up late to your trad climbing date.
There is a small chance that by fixing the carabiner to the cam’s sling, you are increasing the chance of the cam walking. The argument is that more rope movement will be passed into the cam as a result of the carabiner being more rigidly attached to the sling, making it more likely to walk. We don’t buy it, at least not enough to worry. We did test this in ground-level cracks and noticed no increased walking, but in our view the (possibility of) small increased risk of your cam growing legs and walking into a bad placement is outweighed by the reduced (now near zero) risk of the carabiner flipping to get cross-loaded.
How To Use
1️⃣ Prepare the Flip-Stop: Soak the Flip-Stop in warm water for a few minutes. This softens the rubber, making it more pliable for installation.
2️⃣ Attach the Flip-Stop: Slide the softened Flip-Stop over the carabiner and onto the cam sling.
3️⃣ Lubricate the Carabiner: Apply a small amount of soapy water to the carabiner. This lubrication facilitates smoother sliding of the Flip-Stop onto the carabiner. Don’t be a hero and skip this step.
4️⃣ Check the Fit: Verify that the Flip-Stop is securely in place, tidy up the overlapping rubber, and ensure that the carabiner is stabilized without excessive movement.
Oh… and no, those C3s aren’t for sale 😉
Overall Rating
The Avant “Flip-Stop” Cam Carabiner Stabilizers make trad climbing quicker and tidier, and don’t have much of a down side. They keep your cam carabiners properly aligned, reducing fumbling and saving precious energy on the wall. Lightweight and low-maintenance, they’re an easy upgrade that most climbers will quickly appreciate, and wonder how they ever climbed without.
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