Descending Carabiner with Brake Bar
A very nice early 1960s rappel set up. This design is simple, elegant, and easy to use. The brake bar works with most of the thin stock oval carabiners of the time like the Bedayn and Eiger models mentioned in the 1965 Recreational Equipment Inc. catalog but also with Army steel ovals, Stubai steel ovals, and carabiners based on the Eiger shape and style.
Any information on Gerry carabiners -I have one, purchased circa 1959 – T-shaped cross section for spine and body, aluminum gate. mine still works smoothly, although I have not put it to serious use for many years. Now badly rusted – i would like to curate this item and find a good home for it.
I’ll see what I can find out for you. Send me a photo or two.
I have an early 1970s SMC carabiner/brake bar that I learned rappelling with. Simple, easy to learn, they were soon replaced by the figure eight system. The brake bar wasn’t fool proof, you had to insert the ropes properly or there was a possibility of releasing, but I preferred to to the more complex/heavy systems that followed.