Maillon

Short description: Climbing equipment, similar to a carabiner

A maillon with the gate open and closed.

A maillon, maillon rapide or quick link is a metal link, similar to a carabiner.[1] Maillons have a threaded sleeve which tightens over a thread, as opposed to a hinged gate like a carabiner, making them stronger, but more difficult to use.[1] Like carabiners, maillons are available in a range of shapes and thicknesses (i.e., strengths), and often offer greater versatility over carabiners as their different shapes and lack of hinged gates allow them to be used in multi-directional load situations.[2]

The word maillon comes from the French language, meaning "link".[3]

## Usage

Maillons are used primarily in climbing and caving. In caving, they are used to make secure and vital connections such as those required when using single rope technique,[4] or for attaching ropes to anchor points. In climbing, they are used to construct leave-in-place abseil anchors. Maillons can also be used for fastening harnesses with a dual attachment point.

## Variations

* The length of the gate opening, and of the maillon itself, can be varied. Suppliers typically have a short and long (symmetrical) oval in their range, as well as other shapes.
* "D" maillon: the central component of a caving harness or single rope technique kit on which all items of equipment are attached. So called because it is shaped like the letter D.
* "Delta" maillon: a variation of the D maillon, the delta maillon is triangular in shape, rather than semi-circular.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Ten years in the dark - Glossary". http://www.cavinguk.co.uk/book/index.php?chapter=15.
2. ↑ "Maillon Rapides". http://www.hitchnhike.co.uk/acatalog/maillon_rapides.html.
3. ↑ "maillon". Collins Free French Online Dictionary. HarperCollins. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20110722021138/http://www.collinslanguage.com/results.aspx?context=6&reversed=True&action=define&homonym=0&text=maillon. Retrieved 2014-05-05.
4. ↑ http://www.cave-crag.co.uk/721/Maillon-Rapide-10mm-Semi-Circular.html[yes|permanent dead link|dead link}}]

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