gear storage / good source for carabiner-like substances

[arghman]

I am trying to set up a gear area in my house... got a shelf from IKEA which has a bunch of 1/2" diameter rods, and I figured I would get some carabiners to hang backpacks + such from it. So they don't need to be real weight-bearing carabiners. But they do need to fit around a 1/2" diam rod, and unfortunately the ones that are 99c from Home Depot have an opening about 1/10" too narrow.

any suggestions?

 

[bobandgeri]

We use these NITE IZE Plastic S Biner Clips from EMS to hang gear with. $2.95 per.

 

[Paradox]

Tie some loops of small line around the rods. Now the absolute smallest biner or plastic clip should suffice. Biners do have a certain esthetic for us hiking inclined individuals, but I often say to myself "These things are not optimal for the intended purpose."

 

[arghman]

Tie some loops of small line around the rods.

that had occurred to me, i guess it makes sense, thanks Somehow I had a yearning for some magical metal spring loop that I could connect directly with an aesthetically-pleasing clip! sound.

OK, what knot is good to use, to tie two ends of a rope together to make a loop? I tried a sheet bend but it seems to be prone to a little bit of slippage.

edit: I think I like the angler's knot:

Tried sheet bend and carrick bend but they both slip with this type of cord I have.

 

[Paradox]

that had occurred to me, i guess it makes sense, thanks Somehow I had a yearning for some magical metal spring loop that I could connect directly with an aesthetically-pleasing clip! sound.

OK, what knot is good to use, to tie two ends of a rope together to make a loop? I tried a sheet bend but it seems to be prone to a little bit of slippage.

edit: I think I like the angler's knot:

Tried sheet bend and carrick bend but they both slip with this type of cord I have.

That is what I would use, or a double figure 8 if you're so inclined.

I concur, that click is also part of the appeal of caribiners

 

[DougPaul]

Climbers would use a double fisherman (also known as a grapevine) knot. A figure-eight bend works too, but has a higher profile and is less elegant. For this application, an overhand bend (water knot) should also do the job.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_fisherman's_knot http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_knot

If you really want to be dramatic, you could also try an European Death Knot (EDK), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro_death-knot


Of course, if you want to be cheap and low-tech, you can always make some short slings, girth-hitch them to the packs, and thread them on the rods. (If the rods do not have a free end, you can girth-hitch the slings to the rods and use the toy biners to clip the packs in.)


FWIW, my toy biners have a clearance of ~9/16 inch. So check around--slightly larger biners might do the original job.

Doug

 

[arghman]

sweet, i learned some things about knots today!

Here's my finished setup:

 

[Paradox]

TaDaaaa!! Looks good.

 

[RoySwkr]

I think you will find that hanging the clips on strings like you have done is much more convenient than attaching them directly to the bar.

But to answer the original question, Dollar Tree sells a package of 2 metal "backpack clips" for $1 with a gate opening of about half an inch. I'm sure they're not as strong as those Yvon sells but they may be fine for you.