60cm sling/carabiner combos come in many names — alpine draws, extendables, or over-the-shoulders, to name a few. This setup refers to a sling that is tripled over so it becomes the length of a standard quickdraw with a biner on each end.
What sets CAMP Mach Express Dyneema quickdraws apart from other alpine draws is that they are extremely light, and come pre-constructed with a 8mm high-strength Dyneema sling and two featherweight carabiners. This means that users don’t have to piecemeal the items together.
The Mach Express’s extendable sling is useful for wandering sport, mixed or trad routes, or to use in anchor settings, to tie off ice screws, extend placements, and to re-rack gear.
The Mach Express can be purchased one item at a time, ($5.95-$6.95 per carabiner and a $10 sling) as a three-piece single item, or in sets of five known as the Mach Express 5 ($119). CAMP also makes 10 and 11mm Dyneema slings, which they recommend them for everyday climbing because they are more durable than 8mm slings. Slings should be replaced if they show any signs of visible wear. It’s best to replace all slings on your rack every few years, especially the extra thin ones.
I’ve been using the Mach Express over the past several months for general climbing from the Black Canyon, to sport climbing on the Western Slope (the new crag of Hogwarts), and trad climbing on the 5.11 to 5.12 cracks at the Quarry Wall in Golden.
One of the wire-gate carabiners is the compact Nano 23 (0.8 ounce, 21 mm gate opening) and the other wire gate carabiner is the full-sized Photon Wire (1.0 ounce, gate opening 28mm) for the rope end. The combination of the low weight/low bulk sling and two of the lightest carabiners available makes this draw one of the lightest quickdraws on the market; noticeably lighter than most standard, non-extendible quickdraws. The Nano 23 has a stiffer gate than many other ‘biners on the market and its compact size makes it hard to handle for those with larger hands and even harder to use with gloves. I especially like the full size Photon carabiner, as it makes hard clips that much easier than finagling with a carabiner that doesn’t fit comfortably in my hand.
When I got caught in a storm while climbing in the Black Canyon I noticed one of the Nanos had a less responsive gate. This isn’t the first time a ‘biner on my rack didn’t snap close after getting wet. I added a drop of cam lube, which fixed the problem.
Since they’re so light and compact, by adding Mach Expresses to my rack, I can carry more quickdraws/gear without feeling weighted down, or simply travel lighter no matter what route I climb.
