The Best Personal Anchor Systems for All Kinds of Climbers
When outdoor climbers think about essential safety gear, we generally think of helmets, autolocking belay devices, Garmin InReaches, and first aid kits—but personal anchor systems (PAS) are an essential and often overlooked part of the modern set-up. While some climbers still rely on slings and locking carabiners to connect to anchors and belays, a number of brands have developed purpose-made PAS devices in recent years. These products tend to be more adjustable than slings, allowing you to efficiently dial in the perfect length and distance from your anchor point on the fly. Here are a few of our favorites.
At a Glance
- Best Overall: Petzl Connect Adjust ($95)
- Best Daisy Chain: Metolius Dynamic Daisy Chain ($70)
- Best Minimalist: Black Diamond Link ($50)
- How to Choose a PAS
- How We Test
- Meet our Lead Testers
Best Overall
Petzl Connect Adjust
Weight: 3.7 oz
Rated Strength: Not listed
Length Range: 6 to 37 inches
⊕ Durable
⊕ Easy to Use
⊗ Expensive
Since coming out in the mid-2010s, the Petzl Connect Adjust has been one of the leading adjustable personal anchors on the market, and for good reason. I have owned mine for over two years, and despite constant use and scraping against all manner of abrasive and sharp rock, it shows very little wear. Last year, Petzl updated the Connect Adjust to make a good item great: they slimmed down the dynamic tether from 9.5mm to 9.0mm, making it noticeable lighter and easier to extend/contract. The belay-loop attachment point is now a sewn Dyneema webbing, rather than the thick rope itself, and as a result feels lower profile on the harness. The Connect Adjust also now features a pinhole to attach accessory cord to; if weighting the Connect, clip a carabiner into the accessory-cord loop and it will easily disengage.
Best Daisy Chain
Metolius Dynamic Daisy Chain
Weight: 6 oz.
Rated Strength: 15 kN
Length: 4 to 45 inches
⊕ Can serve as a standalone climbing anchor
⊕ Extensive length range
⊗ Expensive for a traditional PAS
⊗ Heaviest in test
If you’re looking for a PAS that you can also use to build an anchor on a multi-pitch route, Metolius’s Dynamic Daisy Chain is a great choice. Unlike some other daisies, this one is rated to a burly 15 kN. It’s also one of the longest PAS we tested, which some taller testers loved. “I like my PAS to be as long as I can reach, and lots of the other ones are too short,” tester Alex Saunders says, an issue that limits your ability to connect to a high gear anchor or extend your belay to the lip of a ledge comfortably. This one gave us plenty of room to maneuver. Testers also appreciated the simplicity and versatility of the design. It is, however, one of the heavier and bulkier options we tested. The sheer number of loops makes it tough to coil up on a harness, which means it either dangles to mid-thigh-length as you climb, or takes up a ton of real estate on your gear loop.
Best Minimalist Design
Black Diamond Link
$45 at Backcountry $45 at Black Diamond
Weight: 1.8 oz
Rated Strength: 22 kN
Length: Maximum of 34.5 inches
⊕ Strongest kN rating in the test
⊕ Unobtrusive on the harness
⊕ Lightest option in the test
⊗ Shortest length we tested
Black Diamond’s Link is an ultra slimmed-down, no-fuss PAS option. Testers loved how light it was, noting that it never got in their way while clipping or climbing. The Link is great for climbers who just want a PAS for emergency’s sake, or anticipate cleaning routes with simple sport anchors or mussy hooks (the easiest anchor to clean, since it requires no tying or retying in). The Link is the shortest of all the PASs we tested, which can make it challenging to get far enough back from the wall when stick-clipping mid-route or trying to extend the belay at a multi-pitch anchor.
How to Choose a PAS
Uses
A climber can use a PAS for a variety of reasons, and the intended use affects what features you’ll need. For sport climbers looking to clean single-pitch routes—a relatively straightforward process—a simple, inexpensive PAS (like the BD Link) may suffice. A PAS can also come in handy if your on-the-ground belay position is precarious; often, a route with a steep drop-off at the bottom will come equipped with a belay bolt for belayers to anchor themselves into. You can also “go in direct” with a PAS to give your belayer a break while you’re going bolt-to-bolt on a new sport project, and it can also allow you to remain safely anchored while you stick-clip the draw above you.
Big wall climbers also benefit greatly from an easily adjustable personal anchor (or two) like the Petzl Connect Adjust. While aid climbing, a ratcheting PAS allows you to clip into gear high above your head and quickly pull up to it without introducing any new slack to your system. While multi-pitch free climbing using the increasingly popular “fix and follow” technique, a PAS of some kind is mandatory for the second climber, since they are not tied into the rope, and the smooth operating of the Connect Adjust makes it by far the tool of choice.
Different Types of Personal Anchor Systems
Personal anchor systems come in two main varieties: chained versions and adjustable versions. Chained anchors sport a series of sewn loops. To adjust them, you have to manually unclip the carabiner from one loop and place it on a different one. An adjustable version, on the other hand, comes equipped with a camming mechanism that captures your progress as you yard up higher on the device. That allows you to adjust the length after clipping in—no dangerous unclipping or fiddling required. Some climbers prefer a PAS that has two points of attachment for the sake of redundancy. If that’s your preference, most of these models (including the Petzl Connect Adjust) also have separate, two-armed versions.
How Much Do Personal Anchor Systems Cost?
Depending on the features and brand, climbers can expect to pay between $40 and $100 for a PAS. On the low end of the price scale, you’ll find simple, PAS-approved daisy chains like Black Diamond’s; at the top-end, you’ll find specialized adjustable lanyards. Most models don’t include a locking carabiner; you’ll typically need to spend an additional $12 to $20 on a locker to complete the setup.
How We Test
- Number of testers: 7
- Number of products tested: 7
- Number of routes cleaned: 30
- Number of big walls climbed: 7
We evaluated each PAS based on ease of use, durability, versatility, and comfort to determine its overall performance, while also taking price point into account.
A minimum of two testers tried each PAS for at least five climbing sessions, both indoors and outdoors. The team took PASs from the gym to crags in Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri, climbing sport and multi-pitch routes on limestone, granite, and sandstone. Then we took them to remote big walls in the Bugaboos, British Columbia, and in Argentine Patagonia.
Meet Our Testers
We assembled a multi-faceted team of testers to put these devices through their paces. Lead tester Mary Andino, a writer, gear enthusiast, and experienced sport climber, tried each and every PAS. Our weekend warriors included Josh Zitko, an well-versed trad and multi-pitch climber based in Colorado; Jake DeGroat, a seasoned route developer in Iowa; and Alex Saunders, an experienced big wall climber. Experts included Logan Dirksen, Director of Marketing at Climb Iowa in Des Moines; and Sage Halfhill-Boone, Head Coach at Climb Iowa.
Mary Andino
As an experienced sport climber, Mary loves to try hard and take big whips on her projects at Jackson Falls, Illinois. She has tested gear and written for Climbing, Outside, Terrain Magazine, and GearJunkie.
Josh Zitko
Formerly a Gym Manager at Climb So iLL in St. Louis, Missouri, Josh Zitko now works for the National Park Service in Colorado. When he’s not working on Rocky Mountain National Park’s chainsaw crew, he’s busy embarking on multi-pitch and trad routes in the West.
Logan Dirksen
A veteran competitive climber and currently the Director of Marketing at Climb Iowa in Des Moines, Logan Dirksen has a discerning eye and strong attention to detail when it comes to trying out new gear. Now in his second decade of climbing at only age twenty-four, Logan spends all of his free time training (and testing gear for Outside.)
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