SMC  Rigging Ring

I bought these rings to set up anchors and primitive friction locks for my slackline setup. They work perfectly until they start to get dents in them from putting tension on the line while they're in contact with the carabiners. An easy way to alleviate this problem a little is to take a spare inch-and-a-half of webbing and thread the carabiner through it and make sure it is always between the ring and biner. This wont' prevent dents, but it should prevent nicks. Then just make sure the dents are always lined up or at least not underneath the webbing where it could potentially fray and come apart under the tension caused by a slackline. I have set lines up to 45' with this setup.

Simple versatile piece of gear. Everyone that has a rope with them should cary this rigging ring. Its like duct tape for climbers. Combine with webbing or other gear to make whatever you need in a sticky situation.

Using these for line locks in a slackline and they work great; no sharp edges where the material is fused like some of the cheaper ones you might find

You can connect two climbing ropes together with the SMC ring using Figure-8 knots. Ring is big enough to accommodate both ropes (1/2" or smaller diameter ropes). As long as you leave plenty of slack on tail end of Figure-8 knots, you can tie the two Figure-8 tails together with a Fisherman's knot. Just remember on a Figure-8 knot the tail MUST be loose when loaded with weight and the tail should be at least twice the length of the knot. Using this ring, I make the each tail, of each Figure-8 knot, about 24" long before tying the Fisherman's knot. Safer to set the Figure-8 knot (making sure the knot is tight before using) but many climbers don't . These rings are rated for about 7000lbs static load. Using it for shock-loading (jolting the rope with a heavy load) or using metal carabiners (metal-on-metal) can reduce the 7000lbs rating over time or cause failure of ring. After hundreds of hours of use, never had this ring break but personally choose to add the (loose) tail knots for additional safety.

Use two of these together and created a new trekking pole carrier on my pack. These were just the right size and are light enough not to notice.