Qlipter Review
The Qlipter – not your average carabiner
Hike like Chuck Norris, Camp like Lara Croft and blow minds like Morpheus – at least, that’s what the qlipter’s kickstart campaign promised. Apparently, the qlipter did just that, as it’s now one of the few products to make it past it’s infancy stages on kickstarter and become a full blown product in it’s own right. When you see the qlipter, you immediately think “Why didn’t I think of that?” Simply put – it’s a carabiner… but with a hook. And over the couple of weeks I tested out a couple of qlipters, I can tell you they immediately become useful… for everything.
Testing the Qlipter
No shelf lip? No problem for the Qlipter
As I said above, the wonderful people over at lulabop sent a few qlipters over to test – I put one down in my office, threw one in the jeep, and gave one to my wife. We have two small boys (ages 3 and 5), and are constantly on the move with all manner of items – you name it, and we’re hauling it around with us. If you are anything like me, and like to attach carabiners to well, everything, you’ll find yourself reaching for the qlipter over and over again. It solves the problem with the traditional style carabiner – I was always trying to hang my carabiners on things, only to have the clip push whatever it was (usually my water bottle) clean off the surface, sending it hurtling towards whatever abyss I’d stupidly hung it over. The first time I hung up my water bottle with the qlipter, I guardedly (having many dented/broken water bottles in mind) held my hands up, expecting it to fly off – the rubber foot on the “hook” portion of the qlipter keeps whatever you need to hang firmly in place, and my water bottle stayed suspended, hanging nicely within reach while I tuned up my jeep.
I keep a Qlipter in the Jeep at all times now… the thing is always coming in handy.
That being said, really the only limiter how much the qlipter is used… is you. I find they are best for suspending things from a flat surface (think table edge, hood of a car, shelf), but they also serve whatever function a carabiner would, too. At this point, they are offered in only one size, which was a bit disappointing to me. I’d love to have a couple of mini-qlipters running around as well, as the single size they currently offer is a bit large to fit in a pocket – I’m thinking car keys. Also, it’s not intended to be used for climbing, so it has 50 lb weight limit. I hung a couple of heavier bags and such with it (paint cans in the garage, bikes, etc) and it worked beautifully, but I’d avoid hanging really heavy objects with it. If offered in a pocket-size, I’d also really love an integrated bottle opener – just saying, lulabop!
It’s always nice when the Qlipter helps to shed a little extra light in the garage.
Head on over to qlipters website to check out the qlipter in a few colors. A single one retails at $19.95, but if you hurry (as of the date of this posting, anyway) you’ll get free shipping AND 20% off, because the qlipter is turning a year old. We love to see old ideas turned into something, and the qlipter does just that. Cheers.
