I stumbled across this nifty little gadget a few days ago.  It is used in conjunction with rope or paracord when securing loads.  What is really cool is there are no knots to do or undo.  You simply wrap the cordage around the prongs and away you go.

The Figure 9 Carabiner is about 4.5″ long and a little over 2″ wide.  It is made from aluminum, which accounts for the light weight.  According to the manufacturer, it will support up to 150lbs.

To use, you simply attach the carabiner to a fixed object, say a tree branch.  You then loop the free end of your cord around both prongs, like so.

Looking at the above pics, you can see the one prong has serrations.  These are what hold the cord in place.  I haven’t yet tried suspending 150lbs from the cord but I can tell you I’ve pulled and yanked as hard as I could and was not able to dislodge the cord from the serrated prong.

The Figure 9 Carabiner could also serve as a pulley, of sorts, by just looping your cordage through the smooth prong.  Doing so will not be abrasive like a tree branch might be.

I could see several bushcraft uses for the Figure 9 Carabiner, such as suspending food off the ground in bear country.  My first thought, though, was using it in conjunction with a tarp for making an expedient shelter.  Rather than tying your rope or paracord to a tree, you could use this carabiner, making disassembly the next morning a breeze.

At under five bucks at Amazon, I think the Figure 9 Carabiner is a pretty good deal.  The one I purchased is the large size.  They do make a smaller size as well as a model that doesn’t have the carabiner feature.