Petzl Dual Connect Adjust Review
Reviewed by Shaun Wood (June 2025)
Why I moved away from the Petzl Dual Connect Adjust - A Practical Review
Lanyards are a staple in any sport or multi-pitch climber’s toolkit - right up there with shoes, harness, chalk bag and (probably) a helmet… though I’ll swiftly avoid the debate that last one tends to spark.
There are two simple, traditional ways to secure a climber to a fixed anchor- whether to make yourself safe or to unload the rope. One is to clove-hitch the climbing rope directly to the anchor. The other is to use a girth-hitched sling and a locking carabiner. The latter remains a robust option for both cleaning anchors and securing to handing belays- though I personally prefer to back it up with a clove-hitched rope whenever possible.
While lightweight, simple and elegant, this classic sling setup does have a few limitations that the Petzl Dual Connect Adjust aims to solve:
Only offers a single anchor point
Awkward when dealing with varying anchor lengths
Dyneema has basically zero stretch
Of these, the third point concerned me most. Dyneema, having virtually no stretch, can quickly generate huge forces if you fall in it (The physicist in me wants to interject; It’s more accurate to think of Dyneema as having a very high spring constant, k— which means even small falls produce large forces). And high forces = bad. Bad for slings, bad for trad placements and bad for climbers. Worst case? You rip out the anchor or break yourself. Big yikes.
Enter the Dual Connect Adjust, made from dynamic rope that does stretch. Someone of my size (70kg) could probably survive a factor 2 fall on it- though that’s not a theory I’m keen to test! The confidence it gave me when moving around anchors on multi-pitch climbs, or when doing things on bolted anchors beyond just cleaning (photos, belaying from above etc.), was liberating. That said, the situation still demands full respect.
The standout feature is its adjustability. You can run a longer tether for redirected belays, then reel yourself in close to clean or sort gear. There’s no worse feeling than being completely out of gas at the top, then needing to summon one last battle to reach a steep, blank anchor- especially after a long session.
I went for the Dual Connect Adjust, which includes a second, non-adjustable lanyard. This lets you clip into two fixed points, giving redundancy and the ability to safely come off the rope system without building a full anchor. Two bolts is plenty. And, when things get crowded on a quad or trad anchor (especially with a team of three climbers), having that second connection point makes repositioning much smoother.
One word of caution: The adjuster locks by orientation. If it’s torqued, then it generates friction such that the arm stops extending, much like how a tube-style or Edelrid Jul belay device locks. Preventing this torque (e.g. if the adjuster is trapped by the components of the anchor) will cause the lanyard to not lock and you to slide to the end of the tether (where there is a sturdy end-tab). Not disastrous, but something to be aware of.
But, over time, I fell out of love with the Dual Connect Adjust. It’s simply too heavy- and more importantly, too bulky. And that bulk = faff. Shuffling both lanyards around your gear loops becomes a chore. They tangle with your quickdraws and snag on your rack. Doing it twice? Even worse. As soon as a set of cams and hexes entered the equation, the whole system got ditched fast.
Final Thoughts
The Petzl Dual Connect Adjust is a clever bit of kit, but it tries to do too much. It ends up being bulky, heavy, and frustrating on gear-intensive routes. These days, I opt for Petzl’s single adjustable lanyard instead, paired with a clove-hitched rope or a classic sling when that second anchor point is needed. It’s lighter, cleaner and offers the best of both worlds; safety, versatility and a lot less faff.