Rope - Gear Reviews

[rcwild]

Your rope is literally your lifeline when descending a canyon, so your selection should not be taken lightly. But with so many different ropes from which to choose, which is the right one?

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[rcwild]

Review submitted by Tom Jones

I like rope. I like having lots of length. It makes me feel good, especially when exploring new stuff. And I'm middle-aged and plenty soft around the middle, so I don't like carrying more weight than needed. This is the rope I like.

What size to bring has been much discussed. I guess I want the smallest diameter I can stomach, and after a season on the 8mm static, I'm feeling pretty good about it. This rope is designed with a stout sheath to enhance durability, so it seems to hold up pretty good. I've tried 7mm, but watching that little rope cross a sharp edge just gives me the willies.

Static vs. Dynamic. I really like having the static rope for canyon work. Much easier at the floating disconnect, and I worry a lot less about the rope bouncing up and down across an edge.

Of course any rope will get chewed up by mistreatment. I lost three of these puppies this year - mostly due to rapping with the rope across an edge about 50 feet up. Teaches me to be more careful. Even with a full core shot, I felt OK rapping the rest of the raps in the canyon, but cut it up as soon as we got down.

Admittedly, I work for Black Diamond, so I have a minor personal interest here. But we made the static line into an official rope because we noticed climbers were using them for haul lines. Yes, 8mm accessory cord bought off the spool is the same stuff (most brands very similar). But this is finished as a rope with the ends taped nice, etc. 5.56 lbs for 200 feet. $ 95.00.

[rcwild]

Review submitted by Brett Cook

Your Review: As a caver, I've used lots of different ropes on lots of different rock - marble, and lava (ah-ah) are the worst. My Blue Water lasted exactly one rappel into a Hornito where it was "twanged" off a high projection, ripping a "booger" in the sheath in the process. A friend's PMI regularly withstood the same treatment. On a long rappel (mostly against a wall), you can't pad every running inch, so the rope is bound to abrade. The best rope I've come across to date is 11mm PMI MaxiWear (static). It's not the easiest to tie knots in, being fairly stiff, but it takes abrasion. In the marble caves in northern California, PMI is used exclusively because it's left in the caves throughout the year. PMI also sells good dynamic rope (I use a 10.5mm dynamic for climging).

www.pmirope.com

[rcwild]

Review submitted by Mike Dobry

I purchased 100m last year and have taken it through several canyons. The rope has yet to show any signs of wear and does not soak up water. This rope is stiff to handle but I'll take that any day as long as it doesn't soak up the water. The Classic rope comes in two versions, Max-Wear and EZ-Bend. Each is identified by the secondary color of either one or two stripes. I think the Max-Wear is one stripe but am not sure. You can check it out at PMI's web site, but the site is lacking.

www.pmirope.com

[rcwild]

Review submitted by Mike Dobry

This rope is too soft for canyoneering and lasted through only one canyon before I had to retire it. The rope kinks up due to its softness, however, it sure coils well! Water absorption is also a big problem for this rope. I do not recommend this rope for canyoneering or even the larger diameters for aid climbing. I purchased 100m and split it into two 50m lengths. The other rope is showing serious signs of wear after three canyons and since it soaks up water so bad I am no longer using it.