Wet, heavy rope

[rcwild]

Submitted by fritzski

I bought a nice static rappell rope which is fairly light weight , but when it gets wet it weighs a ton. Is there a specific kind of rope out there that will not soak up pounds of water like a big sponge?

[rcwild]

As a matter of fact, there is ...

BlueWater came out with a rope that has a Spectra (aka Dyneema) core and a polyester sheath. Spectra fibers do not absorb water. The rope is very light in weight when it is dry. When wet, the weight gain is barely even noticeable -- perhaps a few ounces.

[rcwild]

There are a few ropes around that are dry treated, meaning the fibres won't absorb moisture and the rope will generally be slightly harder wearing.

My favourite was a roll of Cousins brand 10mm, that also floats! That comes in super-handy when having to pull down after abseiling into plunge pools..

And having a floating rope might save it from sinking out of reach, i know i've almost lost a rope that way.

adam
www.octapod.org/adam

[rcwild]

Submitted by Jacob Krammer

I have used Cousin and Beal Canyoning ropes and am not overly impressed by their endurance. In my opinion, the feature of floating is good but doesn't weigh up the weakness at sharp edges.

My favorite rope is Lanex Speleo 10,5mm (Czech firm now own by Edelweiss) it starts out rather heavy compared to the lighter Canyoning ropes but doesn't take up alot of water and is the most enduring rope I know. It also has the best handling in abseiling and knot-making.

Greeting from Salzburg (A)
Jacob

[rcwild]

Submitted by Hank

Click HERE to see 100% polyester ropes made by Cancord. Haven't tried any yet, but plan to and will post review when available. Polyester doesn't absorb nearly as much water as nylon, BTW.
_________________
hank

> opinion expressed in this post is mine, not Petzl's <