Normal rope wear?

M

mateo

Hello all, I am trying out short lines of rope to see which one I want to get... I am deciding between a static kernmantle (either the Fly or Poison Ivy, I am thinking the latter, although I haven't tried it yet because you cannot by it by the foot anywhere) and XTC (if you have thooughts on this matter, do share!). I have been tring both out on short trees around here and I really like the fatness of XTC and it's knot holding capabilities. I was looking at it this morning, however, and noticed this:

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Is this normal rope wear after maybe 5-10 climbs? This was w/o a friction saver, but I didn't expect this. I got the XTC because it said it was durable, but that doesn't seem to durable to me... but this could be my ignorance shining through! Thanks for all replies.

mateo
 
A little fuzz is normal and good. The fuzz acts like wear strips and adds a different friction to the use.

Can you compare the wear of this rope to other ropes that you've used in the past? The problem with comparisons is that there are so many variables. If a rope has one set of characteristics with a false crotch it might not be the same using a FC.

Tha burr does look kind of big. But that might not be a criticism of the ropes. There could have been a nasty bark flake that hadn't been fed lately. :)
 
That looks a bit more than normal, but it also doesn't look like it's the rope's fault. Rope will fuzz with use, but when I see heavy fuzzing in such a concentrated area, I can't help but wonder if it got dragged along a sharp edge- even a brick sidewalk or something while you were coiling it.

XTC IS a durable rope. A very full half-inch of rope fiber with good twist to each strand leaves you with a rope that will put up with a lot. But this doesn't mean it's indestructible.

Poison Ivy by the foot? That is a rope that is a spin off of Blaze. Sherrill changed the specs on it a bit and it is made by Yale just for Sherrill. That means if you can't get it from Sherrill by the foot, you can't get it by the foot.

If you're considering a smaller diameter climbing line, how about Blaze. I think Fresco has it by the foot.

love
nick
 
Ok. Because this is 16 strand, would this compromise the strength of it? Thanks for the replies, I'll have to make sure I don't drag it anything... I am pretty sure I didn't, but a friend of mine was using it for a bit, maybe he did. Or maybe Tom is correct, maybe that Honey Locust bark was hungry.

Tom, I am about to purchase my first rope. So I don't have much to compare it to :)

mateo
 
I'll probably change my mind by the time I get out of bed tomorrow, but I like the Poison Ivy. Ya know how every rope has its own unique feel to it? Well, it just feels good to me. Not for footlocking, or competitions. I mean for everyday tree work. It feels strong to me, and still pretty light.
 
Dude, I just read your last post....your fried #@%cked it up. That's how mine looked afer I rubbed it on a wood rod over head. That's my opinion. Oops, should've kept it to myself. Too late.
 
My guess is a close brush with a hand saw or contact with a non running chain saw chain. I don't think it is wear from running through a crotch. Bark doesn't cut fibers like that on just one strand but instead usually causes a general fuzziness of all strands.
 
How much of the rope is like that? That is not normal wear. It appears that the rope abraded on something other than tree bark.
That's a really nice pic of the rope. Crystal Clear.
If you are gonna natural crotch climb, 1/2" ropes are recommended. How much climbing have you done on 1/2" ropes? The 11mm ropes are really nice to work with due to the weight reduction. They also seem to have less drag while pulling over bark. The Poison Ivy is 11.5mm.
 
That looks like saw damage to me. I'd buy another rope, never lend it to anyone and use this one for split tails and lanyards (after the damaged area has been cut out) - depending on how much you trust your mate not to have shock loaded it or used it for rigging.

Its expensive, I know, but waking up to the next beautiful morning is priceless...................
 
I know my friend wasn't shock-loading it or using saws. My guess is it just rubbed something the wrong way in coiling. There are two small sections like that, about.. 1-2in long. Norm- I took the pic with a macro lens, so it better be clear :) And I haven't done much climbing at all on 1/2in ropes... I am looking to buy my first rope not for tree care, but tree research, but I'll be doiong DdRT. Thanks for the input guys!

mateo
 
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but a friend of mine was using it for a bit, maybe he did.

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I am like these other guys...you shouldn't loan out things you don't want to get messed with...rope, biners, wife...

I know a guy that will be asking me soon to borrow some of my gear..he has been working on some of his basic climbing skills with some rock climbing stuff.

I'm gonna have to give him a "No."
 
your rope should be fine.... there is not enough damage to be worried..... as far as your choices for a new line, i have used pretty much all of the lines out on the market right now and i have a couple of reccomendations.

1: the smaller ropes(11-11.5mm) are great, they are easy to carry, knot, and use

2: the best of the 11-11.5mm ropes (in my opinion)are: the Fly, Velocity, and Blaze The Fly is great and comes out of the bag very soft and needs hardly any break in time, but the splice that it takes is very big and bulky, so if you are using a friction saver or any other type of hardware in the tree the spliced eye can be a problem. Velocity is also great no problems with the splice, but it comes with a coating called "sure-grip". this coating is great for f/l but if you are going natural crotch, the coating grips the tree also. Blaze is my favorite so far none of the problems listed above... a great rope!

3: Stay away from the poison ivy.... i have not had a very good experience with it. bought a spool for my guys, and then cut and spliced it for them... OUCH!!!! my hands still have not recovered. I then purchased several other lenghts from sherril (spliced of course!) All of this rope we have sent back. after some normal use all of the rope milked... on average 150' would milk about 11' of cover... Sherril admitted that there was a problem and exchanged it for more of the poison ivy... the new batch has been a little better but not much.
 
After many years of using safety blue by new england I have been using xtc the last few years. I now just got a new spool of the super high vee safety blue. This is a superior rope for more trad climblimbing techniques i.e. natural croth and good old taut line hitch. Footlocks reasl nice too- although slightly greasy right of the spool. It's so pretty i don't want to use it on any sappy trees.
 
If your going to be meandering thru the bush for research, I'd go with less payload in the 11mm range. Just take note of what Norm said about trying to always use 12.5mm when natural crotch climbing. Better for the tree and the 16 strand is more akin to abrasion than the double braid 11mm lines. A Friction Saver should be considered for the 11mm.
 
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3: Stay away from the poison ivy.... ...All of this rope we have sent back. after some normal use all of the rope milked... on average 150' would milk about 11' of cover... ...

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I know this isn't what this thread is about, but so what if it milks? It's not a sign that the rope is bad or defective. Cut the excess off and you're good to go. Or leave it on there. It's a shame, in my humble opinion, that you sent all that rope back to Sherrill. The time it took you to box up the rope, you coulds snipped off the 11' of excess cover and you would have been good to go.

love
nick
 
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