# best starting kind of rope



## WASTATE (Jul 15, 2013)

I'm deciding which climbing line to buy. I have climbed a few times and have used Samson ArborMaster and nothing else. I guess Im just trying to figure between a 12 and 16 strand. Its my understanding that the higher strands are smoother in hardware? Is this true? I plan to do a mixture of spurless/hip thrust climbing and some small removals in the hooks. Any advice on the best rope to get for the money and my uses, Thanks!


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## bootboy (Jul 15, 2013)

If you are running it in hardware, consider a slimmer ~11mm (7/16) line.

I run mostly hardware for climbing and use New England fly. It's a fantastic rope that renders well in hardware and is also very affordable. You can get 150' for less than$100.


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## smokey01 (Jul 15, 2013)

WASTATE said:


> I'm deciding which climbing line to buy. I have climbed a few times and have used Samson ArborMaster and nothing else. I guess Im just trying to figure between a 12 and 16 strand. Its my understanding that the higher strands are smoother in hardware? Is this true? I plan to do a mixture of spurless/hip thrust climbing and some small removals in the hooks. Any advice on the best rope to get for the money and my uses, Thanks!



I know you asked between a 12 strand and 16 strand and I hate to answer with neither and definitely not 12 strand but… Take a good look at the double braid Poison Ivy. It works well both SRT and DrRT And has a good diameter to work with most mechanical devices. Probably one of the most popular ropes sold.


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## Appalachian (Jul 15, 2013)

I started on 16 strand blue streak and yellow jacket and still use it and like it.

My latest one is Vortex and I really enjoy it. It can be used ddrt and srt, has low stretch and

has nice hand. I prefer the 1/2 inch rope to 7/16 for the extra diameter to grab a hold of.


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## jam70 (Jul 15, 2013)

X2 on fly really tough to beat for the money, works well in a closed system, split tail or eye to eye, runs well through ascenders, knots well, has a nice soft hand, very good rope.


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## WASTATE (Jul 15, 2013)

maybe I should know this but whats double braid?


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## smokey01 (Jul 15, 2013)

WASTATE said:


> maybe I should know this but whats double braid?


Some catalogs have a great explanation of double braid. It is good to know but asking is a good start. 
Nutshell. It is a 24 strand braided rope that shares its strength from both inside and outside where 16 strand is mostly outside and kernmamtle is mostly inside.


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## smokey01 (Jul 15, 2013)

jam70 said:


> X2 on fly really tough to beat for the money, works well in a closed system, split tail or eye to eye, runs well through ascenders, knots well, has a nice soft hand, very good rope.


Do you know how it might compare to my Sterling HTP kern? It must take sewn eyes right so if I wanted a sleve style friction saver I would have to have it installed permanently correct?

PS. I just read that it can be spliced. Might have to try some.


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## jam70 (Jul 16, 2013)

smokey01 said:


> Do you know how it might compare to my Sterling HTP kern? It must take sewn eyes right so if I wanted a sleve style friction saver I would have to have it installed permanently correct?
> 
> PS. I just read that it can be spliced. Might have to try some.



It'll have a lot of bounce compared to HTP.


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## CanopyGorilla (Jul 17, 2013)

Sterling makes outstanding ropes!


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## Appalachian (Jul 18, 2013)

I saw wesspur now has sliced firefly in stock
View attachment 304965


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## smokey01 (Jul 18, 2013)

Appalachian said:


> I saw wesspur now has *sliced* firefly in stock



I hope it is only a little SLICED.


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## CBROPES (Jul 18, 2013)

WASTATE said:


> maybe I should know this but whats double braid?



A double braid rope is a rope that has a braided sheath or mantle, and a braided core or "kern". A "kernmantle" rope therefore is one with a sheath and core. Double braids can be made with 12- strand sheaths up to almost any sheath yarn count. But typically in the arbor world, they are 16- or 24-strand sheaths (some yacht braids have 32-strand sheaths). The core is likely made up of 8, 12 or 16 strand construction. A double braid rope typically has a softer "hand," than say a parallel core (like Sterling's HTP) construction rope. You might also experience more "sheath slippage" on a double braid (where after use, the sheath gets milked past the core). Sterling's HTP is also a kernmantle rope, but it has high strand/sheath yarn count sheath over what looks like many mini 3-strands for core, running parallel (instead of being braided) up the center. Double braided ropes are easiest to splice. Sterling's HTP will be stiffer and have much less stretch. It is recommended for SRT.


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## kyle goddard (Jul 19, 2013)

*x2 on poison ive*

X2 on poison ive. Blue moon is the exact same rope. Treestuff.com has great deals on rope. Poison ive and blue moon have a nice feel in the hand, even with my right pinky that cant grab rope due to a spy role fracture.


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## kyle goddard (Jul 19, 2013)

BTW. Id go with a 24 strand line. Like the PI and BM


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## Carburetorless (Jul 24, 2013)

Blue Streak is tuff, as in strong, incredibly durable and long lasting.

Poison Ivy is a great rope, but I'd get the Poison Hi-V, because it's easier to see, the PI is hard to see in brush and it could easily get cut by mistake.

The 24 strand double braids run smoother through gear and hitches, they pick a little easier, but if you're using them correctly it's not too much of a problem.

I'd get one of each. There's always times when you'd rather use the Blue Streak, or the Ivy, or the DB, depending on the job.


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## tramp bushler (Jul 25, 2013)

Has anyone used Petzl rope for Arb work?


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## bootboy (Jul 25, 2013)

tramp bushler said:


> Has anyone used Petzl rope for Arb work?



I see no reason to. You can get a static/low elongation of equal or better quality for less. My local county SAR has petzl rope and we've used it for lots of high-angle rescues. As far as I'm concerned, it's just another static rope.


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## tramp bushler (Jul 25, 2013)

OK. Thanks ; the local multi faceted outdoor and clothing store here has a coil of 9.8 mm. But it is kinda high dollar.


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## Job Corps Tree (Jul 25, 2013)

Years on New England Safety Blue none Better


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## RandomWoodsman (Jul 25, 2013)

My personal line is Poison Hi-vy which is 24 strand and like alot of guys on here have said is an excellent rope and I highly recommend it, however it is a bit pricy. My short line at work is blue streak which is more affordable and a good working line that will most definitely do everything that you will need it to do and isnt a line that will really limit you too much as you get better climbing. it will support pretty much every style of DbRt dont know too much about single rope but I'm sure it would work ok.

Hope this helps,

Random


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## fugue14 (Jul 25, 2013)

I love new england fly. I just bought it to replace my arbormaster and it's so much easier to work with. Great rope and I'll probably buy another to replace this one when it wears out.


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## TreeClimberKP (Jul 26, 2013)

I started on a cool blue velocity, used that for about 2-3 years. Good lightweight rope. I now climb on a Lava. 11.7 is a bit nicer on your hands. I would recommend both.


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## bootboy (Jul 27, 2013)

tramp bushler said:


> OK. Thanks ; the local multi faceted outdoor and clothing store here has a coil of 9.8 mm. But it is kinda high dollar.



For static rope, you can't beat Sterling HTP for quality OR price. Far and away the best value for a 10mm+ static rope. 
Under 10mm there are other brands, but I don't think anyone in the tree biz uses anything less than 10 for SRT


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## mesupra (Jul 27, 2013)

First off I am just getting into climbing and have no real world experience therefore should not be offering any advice however I ended up with a length of Yale Cordage XTC 16-strand 1/2". Seems like a decent line at a decent price from what I can tell. Again, I have nothing to compare it to.


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## smokey01 (Jul 27, 2013)

bootboy said:


> For static rope, you can't beat Sterling HTP for quality OR price. Far and away the best value for a 10mm+ static rope.
> Under 10mm there are other brands, but I don't think anyone in the tree biz uses anything less than 10 for SRT



I use an 11mm Sterling HTP and find it works well with most mechanical devices.

Just did a climb and used all 200' feet of it.

[video=youtube_share;lvej_pp-e64]http://youtu.be/lvej_pp-e64[/video]


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## tramp bushler (Jul 27, 2013)

Smokey; what's the thing on top of your Unicender? Thanks for showing the challenges of using a big shot. 
You used all 200' straight up or up to your tie in point then down to the base anchor?


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## smokey01 (Jul 27, 2013)

tramp bushler said:


> Smokey; what's the thing on top of your Unicender? Thanks for showing the challenges of using a big shot.
> You used all 200' straight up or up to your tie in point then down to the base anchor?



Hi tramp,

After reaching my TIP at about 120', I would reset the TIP so that I could make a quick exit at any time if needed. My line is 200' so when I reached the "end of my rope", I stopped there, besides I was pretty tired. To bad, it was just starting to get easy as the live branches were getting smaller and more frequent. The lower part of the canopy is full of dead stuff, hangers, huge limbs that are difficult to set anchors on etc. Fun at any rate, next time I'll get a little further I hope. 

Cheers

As for my Unicender.

[video=youtube;ZlyP-GCEW5M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlyP-GCEW5M[/video]


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## Carburetorless (Jul 27, 2013)

@Smokey

How high did you get your throw line with the big shot, what size weight are you using, and how many tries did it take?

I can put my 14 oz. weight over a branch at around 80 feet, with 90 to 95% accuracy.


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## smokey01 (Jul 28, 2013)

Carburetorless said:


> @Smokey
> 
> How high did you get your throw line with the big shot, what size weight are you using, and how many tries did it take?
> 
> I can put my 14 oz. weight over a branch at around 80 feet, with 90 to 95% accuracy.



8oz bag, 1.4mm line, 180' long. TIP was 120' as I finally got the bag over a suitable branch (seems odd calling them a branch as they are the diameter of many trees) and it only came back down half the distance when all the line had played out. 
Took me a good 1 1/2 hours, although part of that was pretending to be taking pictures of ferns when someone would walk past.


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## Carburetorless (Jul 29, 2013)

smokey01 said:


> 8oz bag, 1.4mm line, 180' long. TIP was 120' as I finally got the bag over a suitable branch (seems odd calling them a branch as they are the diameter of many trees) and it only came back down half the distance when all the line had played out.
> Took me a good 1 1/2 hours, although part of that was pretending to be taking pictures of ferns when someone would walk past.



I use the 2.2 mm_ Zing It_ with the 14 oz. weight. On a fairly slick barked tree it comes back down pretty easy, but rougher trees like pines can cause it to hang up, same for the rope when I'm setting my bowline. That's why I like the heavy line, I've had to climb all-the-way back up to my TIP one too many times.


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## smokey01 (Aug 8, 2013)

bootboy said:


> If you are running it in hardware, consider a slimmer ~11mm (7/16) line.
> 
> I run mostly hardware for climbing and use New England fly. It's a fantastic rope that renders well in hardware and is also very affordable. You can get 150' for less than$100.



Hey boot, thanks for the suggestion, just picked up a 200' hank of the Fly to give it a try. (That was not meant to rhyme) So far interesting observation, it weights slightly less than the Sterling HTP but has a 24 strand cover like the Ivy rather than the 48 strand cover of the Sterling making it much more knot friendly. Fly probably picks a little easier than the HTP sterling. Another interesting thing, the Ivy in one catalog shows less stretch than the HTP, this is not true from my observations. 
Going out this weekend to climb a 270' fir with both the Fly and HTP Sterling. I'll see how the stretch compares to the other ropes I'm using.


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## tramp bushler (Aug 8, 2013)

smokey01 said:


> Hey boot, thanks for the suggestion, just picked up a 200' hank of the Fly to give it a try. (That was not meant to rhyme) So far interesting observation, it weights slightly less than the Sterling HTP but has a 24 strand cover like the Ivy rather than the 48 strand cover of the Sterling making it much more knot friendly. Fly probably picks a little easier than the HTP sterling. Another interesting thing, the Ivy in one catalog shows less stretch than the HTP, this is not true from my observations.
> Going out this weekend to climb a 270' fir with both the Fly and HTP Sterling. I'll see how the stretch compares to the other ropes I'm using.



Smokey ; do you use a Nikosi saddle? . How do you like it? . 
Do they have old growth fir in Georgia. ?


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## bootboy (Aug 9, 2013)

smokey01 said:


> Hey boot, thanks for the suggestion, just picked up a 200' hank of the Fly to give it a try. (That was not meant to rhyme) So far interesting observation, it weights slightly less than the Sterling HTP but has a 24 strand cover like the Ivy rather than the 48 strand cover of the Sterling making it much more knot friendly. Fly probably picks a little easier than the HTP sterling. Another interesting thing, the Ivy in one catalog shows less stretch than the HTP, this is not true from my observations.
> Going out this weekend to climb a 270' fir with both the Fly and HTP Sterling. I'll see how the stretch compares to the other ropes I'm using.



It's kind of hard to compare the qualities of the two as they are entirely different in their construction. One is a static kernmantle the other is a 24 strand tree work specific rope. Sterling HTP is going to be the most static. It's polyester core and cover. Many tree ropes have a poly cover over a nylon core for a margin of safety in the event of a dynamic load.


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## monkeylove (Aug 15, 2013)

I am fond of the 11mm PMI EZ-Bend for SRT. It holds knots well for a stiff rope and the cover has held up so far.


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## tidy (Dec 12, 2013)

I've just done a bit of price research in setting up a "ce climber" system (tachyon rope, hitch climber pulley, dmm oval biners, ocean polester prusik). The individual components end up costing $100.00 less than the kit avail on Wspur, however in the ce climber kit the rope comes with a teuflegerger "slaice" termination, this is latest technology apparently its stronger, more compact and dyneema reinforced. But is worth $100? I hate making decisions on climbing gear lol


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## Macman125 (Dec 12, 2013)

I currently use samson true blue. I wouldnt mind trying the vortex. I, like some others like using half inch rope for the easier grip.


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## BlackOakTreeServ (Dec 12, 2013)

I use samson Vortex 12.7mm 24stand...easy on hands...SRT and DRT...have a 150ft and 200ft hanks


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## kyle goddard (Dec 12, 2013)

The results will be intresting. 

Anyway. I.dont have any problem with p-ivy. There is some stretch. The stretch that it has doesn't effect srt. Feels a bit strange on big swings at first. Thats all grows old and goes away after awhile.


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## formationrx (Dec 13, 2013)

maclovercp125 said:


> I currently use samson true blue. I wouldnt mind trying the vortex. I, like some others like using half inch rope for the easier grip.


+1 on true blue


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## kyle goddard (Dec 13, 2013)

TreeClimberKP said:


> I started on a cool blue velocity, used that for about 2-3 years. Good lightweight rope. I now climb on a Lava. 11.7 is a bit nicer on your hands. I would recommend both.



I find lava to have a hole lot of stretch. Poison ivy and lava are the only 24 strand lines i ever used. Id take pi over lava anyday. 

Id like to try the vortex 12.7mm line. How is the comparison for pi and vortex. I climb both srt/drt. Only mechanical toys i use are a foot and hand accender. Im also not sure how my hitchhiker will fair with a 12.7 mm line


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## crotchclimber (Dec 13, 2013)

I like the New England Tachyon I've been using. It has less stretch and is firmer than the NE Fly, which I also have.


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