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so here's my dilemma:

this summer i'm planning on jumping in my car and driving all over the US and anywhere else that sounds fun. climbing is my main objective, though i'll also be doing some backpacking, fishing, etc. i'll be on my own so i'll be bouldering a good deal but with luck i'll run into some people i trust and can get a belay from, mostly sport and a little trad (depending on the brains and balls i grow). considering that i'll have one rope of my own, i've been thinking about getting a sterling drycore. is this a good idea? is it worth it? or should i just go with a regular rope and pray i don't get wet sometime? looking for some opinions. and 60m or 70m? thanks

Paul3eb wrote:so here's my dilemma:

this summer i'm planning on jumping in my car and driving all over the US and anywhere else that sounds fun.

Sounds like quite a dilemma, Paul!

I had some friends who went out on a three month trip last year. They had to trade gear toward the end because their ropes(plural) became so ragged that it was dangerous. If you want to get a single rope and go on a trip of any consequence I would recommend taking more than one rope IMHO. The most rugged and longlasting rope that I have ever owned has been a Sterling Marathon 10.6mm. Beefy...79 grams per. Very durable though.It will take 14 UIAA falls. The highest rated rope I have ever seen!

The Stratos by Edelweiss, accept no substitute - very pricey though. I came 1/3 of the way to getting the chop once on a Mammut and now I only use Edelweiss. My life is worth it. Edelweiss "Edge proofed" ropes are tested to a factor 2 fall with the 80 kg mass over a sharp edge only 0.75 mm radius. Traditional ropes fail this test but the Edelweiss "Edge proofed" ropes withstand it.

http://store.yahoo.com/bentgatemountain ... c10x6.html

Both Sterling ropes I've climbed on have lasted me close to a year. And thats with climbing on them 2 days on 1 day off all summer. They have also both been pretty skinny, I believe 9.8. I have always prefered to get a 70 meter. If your traveling all over you never know when the extra length could come in handy. Also it's nice to have plenty of room for cutting the ends off once they get to worn. However I once made the mistake of buying a Maxim rope. That thing barely made it through the summer, I was very disapointed.

So in my experience one rope should do you fine for a summer, especially if you'll be bouldering throughout parts of it.

I'll second the Edelweiss. THe stratos feels so strong and durable, I'll never buy anything else. Right now I have an Edelweiss Emotion, 10.5, after 2.5 years of hard use (every weeked for one year, 20 weekends the next, plus a long summer trip. It will soon be a toprope rope, but its still good.

ALso I have generally disliked sterling ropes. I had a chance to use a new sterling dry core, it began to unravel after couple months use. Sterling would not replace it.

I am quite partial to PMI. They seem to wear well.

If you are going to be abusing it all summer, I would definitely go with a beefy rope (10.6), as suggested by dirt.

ok, specifically: opinions on the sterling marathon 10.3 dry 70m. is the dry worth it? does it really mean, "water be damned, climb on!"?

dirt and magnetic62nd, thanks for the beefy suggestion. i was going to go thinner but now i won't. thanks