Static Rope Length

[tomtom]

I'd post this in the THE NEW AID CLIMBING FORUM, but ... .

 

What is the normal length for a static rope for hauling? Most of the online retailers sell 150' lengths. I was guessing I should get the same length as my lead line- 200'. The obvious answer is long enough to get to the next belay.

 

Comments?

[lummox]

i think it is more interesting that no one --and i mean NO ONE-- ever uses rove to advantage when hauling.

[bigwalling]

I'd get a 70m. Pitches are getting longer and longer. But that is also mostly on really hard stuff so a 60m will work.

[lummox]

a haul line dont zigzag through anything. sumpin bout the shortest distance between two points i reckon. if you want a long line go right to pmiropes.com. none a that 150' or pound sand bullshit.

[willstrickland]

60m is std. I've never noticed retailers selling 150' statics...but that's probably because I was looking for the 60m. If you're asking this question, by the time you get around to doing a route with 70m pitches, you'll have worn out the first haul line you buy anyway. Get a 60.

[Skip_M._Kliphiem]

--and i mean NO ONE-- ever uses rove to advantage when hauling.

 

Do yo mean roving? Twisted fibers, sisal, Manila rope? How much of a load do you think that could withstand, what about abrasion and shock load?

Sure is affordable! OK, I'm convinced. I'll load up a haul bag with thousand dollars worth of gear, food, water, clothing and hang it on a natural fiber cord.

 

Excuse me for straying. Get a 60M.

[fern]

 

if you get a haul line longer than your lead line then maybe sometimes you won't need a separate lower-out line ... or there are other hypothetical reasons too. But whatever, as with all gear there are pros and cons that you have to measure against your own objectives.

 

You should be able to buy static line off a spool in any length you want though. MEC sells it ... probably some online dealers too ...

[lummox]

Do yo mean roving?

no dork. rove to advantage with a runner tackle (at least) as opposed to the whip rove to disadvantage that climbers use. it has a higher mechanical advantage.

whip has 1 to 1 mechanical advantage. runner has 2 to 1.

[willstrickland]

People use it when soloing sometimes. Call it a "far-end hauler". People don't normally use it because you need a haul line twice as long if you haul from the upper anchor. If you "far-end" it, you can do it with a regular length haul line.

 

On a pitch where the bag is likely to hang up when soloing, this is a good way to haul. The big disadvantage is you have to haul as you jug and you're pulling up so you can't really bodyweight haul (there are ways you can, but they are more trouble than they're worth).

 

If you want a 2:1 adv on the haul, just use a 2:1 ratchet set-up. It's lighter than an extra 60m of static.

 

Re: Fern's point - Instead of having the pig tied into the end of the haul line, if you pull the haul line taut from the upper anchor and tie the pig in at the shortest point, you can use the excess haul line as a lower-out. It's hard to explain, but picture this: It's 40m in a straight line from anchor to anchor. Tie the pig in at the 40m point after reaching the upper anchor and setting up the haul, use the extra 20m as lower-out.

[lummox]

People use it when soloing sometimes. Call it a "far-end hauler". People don't normally use it because you need a haul line twice as long if you haul from the upper anchor. If you "far-end" it, you can do it with a regular length haul line.

 

On a pitch where the bag is likely to hang up when soloing, this is a good way to haul. The big disadvantage is you have to haul as you jug and you're pulling up so you can't really bodyweight haul (there are ways you can, but they are more trouble than they're worth).

as if a person wouldnt set up a quick gun tackle arrangment (aka 'z pulley'). and 'trouble' is all relative.

you dont need a double length haul line to use a runner tackle. it aint no big deal to put a stopper (sumpin like a jumar with pulley) a short ways down a haul line to allow rove to advantage hauling. nobody does it. i dont know why.

[fern]

 

how do you know nobody does it?

[lummox]

how do you know nobody does it?

omniscience?

okay. i dont know that noboby does it. i just aint seen it or heard of it. crevasse shizzle excepted.

personally i think hauling sucks ass and i would avoid it unless i was on a wall for three or more days.

[boatskiclimbsail]

Other than the yuppie-packaged "tactical static rope" I've rarely seen a pre-cut length of static rope for sale. Usually you will come across the giant 1200' wooden spools of BWII or the nice beefy PMI stuff. Maybe it's because I always get static at caving shops...

 

As for the hauling setup, there are dozens of different ways people rig ratcheting setups. When you are soloing a wall with a big load, there aint' no other way to do it. If you've never seen it, I'd spend some more time on a wall. We (my aid partner and I) rarely use them because we started using a funky counterbalance system where one of us just hangs on the free side of the rope while the other pulls a few times, then he jugs back up and we repeat. Quicker to set up that the ratchet stuff and we only have to pull 1x the rope length. Get it over with quick!

[tomtom]

Here's a 2:1 hauling system:

 

[Dru]

i prefer 1,500m long static lines for those free hanging no knot passing summit to base rappels off Mt Thor, or for setting up slacklines between Monkey Face and Smith Summit etc