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Cordelette size


telemarker

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I started out using a 7mm cordelette, like 10' or so, but found it too stiff to tie off quickly, and almost impossible to tie in to three pieces plus a tie-in knot on a belay station. I've since been using a 5mm cord, about 15', and it's great and never kinks up. Am I compromising safety by using a smaller dia. cord? Obviously, it's not going to take a dynamic fall, so what diameter do other climbers use for cordelettes? Is 5mm too small?

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i used to use 4m of 5.5mspectra cord but mostly nowadays I just use a double-shoulder length sling and a daisy chain.

 

that's belaying off the harness though. if you are gonna be using a reverso or b52 or whatever using a 'lette becomes more important to get the high power point to belay from.

 

i guess my point is, if your cord isnt long enough, extend the pieces out with slings then tie off the extensions with the 'lette.

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i would be kinda leery of using regular 5mm instead of 7mm as it is significantly weaker. i advise you to chop up that 5mm cord into prussik or rap slings and buy yourself either spectra or a thicker chunk of regular static cord like 7mm or better yet, a webolette.

 

i mean, a 5m length of spectra 5.5 costs like $20 bucks CDN at MEC, yeah thats 4x more than the 7mm but it is much lighter. and a Dyneema daisy chain costs $20 too nowadays.

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5mm nylon cord is about half as strong as the 7mm. I wouldn't be comfortable using it for this purpose. I use about 18-20 ft of 6mm nylon cord. A decent compromise -- not too bulky and reasonably strong. Another nice thing about using nylon cord is that you can easily cut it into 2 or 3 rap slings if you're bailing. This may or may not be important to you, especially if you climb with mainly sewn slings...

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Maxim tech cord works well, but seems damn stiff for tying and slick -- recommend 3" tail. 22-25' of el cheapo 7mm comes in handy for all sorts o things.

 

Anybody seen these wonderful webolettes cheap anywhere yet? Seen them in use, and there's definitely no better way to secure your horsecock, they're just spendy...

 

--Unemployed Coondog.

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