Good trad rope?

tell ya what, I picked up an Edleweiss 9.9 60m dry rope, I think it's called the 'Onsight' And I love it, a 70m would be better, but I picked it up at gearexpress.com for like 120 bucks, so 60m it was!
Anyhoo, it's just beefy enough to put up with sustained trad abuse but skinny enough to keep weight just right.
Try to shy away from the 9.6 and skinny flosslike ropes for trad. I've always had better luck with 10mm or thicker, 10.5 is even prefered. But I think that the Onsight is still cheap at gearexpress.
My buddy just picked up one of Petzls new ropes, expensive yes but SAAAWEEEET!
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For trad I have a 10.5 bi-color dry rope. This is my first bi-color and I love it. It is so easy to find the center point for raps and it is also very easy to judge the length of pitches based on the pattern change in the rope. I don't think I'll ever get another trad rope that isn't bi-color. I keep it separate and only use it for multi-pitch, btw. I also went with a little bigger rope than a lot of climbers do because I'm over 170lbs.

I'm 190lbs so I usually do 10.2. I am wondering if I should buy doubles (I've wanted to try that for awhile) but I think I'm just going to stick with a single.

I'm a potato sack of 220 lbs, and I use the 10.2 Mammut Supersafe rope. It is super burly and takes a ton of abuse. It is a bit heavy for a 10.2, but a great gear rope.
You can't go wrong with any of the above advice though. I wouldn't go with a 9.9 but just because I want a thicker rope to hold my weight.

when did 10.2 become 'burly' in rope sense? I'm now accepting 10 and 10.5's for any climbs, but love my thick and trusty 11mm for rough trads anytime. Problem is they are only 165 ft. long and these days you need those 70 meter ropes for long sport pitches and 60m for trad at least. Get a sturdy, 'burly rope I say.

I pretty much echo everything said here. I have two Mammut 60m ropes. One is a bi-pattern, which I love. It's a SuperDry 10.2m, and I usually use it for alpine climbs or any climb with a longer approach. I love that thing.

I also have a 10.5, which is not bi-patterend, and therefore cheaper. This is my workhorse rope. I use it to for TR soloing, TRing, working routes, self-rescue practice or in any situation where it's going to see heavy use. I have no problem replacing this one periodically since it's cheaper.

that's a good point, Ped. It pays to have an 'everyday knock around rope to use for TR, hangdoging, working etc. Then your primo' favorite clean rope in wild colors for sending that hard route for the cameras to catch for Rock and Ice or Climbing mags. i just move them back into different duties here as they age. Oldest are cut into short rope lengths for toprope routes on small cliffs or for use on my 27 climbing wall routes.

I use a Blue Water 70m, 10.2 Bi-color. I think the dry treating is unnecessary unless you're ice climbing/mountaineering. I've used Blue Water ropes exclusively for the past ten years now and I haven't had a single problem with one.

Save my dry ropes for ice season only. That way they last a long time, with little wear and tear from rocks and grit. Don't get me started on when to retire a rope, as we've been through that in a posting earlier this year!

I was checking out the Mammut Supersafe and may pull the trigger on that hefty $240 price tag.

Why is there only a handful of companies in the USA to make ropes? Everything is imported except for New England, and a few others I found. I always try to buy America and that is why I will no longer purchase Black Diamond and will be moving on to Metolius.

Yeah, what happened to the days when Chouinard was making his hardware on the forge out back in the shed?

I think Sterling and BlueWater may be the only US produced ropes, Metolius ropes are made by Mammut, Petzl by Cousin which is French, formerly BlackDiamond cords were made by Beal which is again French... oh yea I'm pretty sure Maxim is US made also.

New England ropes still got stuff too? Or are they now part of BlueWater?

Gonzobeer, I've always been afraid to climb on a rope smaller than 10mm but it sounds like you have disproved me. Maybe I should explore the skinny rope fad?
You are correct. It is always nice to see another clydesdale climbing hard....or cycling/running hard.

I don't know about climbing hard.....but climbing nonetheless. And Fad or not. 120 bucks I couldn't refuse....
And how did you know my favorite horse? I have one named Charly...I'll try to find a pic. He's HUGE like 16.5 hands or so.
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