UKC

Thought this might have been debated to death on here but seemingly not. 'Everyone' says dry-treated ropes are better, they give longer life, better handling, less dirt / moisture ingress etc.

I can understand that if you're winter climbing then it's nice if your ropes are less likely to freeze. But let's assume you're a fair weather climber who doesn't like the wet and has no intention of winter climbing. You also look after your ropes and don't trail them through the dirt, stand all over them etc.

Would dry treated ropes be of any real benefit here? More generally, is there any data to support the assertion that dry treatments actually give rise to the benefits they're supposed to?

I'm talking half ropes here really but I guess it applies to all rope types. Strangely though I might be less willing to compromise on a single rope i.e. I'd always opt for dry-treated here. I suspect however this notion is based on nothing other than misconceptions / belief in oft-repeated 'truths' about what dry-treatment can do.

I wonder what sales of dry-treated vs non dry-treated single ropes are like in France and Germany, might be interesting to see breakdown?

In reply to ksjs:

Not really any benefit if they aren't going to get wet.

In reply to ksjs:

My 60m half rope is not dry treated and, to be honest, I'd be hard pressed to notice any significant shortfall in performance.

In reply to ksjs:
the teflon coating that some ropes get obviously does lower friction which can mean the ropes wear less fast. My 8mm pheonixs have lasted about 5 years, that said not exactly a scientific experiment.

In reply to CurlyStevo: But the coating does wear - my now ancient Genesis ropes, still great and a real recommendation for Mammut rope quality, are dull and 'dry' looking - so I guess this is a fairly temporary advantage depending how much you use the ropes.

In reply to ksjs: Thought given the general 'preference' for dry treated ropes there'd be quite a few people singing their praises. Maybe their not as widespread as I thought.

In reply to ksjs: Dry treated ropes seem to handle better in the long run no matter whether they are used in the wet or not. I wouldn't buy any rope that wasn't dry treated possibly apart from an indoor wall rope

In reply to ksjs:
I think whilst the dry coating does partially wear off it also doesn't completely go and will improve rope wear.

I'd only get dry treated if you intend to climb in the wet with the ropes, I doubt you can justify it otherwise. My 5 year old dry treated pheonix still repel water much better than my non dry treated ropes and dry much quicker after rinsing.

In reply to ksjs: Bear in mind that dry coating is not used on the outer fibres, so whilst it's true that it wear off the mantle fibres, the inner kern fibres see less wear. The effect of this is that their elongation and subsequent retraction during/after a fall occurs more easily and causes less damage. So you get less permanent sheath slippage and the rope in theory lasts longer.

In reply to ksjs:

I find that if you buy/use slightly worse gear than your mate then whenever you meet up to go to the crag they always insist they use their gear. This means; cheaper gear, less wear and you get to use the good stuff at no extra cost! WINNER!!!

(+ if your really lucky you might only get away with just offering to take a half rope up the steep walk in leaving your mate to carry all the spangly light weight stuff they insist on using)

In reply to ksjs: You will die if you use anything but dry treated. KThxBai

In reply to mike kann: All that makes sense but still, the "inner kern fibres see less wear." voodoo gets me a bit. Less wear according to who, by how much and does it make any difference?

In reply to owennewcastle: Ahh, very wise words. I know someone who quite possibly practices this exact philosophy.

In reply to owennewcastle:

Ha Ha...so true!

In reply to ksjs: If it doesn't bother you and you don't believe it then buy non treated ropes. You asked the question, a few of us answered. End of the day, non treated ropes cost less and work. So if you don't care just buy a non treated rope.