UKC

in the process of buying my first rack. will be using it for mainly winter stuff, but probably a bit of summer stuff as well. Does it matter what material of sling i buy? have read a couple of times that nylon is more hardwearing? does this mean its better suited for winter?

Any advice appreciated...

In reply to ralphio: Defo Nylon. Dyneema is much lighter but has quite poor abrasion resistance when compared to the more durable all-nylon slings. Next question.

In reply to ralphio:

Dyneema as it'll weight less when wet.

In reply to Cathcart_Alpinist: Actually it's the opposite. It's the nylon in dyneema slings that fluffs up, not the dyneema. Dyneema is very very abrasion resistant but not very CUT resistant, hence they are banded at the edge with nylon to prevent cutting. The dyneema is the white part of the sling - if you inspect an old sling, you'll find it's the coloured bits that are fluffy.

Are nylon more resitant? Maybe but I'd have thought mainly because they are usually much fatter than dyneema ones... seeing as you should be replacing your slings every few years anyway is it even an issue?

In reply to ralphio: Skinny dyneema slings any day. Sure nylon might wear a little better but it sucks up water like a sponge, are bulky and heavy and much worse handling.

In reply to Cathcart_Alpinist: Edelrid techweb - best of both worlds

In reply to iksander:
I like the construction. I'm not a great fan of procord personaly it's the opposite way around to how it should be, makes much more sense to have a protected core and outer sheath for climbing gear. Only thing is I may have issues going back up to 12mm now, I like my 6-8 mm slings!

In reply to: you can rope proof a sling to help stop it soaking up and freezing into a stiff mess, like your rope does when its dry treatment wears off

Dyneema ones, are a bit easier to manage, and in the abscence of "tat" can thread through an abalakov

In reply to ralphio: Dyneema is better for winter conditions, nylon soaks in water leaving the slings heavier and when wet nylon loses roughly 10% of its strength. While this loss still leaves the sling normally over the rated strength; slings are rated to at least 22kn but normally have an actual strength of around 24 at the start of their life; and the typical lead fall has a peak of under 6kn; it still shows that nylon is much more susceptible to winter conditions. I would personally use the thicker 11mm dyneema slings over the skinny slings for winter use for the increased wear resistance they provide.