SpeleoTrog
Member
So, do we now have an official answer for "how long is a piece of string?"
Best rope lengths?
- Thread starter mr conners
- Start date
langcliffe
Well-known member
Fulk said:
I have the same experience, which is why I quite often measure the ropes after a trip and modify the rigging guides. I resent carrying more than I have to.
mr conners
Member
We made it down and out on our new rope lengths and they did go all the way to the bottom, plus some more, and we made it to the fine Wanted Inn. Cheers for the advice people.
We also met an old git, who wasn't that old, and didn't seem to be that much of a git.
Great trip, and I don't remember struggling that much on the way out of Beza pot. I must be getting owld.
We also met an old git, who wasn't that old, and didn't seem to be that much of a git.
Great trip, and I don't remember struggling that much on the way out of Beza pot. I must be getting owld.
Sure, the guide books a guide, and it's better to have too much rope than too little, and caving isn't (or shouldn't be) about 'caving-by-numbers' (though sometimes rigging pitches these days feels like 'joining the dots'), but allows scope for individual initiative blah blah blah.
I think that really, I wasn't complaining, I was just intrigued as to how you could get it so wrong in the worst cases I mentioned (and I acknowledge that, on the whole, most of the rope lengths are about right). How could you use 180 feet of rope on an 85 ft pitch? Maybe it was just a misprint?
I think that really, I wasn't complaining, I was just intrigued as to how you could get it so wrong in the worst cases I mentioned (and I acknowledge that, on the whole, most of the rope lengths are about right). How could you use 180 feet of rope on an 85 ft pitch? Maybe it was just a misprint?
mr conners
Member
As long as its over estimated I'm not bothered. I dont fancy being on the absolute limit and as most trips in the UK that I do are not that arduous I can handle lugging a few extra metres around to be on the safe side.
time for me
time for me
mr conners
Member
I have washed them and stuck them in the loft so will measure the short lengths when I get them out and let you know. To be honest I completely forgot about shrinkage and I'm slightly concerned we may have a load of rope thats a bit shorter than we wanted.
It would be rather nice if rope manufacturers could kindly make 220m reels and not 200
200m minus shrinkage leaves a difficult decision whether its really worth the saving to buy a 200m reel, or whether its best just to order the lengths needed + 10% and let the retailer have the problem of selling the remainder :-\
200m minus shrinkage leaves a difficult decision whether its really worth the saving to buy a 200m reel, or whether its best just to order the lengths needed + 10% and let the retailer have the problem of selling the remainder :-\
Maj
Active member
damian said:
Likewise, the same dilemma would surely still apply. Unless the EU have rationalized pitch depths
How accurately measured is a 200m drum of rope, and do you perhaps get a few extra metres?
If yes, then would this be enough to offset the shrinkage a little?
If a 200m drum is over length, and sold by the metre by the retailer, are they in fact able to sell more than 200m from a drum?
If close to requiring 200m, I would have thought it worth going for the whole drum, if necessary finding one or two other interested parties.
Maj
Roger W
Well-known member
Maj said:Unless the EU have rationalized pitch depths
Now there's a thought. All pitches to be in exact multiples of ten metres. Those just short of a round figure to be dug a little deeper, those a little over to be filled in a tad... All pitch depths to be regularly monitored, with severe financial penalties for any cavers found using non-standard potholes...
I hope no-one from Brussels reads this forum!
Two points I guess
the first is that if rope is known to shrink by 10%, then why not add this to the reel to start with :
I wonder if this is covered by the Sale of Goods act
however my real point is that taking 200m and allowing for 10% shrinkage (181.8 m :-\ ) and then looking at the rope lengths that you and friends may be interested in to achieve a saving by buying a 200m reel and we have found it just does not work out too well matching our required lengths (great if it were not to shrink or you had this 10% allowance added).
cap n chris
Well-known member
Geoff R said:
Has this been checked out thoroughly (with various rope diameters and manufacturers) by an independent third party at some time in recent history or is it hearsay?
Am I an independent third party? Well, I suppose I am, insofar as I have no connection with the rope manufacturing trade.
Be that as it may, we have several ropes, and of those I've actually kept tabs on, here are a few shrinkage parameters:
Edelrid Superstatic Soft 10 mm ? 12.8% in ca. 4 years
Edelrid 9 mm ? 8.8% in ca. 2 months, 10.6% in ca.3.5 years
Marlow 10.5 mm ? 7.9% in a week after soaking, drying and using once
Edelrid Superstatic Soft 9 mm ? 16.3% in ca. 12.5 years
Edelrid Everdry Superstatic 9 mm ? 6.5% in ca.2 months
Marlow 10.5 mm mm ? 10.5% in ca. 3 years
Peter Burgess
New member
If the rope gets shorter, where has it gone? Does the rope get fatter?
