Silent Partner rope feeding

I've worked out most of the kinks in my SP setup, except for rope feeding, so I'd like to get a new rope to address that. I've heard some conflicting information, but majority opinion seems to be that

- thinner is better
- dry treatment is better
- suppleness is better (although some have said they prefer a stiffer rope)

Does anyone have anything to add to the above and/or specific recommendations for a rope that works well with the SP?

I've used a like-new Petzl Nomad 9.8 that's been in storage for a long time and is actually pretty stiff, along with a well-used Mammut Infinity 9.5, and neither was satisfactory. Even soon after leaving the belay, with little rope weight on either end, it can sometimes feel like I have an extra 20+ lb hanging from my harness because of poor feeding, and there seems to be the ever-present possibility of getting short roped when the device locks up due to being in an unusual orientation. Despite the instruction manual saying otherwise, I'm going to try putting the SP on my belay loop to see if that can help with the latter issue.

This is for free; feeding has been fine for solo aid.

Thanks in advance for the input.

Kevin D. wrote:I've worked out most of the kinks in my SP setup, except for rope feeding, so I'd like to get a new rope to address that. I've heard some conflicting information, but majority opinion seems to be that - thinner is better - dry treatment is better - suppleness is better (although some have said they prefer a stiffer rope) Does anyone have anything to add to the above and/or specific recommendations for a rope that works well with the SP? I've used a like-new Petzl Nomad 9.8 that's been in storage for a long time and is actually pretty stiff, along with a well-used Mammut Infinity 9.5, and neither was satisfactory. Even soon after leaving the belay, with little rope weight on either end, it can sometimes feel like I have an extra 20+ lb hanging from my harness because of poor feeding, and there seems to be the ever-present possibility of getting short roped when the device locks up due to being in an unusual orientation. Despite the instruction manual saying otherwise, I'm going to try putting the SP on my belay loop to see if that can help with the latter issue. This is for free; feeding has been fine for solo aid. Thanks in advance for the input.

The Partner feeds pretty easily. The main issue you will probably encounter is rope kinks. If you get a kink on the rope, or a strand gets caught on the rope, you are going to short rope yourself. You can get a big rope bag and carefully flake the rope in the bag, which will reduce hangups.

This is from ST, and if I read the thread correctly eKat is part of the originating force behind the SP's existence.

". . . the rope bag Blanchard and I came up with does a really cool job of managing the rope. . . it's a glorifide stuff bag that clips into your harness like a dorky fanny pack. . . it clips in from the top and the bottom. . . and hangs sideways and the rope deploys beautifully. You unclip the bottom of it when it comes time and flake the rope back in from the top - in the same orientation as a chalk bag. . . then clip the bottom of it back to your harness. It's like the rope kinda spills out as you need it."

Or you can read the whole thing here .

Thanks for the info. Agreed that rope management with rope bags, and kinks, are both issues to be concerned with.

But I don't think either is the main issue here. I do think rope choice is a big factor, but I'm certainly open to other suggestions.

I have a 10.2mm that has seen a lot of toprope and rappelling. When used with the SP it definitely 'sticks' more. Surface area is the culprit I believe.

I have a 9.4mm rope that has seen little use other than 2 lead climbs. It definitely pulls through easier but takes a while to catch a fall with slack. Watch it here: Silent Partner Fall Test

Both ropes are dry treated.

Did you weight the free end of the rope?

Regarding kinking and the Silent Partner...I tried using the clove hitch as my backup "knot" for a short time,but found an increse in kinking. Figure-8 backups work better for me. Also my original manual for the SP recommends ropes 9.8mm - 11mm. All info that I've found online recommends the same. Anyone using thinner ropes with the Silent Partner? Any issues/safety concerns while using the thin cords with SP? Climb on!

I've used a 9.5mm with no problems, i.e., the SP has locked up just fine in test falls and real falls.

I just use loosely tied overhands for backup knots, and my comments above reflect a scenario where there is little weight on the loose end b/c of backup knots.

overhands... great idea! Definitely easier to untie one handed. I think you may have provided the final key to my system.

Blue water Lightning Pro Dry or Sterling Marathon Pro work pretty ideally for me. I have also had good luck with 9.4 and 9.7 Beal ropes but they are not as durable and don't stand up as well to single line raps.

I stick with clove hitches(easiest to untie) almost exclusively unless super pumped when I will tie an overhand because it takes less coordination.