12 cm vs 18 cm quick draws - does 6 cm really make a difference

I have both and use them equally. It doesn't seem to me that the extra 6 cm makes all that much difference with rope drag.

Do you prefer one size over the other?

file under: sport climber problems.

5cm does matter, she said.

David Sahalie wrote:...5cm does matter, she said.

I find that it's nice to have a few options. I usually have mainly shorter draws with maybe 4 of the longer ones. There are those spots where you need a bit more length to get the rope side biner to lay correctly on the rock or extend over a lip etc. The longer ones are also nice when clipping the bolt below a roof or overhang as they reduce drag a bit more.

mattm wrote:I find that it's nice to have a few options. I usually have mainly shorter draws with maybe 4 of the longer ones. There are those spots where you need a bit more length to get the rope side biner to lay correctly on the rock or extend over a lip etc. The longer ones are also nice when clipping the bolt below a roof or overhang as they reduce drag a bit more.

Guess it might depend on how straight the line was.

I think the most useful reason to have both is when the rope end biner ends up somewhere do don't want it, like levering over an edge. In that case it is nice to have a different length to prevent this.

Alvaro Arnal wrote: Your math is horrible, by the way.

I mostly use the 18cm dogbone. I have two of the 12cm which I find a little short in most cases. I also have four of the 24cm. Being short, I often find bolts to be a stretch for me. The longer ones makes clipping the rope to the bottom biner a bit easier.

I prefer my 18cm draws to shorter draws. I use them for extending cam, nut placements. Shorter draws dont provide much value, and I can clip straight to the placement.

I mostly sport climb and when I first started I bought almost all 12cm. Every draw I've bought since I've bought 18 cm because I like them a lot better. I've noticed a huge difference in reduced rope drag when using the 18cm draws and the advantage of the reduced rope drag far outweighs the disadvantage of a little added weight.

IMO, and from my experience, the Petzl Spirit Express in 17cm is the best sport draw for almost all applications.

Austin Eddy wrote: I mostly sport climb and when I first started I bought almost all 12cm. Every draw I've bought since I've bought 18 cm because I like them a lot better. I've noticed a huge difference in reduced rope drag when using the 18cm draws and the advantage of the reduced rope drag far outweighs the disadvantage of a little added weight. IMO, and from my experience, the Petzl Spirit Express in 17cm is the best sport draw for almost all applications.

Why is there reduced rope drag with longer quick draws? (This question comes from a newbie.)

Curtis Myers wrote:

Why is there reduced rope drag with longer quick draws? (This question comes from a newbie.)

They allow the rope to move around a bit more, resulting in a straighter rope line and less drag from protruding features, too. 

Does 4.5 inches vs 7 inches make a difference?  

Ask your mother..

I find that the 18 cm ones are much easier to grab a hold of when French freeing stuff.

I also really like the 25cm ones for steep routes and wandering routes.  Anything to reduce drag is helpful.  And sometimes the clip will be a bit less stressful.  Originally I had 12cm and a couple 18cm draws.  Over the years and when on sale, I've swapped most of the 12cm for 25cm dogbones.  

These days I only use 18 or 25cm draws. Less rope drag, but more importantly to me, my trad gear moves around less. With the long skinny draws I do find the rope side biner a little harder to clip at times. Tradeoffs. One other extremely rare but significant factor is that shorter stiffer draws could be a contributing factor in recent cases where biners have come unclipped in falls. Again this is a very rare occurrence, and maybe not worth considering except that the results can be catastrophic.

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/115333886/quickdraw-becoming-unclipped-from-bolt-during-a-lead-climb?page=2

18cm to extend cams and nuts.  12cm for bolts.

Buck Rio wrote: I find that the 18 cm ones are much easier to grab a hold of when French freeing stuff.

Get 25cm and you can grab it with two hands

For sport specific stuff I have 12x 12cm, 8x 17cm, and 6x 25cm.

 I find I use the longer ones more than the 12's,to the extent I just replaced all the 12cm dog bones.

Is it aid if you stick a tent pole in your 25cm draw? asking for a friend