Calling all gear heads!-Rope storage question

I store my ropes in a room with a north facing window, with the ropes directly across from the window. Should I worry about them being exposed to light like that?

Mr. Nick wrote:

yes

Whoah! that was fast.  Even if they don't get direct sunlight?  I have been storing my older rope like that for about half a year.  Should I be worried about that?

bump

joe i apologize those comments were made by me

Indirect light, is that what you are saying? I wouldn't think that would be a problem, but what do I know... Anyway, here is an interesting article (sort of related) that I checked out because I found a brand new rope from 15 years ago, still in the bag, in one of my storage bins. It had been in a dark, climate-controlled environment the whole time. Interesting results, although it is just one data point. They also test a new harness that was sitting in a display window and was sun bleached: http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/experience-story?cid=qc-lab-old-vs-new-gear-testing&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BlackDiamondEquipmentExperience+%28Black+Diamond+Equipment+Experience%29

Mr. Nick wrote:

any type of soft goods have a shelf life, dymema 3-5 nylon 5-10. 

Can you back this up with real test data? (As opposed to overly conservative retirement guidelines from the folks who stand to benefit from premature replacement?)

I ask because none other than the UIAA's Pit Schubert has declared otherwise:

"Ageing  caused  only  by  storage  can almost  be  neglected  compared  with ageing  during  use.  This  also  holds  for ageing  by  the  influence  of  ultraviolet radiation;  ropes  may  lose  their  colour with  time,  but  virtually  no  loss  of strength (more precisely, no loss of energy absorption capacity over an edge),because  since  the  beginning  of  the1960’s   all   perlon   and   nylon   (poly-amide) has been UV-stabilised." 

Source http://theuiaa.org/documents/safety/About_Ageing_of_Climbing_Ropes.pdf

I'm pretty sure he stated he just has the ropes there and i would assume hes actually using them. We have all seen the test done by BD, it's really a matter of opinion. Back in the late 90s or early 2000's I really didn't care much for the shelf life non sense. Now that I'm much older and have someone that depends on me, i'm going to go with what the company asks.  I also make my judgment because I work in the climbing industry and have seen what people would say a properly stored harness is. Where some actually know the meaning not everyone does, but as i stated this is my opinion and nothing more. 

Each day when I get home from climbing I bury my rope in a time capsule in my backyard. Still going strong, even two weeks after I bought it. Now my doctor says I have something called Radon Poisoning. Is that from top roping?

There's a recent U-Tube(?) video where an engineer rips apart truly ancient, well-used harnesses and slings and finds thay, basically, they still can be trusted.

Then there's the early 1970's study conducted on ropes by the UIAA....50 ropes given to to 50 climbers who tracked for EVERY pitch climbed for everything from pitch length, # raps, hours-use, to rough or smooth rock, to sunny-or-cloudy-or-rain, leader falls (the record was John Stannard's 165; he was working Persistence at the Gunks Lost City at the time).  The ropes and data was collected and the ropes tested. After 3 yrs (maybe 2?) the ropes were collected and tested.  All passed. 

chris murphy wrote:

I'm pretty sure he stated he just has the ropes there and i would assume hes actually using them. We have all seen the test done by BD, it's really a matter of opinion. Back in the late 90s or early 2000's I really didn't care much for the shelf life non sense. Now that I'm much older and have someone that depends on me, i'm going to go with what the company asks.  I also make my judgment because I work in the climbing industry and have seen what people would say a properly stored harness is. Where some actually know the meaning not everyone does, but as i stated this is my opinion and nothing more. 

Not looking to pick a fight, but you did more than state your opinion. You told OP to worry about his indoor shade-stored ropes. That's ridiculous...in MY opinion.

Mr. Nick wrote:

any type of soft goods have a shelf life, dymema 3-5 nylon 5-10. it goes on, get in the habit of retiring gear even when its not looking damaged.

Soft goods do not have a specific shelf life and retiring otherwise perfectly good gear just because it's xxx number of years old will only serve to thin out your wallet. Gear does not deteriorate just because it's gotten older. Brand new slings in a bag that were made five years ago will test out around the same as ones made yesterday. Manufacturers typically 10 years storage + 5 years in-use because they have to provide some number. Customers ask them this question daily so they need to come up with something more simple than "it depends" so they say 15 years (or 10 depending on the company), but both the manufacturer as well as anyone in the know knows that the true lifespan of gear cannot be resolved down to a single number and it's always going to be a variable answer.

Anyway, to the OP, I am sure your gear is fine. If leaving your gear in your bedroom for a year caused it to deteriorate enough to fail, most of the people on this forum would already be dead. Keep it out of direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time, but unless your gear has become discolored you're probably perfectly fine. I'd suggest storing it in a closet or in a dark plastic container for the future.

Thank you all for your answer.