Rope protector

Looking for recommendations for a rope protector when setting up TR on sharp edges.  Inretested in buying one, not making one.

Thx

https://www.riggingwarehouse.com/412-c45-n-petzl-protec-rope-protector.html

Has a lil metal clamp to fix and readjust. Pretty slick!

Lotta people are gonna chime in about garden hoses and carpet scraps and redirecting the load to a lower anchor with a clove hitch to leave slack over the sharp edge. Lots of ways to avoid skinning your rope. 

https://www.edelrid.de/en/work-safety/ropes-accessories/protector-III.html

I have this one and dig it. I use it on my fixed photo line a ton. It looks like the Petzl one Pat mentions is a bit more convenient to secure to a specific spot on the rope but with some extra small cordage this one will stay anywhere you want it to. 

If you're an AAC member there's a couple brands that have good deals on actual rope protectors through your membership

Hey I wanted to take this chance to get in here and ask how often everyone actually deploys a rope protector?  Granted I do have limited experience outdoors and only at popular crags (new to the outdoor climbing)  but I don't think I've ever seen anyone use it in person despite seeing this topic crop up on mountain project time to time.

After reading up on the threads about the potential for rope abrasion, is this something that you would break out anytime it runs over any rock, only on knife edges, swing potential etc?

I'm sure the answer lies within the "it depends" realm but interested to see people's thoughts!

Also follow up question, I can see how to setup the Edelrid one but how would you use the Petzl one for TR?   It seems like it would move with the rope, meaning it only protects a small section?

we use these with no real complaints:

https://pmirope.com/product/pmi-supermantle-rope-guard/

https://pmirope.com/product/spiroll-rope-protector/

Steven H wrote:

Hey I wanted to take this chance to get in here and ask how often everyone actually deploys a rope protector?  Granted I do have limited experience outdoors and only at popular crags (new to the outdoor climbing)  but I don't think I've ever seen anyone use it in person despite seeing this topic crop up on mountain project time to time.

After reading up on the threads about the potential for rope abrasion, is this something that you would break out anytime it runs over any rock, only on knife edges, swing potential etc?

I'm sure the answer lies within the "it depends" realm but interested to see people's thoughts!

Also follow up question, I can see how to setup the Edelrid one but how would you use the Petzl one for TR?   It seems like it would move with the rope, meaning it only protects a small section?

I bought one years ago and have never used it. I climb in a place where most routes end with a slabby low-angle section, maybe you would need it more if you frequent areas with more vertical climbing. 

Steven H wrote:

Hey I wanted to take this chance to get in here and ask how often everyone actually deploys a rope protector?  Granted I do have limited experience outdoors and only at popular crags (new to the outdoor climbing)  but I don't think I've ever seen anyone use it in person despite seeing this topic crop up on mountain project time to time.

For routine, bottom belay top-roping? Almost never. For solo TR? About 80% of the time. The difference? In solo TR, the dynamic rope is fixed well above the edge (to protect the top-out moves). If one fixes the rope below the lip as one would do in routine TR, and the soloist climbs as high as they can (top device hits the anchor), and then falls topping out, you're looking at potential fall factors of 10, 20, 30.

Steven H wrote:

I'm sure the answer lies within the "it depends" realm but interested to see people's thoughts!

I can imagine using one to setup an anchor that extends over a rough edge, or on a fixed line for top rope solo. In real life, I have only ever used one for a photographer on a fixed line (descending and then jugging with ascenders, etc.).

I have one very similar to the Petzl one. I use it for TR solo but only when there's an edge that really needs it because it tends to interfere with my device when I top out.

For bottom belayed TRs, I use a length of 10mm static line to build an anchor. I've slipped two short lengths of 1" tubular webbing over the static line to add an extra layer of protection. That seems to work well.

Interesting, seems like the consensus so far is that it's a lot more common in TR Solo than actually setting up a route for a couple of TR runs. I was looking to add it to my gear but so far it seems like it'd end up mostly as unused extra weight for my purposes as I don't plan on TR soloing anytime soon.

A friend uses old 1” tubular webbing. Slides it on like a sock. Lightweight, packs small, and free.

Gunkiemike wrote:

For routine, bottom belay top-roping? Almost never. For solo TR? About 80% of the time. The difference? In solo TR, the dynamic rope is fixed well above the edge (to protect the top-out moves). If one fixes the rope below the lip as one would do in routine TR, and the soloist climbs as high as they can (top device hits the anchor), and then falls topping out, you're looking at potential fall factors of 10, 20, 30.

Fall factor 30? Please elaborate.

Niko Hawley wrote:

Fall factor 30? Please elaborate.

- Static cord forms a ten-foot-long anchor with bolts at the top and a master point at the bottom

- Dynamic rope is fixed to the master point

- Top rope soloist with extremely poor judgment, using a MICROTRAXION, arrives at the master point. No extension on MICRO. At this moment in time, there is about one inch of dynamic rope in the system.

- Soloist continues up past the master point to the bolts. The whole anchor rig sort of follows him up. 

- Soloist trips and falls from the bolts. Falls a total of ten feet (and one inch). One inch of dynamic rope in system. Fall factor is enormous.

You can also get absurd fall factors like this in a via ferrata (this is why you need an energy absorbing lanyard)

There is no such thing as a fall factor 30. 

The Spiral brand rope protectors are great, you can wrap them around a gear loop with a simple overhand knot and quickly slip them on where needed as you rap in. Furthermore, if you are climbing up to one, once the weight is off them they will slide up easy to avoid all those potential fall factor 30's or worse. The only weakness is if you are on a long weighted dynamic (say you are cleaning off a route) and the rope is stretching, there is a possibility that the Spirol can move. AS long as you don't forget it and check on it occasionally, you're good. 

The Petzl version has a great little clip to hold it in place btw. 

The protec is well worth buying and bringing compared to the long term cost of rope replacement. It also saves a lot of time versus having to reposition to find a better rope path.  I have seen the sheath of a brand new 10mm static rope end up shredded after only 3 hours of use as a toprope anchor (and that was over a fat, curved lip at only a ~20 degree angle, not a 90 degree cliff top). 

http://www.spiroll.com/store-2/#!/Climbing-&-Rescue-Products/c/18481079

Best and cheapest that ive found.

Brian Campbell wrote:

Yes, extremely poor judgement indeed. Setting a master point 10’ below the bolts without considering how to change over to abseil or to safely finish the route without climbing past the protection is foolish at best. Set the master point over the lip - with some form of rope protector. And maybe skip the dynamic rope in favor of static (negligible elongation) or even gym top rope (10% elongation). “Falls” on top rope solo with properly feeding devices should ideally only result in a swing from the wall or a drop of a foot or two. No fall factor “30”(?) involved. 

Plus the described scenario is a major PIA to collect all gear at the end of a session. Not to further hijack OP’s question - I have two of the Petzl style protectors and have used them on a few TR solo climbs - one on each strand. Work well and easy to keep in place. 

Yep, the example I gave is for sure a super bad idea with a lot of completely misunderstood concepts, but I could see someone going out and doing it. The via ferrata fall factor thing is pretty wild too. 

Whether it's fall factor 30 or 5 or 10, or whether the concept of a fall factor completely deteriorates above fall factor 2 given that it's sort of a made-up concept to describe climbing safety with regard to dynamic ropes --- totally on board with all of that. The big lesson is not to take a significant fall without a significantly-shock-absorbent system. 

Anyway, this has been a really good thread about rope protectors 

I bought a few carpet samples with whipping around the edge, stuck a grommet in one corner for a piece of keeper cord/prussik. If doing a slingshot TR, you extend the anchor over the edge, and use the carpet to pad the edge so your anchor line/cord/webbing doesn't get abraded. 

When I TR solo, I'll pad the edge by making a prussik and attaching the carpet sample to that so I can adjust it as I am rapping to the bottom of the climb. When I get to the top of the climb, I can just slide the prussik up to top out. I have worn two out over 20 plus years. A carpeted car floor mat will also work. Metolius makes one that rocks, but is rather small.

Billcoe wrote:

There is no such thing as a fall factor 30. 

Climber is on a gently overhanging vertical via ferrata ladder with a 1' long sling connecting them to the protection cable, via ferrata has 30' between reclipping points, climber falls at the top of the 30' length of cable, climber falls 30' + 1' before being caught at the bottom of the cable/previous reclipping point. 

Granted, it's not a factor 30 fall, it's a factor 31 fall. Go figure. 

Matthew Jaggers wrote:

http://www.spiroll.com/store-2/#!/Climbing-&-Rescue-Products/c/18481079

Best and cheapest that ive found.

These are great