Nik Wax rope proof / re dry treating a rope

Anyone have any experience with this? https://www.nikwax.com/en-gb/products/rope-proof/

I had always thought and been told there was no way to re dry treat a rope and once its gone its done and for ice climbing that equals retired. Found this stuff recently. Does it do much? I assume not but any concerns with it being bad to use on certain types or super skinny half ropes? Also mentions washing with their tech wash before using this. Is that stuff that versatile? I use it for gore tex jackets. Any thoughts between the tech wash and Sterling rope wash which I have used in the past? Thanks!

I haven’t used the rope specific product. My experience with the waterproofing spray-on stuff for clothing has been underwhelming, so that makes me question if the rope stuff would be any better. Also curious to hear people’s experience with it on climbin’ ropes.

I’ve used both the tech wash and the Sterling rope wash. I’ve found that simply using those little scrunchy brushes with warm water is just as good, albeit more labor intensive.

link to the last time we talked about this

Gunkiemike wrote:

link to the last time we talked about this

Awesome thanks!

One more question. Could there be any concerns with something like the sterling rope wash removing dry treatment from a rope? I got new ones this season and want to wash them at the end of the season to keep them nice. I assume not but any concerns with that?

Pat Marrinan wrote:

Awesome thanks!

One more question. Could there be any concerns with something like the sterling rope wash removing dry treatment from a rope? I got new ones this season and want to wash them at the end of the season to keep them nice. I assume not but any concerns with that?

I personally wouldn't use any soap or detergent product on a dry-treated rope. As Cron (and others over the past years) said, plain water does an adequate job.

People ice climbed looooing before dry proofing existed.

Jim Titt wrote:

People ice climbed looooing before dry proofing existed.

Yeah, I remember those days.  Rappelling and belaying with a tangle of frozen ropes...easier with a figure eight and a hip belay back then.  Good times (and frozen hands).

For ice/alpine, I get the dry treated ropes and they seem to handle much better in especially wet/dry cold conditions.

Once that dry treatment is gone...time to retire those ropes from ice climbing, IMO.  No treatment will ever be back to near original.

And, I wouldn't wash a ice climbing rope unless it got really, really dirty.  And, I'd still be careful to not use any product I thought would remove the dry treatment.  Water only most likely.

Pat Marrinan wrote:

Anyone have any experience with this? https://www.nikwax.com/en-gb/products/rope-proof/

I had always thought and been told there was no way to re dry treat a rope and once its gone its done and for ice climbing that equals retired. Found this stuff recently. Does it do much? I assume not but any concerns with it being bad to use on certain types or super skinny half ropes? Also mentions washing with their tech wash before using this. Is that stuff that versatile? I use it for gore tex jackets. Any thoughts between the tech wash and Sterling rope wash which I have used in the past? Thanks!

Hey Pat! Did you ever end up trying it? If so, how did it work?