Static line sizes

Im kind of piggybacking off my other post, "how to fix a line". But im wondering is 11mmx150ft pretty standard for s static line? That seems ot be the most common sizes im finding. Just dont want to get something i dont need and cant return. I will be mainly using it for photography but am slowly getting into aid and would like to get on some big walls eventually. So im lookibg for something that will serve both purposes
Cody.

I'm not an expert so I'm also curious what people have to say.

Personally, though, 11mm sounds a bit big to where it could start causing problems with ascent/descent devices (if you're using a GriGri or ATC, for example). I could be mistaken, but I think 11mm is really aimed at the industrial rope access community.

I know the tensile strength of 9mm perlon is something like 16kN, which seems to me to be plenty for jugging, rapping, hauling, or even self rescue. Thus I'd be thinking 9mm or 10mm (to be a little less scary) would be the sweet spot.

Again, though, I'm curious what others have to say.

I currently have a 10.5 static line, mainly using it for setting up rappels for friends and such. I would have liked something a bit thinner like a 10 but this was on sale. Its pretty thick and can cause issues for 'feather-weights' trying to rappel. Its so heavy and thick at times the person isnt heavy enough for the rope to feed easily which can be a bit annoying for the person especially if its their first time.

I've got a 10mm x 60m static line that I've been using for photography for about a year. It works great with a Grigri and for jugging with ascenders. I've gotten quite a bit of use out of it and the thing still looks new (and this is a mostly white rope). Static ropes seem to be pretty burly. I don't do aid climbing (yet), but it seems like the requirements are pretty similar. Also, 150 ft is probably plenty long enough, but it depends on exactly how/where you want to rig. With my 60m used as a single line I could, in theory, anchor at the top of the second pitch of a lot of routes, and be able to rap all the way to ground and jug back up. So far though, I've never quite needed to do that. Plus 200ft of jugging is a fair bit, especially if you are using a RADS system (Grigri + single ascender). Usually, the shots you want to take are in a particular section of a route, so rapping/jugging the full length of the route is just a lot of unnecessary work.

That 11mm rope is probably great, as long as you make sure it will work with the gear you want to use on it, and I'm sure it will be really durable, but check the weight difference between that and 10mm. If it's significant, that might be a consideration. When you start hiking to crags that are any distance from the road with a bunch of camera gear in addition to most of the stuff you usually take climbing, and an extra rope, well, it adds up. Bring your trekking poles!

Also, remember to use directionals or padding to protect the static line from any sharp edges. When you rig it as a single line, the same section of the rope will rub on that one spot repeatedly when you are jugging, so while it doesn't stretch/saw as much as a dynamic rope, you still need to be very mindful of what the rope runs across.

By the specs 9mm is plenty strong however it always felt skinny (read scary) when rapping it while wall soloing. Much happier with a 10.5mm which has also held up far better. gearexpress sells piles of static ropes in all diameters and legnths.

Darin Berdinka wrote:

11mm is pretty heavy. That will clock in at almost 100g/m. I would go with a 10mm for an aid wall or a 9mm if you're mostly free climbing. 9mm might not last as long, but it is impossible to free climb when you have a car hanging from your harness. It also sucks to hump all that weight to and from the Captain.

My current static haul line is a 9 mil. I've used it on five walls so far and it does the job just fine. Typically I'm hauling 230/260 pounds of gear. I've weighed my whole kit so I'm quite certain of the accuracy of my number. It doesn't bother me a bit to jug or rap that line.

I know, I'm such a weenie!

A lighter line makes a difference on long pitches
I would highly recommend that it is at least 60m (200'). Even if you never need to do a haul that long, the extra line is useful for lowering out the bag.

My haul line is a 70 but I don't think the extra 30 feet has ever been absolutely necessary.

I have a bluewater 9.5mm x 70m. It's a great rope and I highly recommend it. Anything larger than 9.5 is just too thick and heavy.