Half Rope Boogie!

After years of owning only a single and using my friends' half ropes, I am going to expand my horizons and buy my own pair of half ropes. I will use them almost exclusively for multi-pitch trad. I am a HUGE fan of Sterling ropes; to me, they just seem to last longer and age better than anything else. With that in mind, I am looking hard at Sterling's 8.8 Marathon and the 8.4 Evolution Duetto.

I would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has had either of these ropes. What were their good points, bad points and would you buy them again. Also, I would welcome any other advice you could give a first-time half rope purchaser.

Thanks in advance for your input!

I have some pmi 8.6's I love em! they've lasted 3 or 4 years of moderate use and the sheath it just starting to fray in certain spots. I wouldn't get them too thick
extra weight sucks.

Love my Sterling 8.8's, and my buddies' 8.8's held up real well.

Keenan Waeschle wrote:... I wouldn't get them too thick extra weight sucks.

Yeah, that is one of my concerns. I want durability. I also like something slightly larger than a shoestring between me and the ground. Having belayed on some 8.1's and noticed that my ATC guide doesn't provide as much friction as on larger ropes, I also think I would like the additional stopping power I get from 8.8s. However, I think that the weight savings of smaller ropes would be nice also.

The weight diff between 2 70M 8.8s and 8.4s = 1.2 pounds. Not a lot, but every little bit helps...

NC Rock Climber wrote:I think that the weight savings of smaller ropes would be nice also. The weight diff between 2 70M 8.8s and 8.4s = 1.2 pounds. Not a lot, but every little bit helps...

If I were you, I'd save weight by getting 60-meter doubles in 8.8, not skinnier 70s. I climb multi-pitch exclusively on my doubles, and I've only encountered a couple of instances where 60s weren't enough, and that was easily solved by 10-15' of simulclimbing.

I'll be interested in hearing what you think of the Sterling doubles. Like you, I really like their ropes, but my only Sterling is a single.

JL