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Petzl RAD Line vs. Beal Back Up Line
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I'm looking at getting a lightweight hyperstatic cord for ski mountaineering. It would mostly be used for rappels and to build a haul system for crevasse rescue, but ideally would be sufficient to rope in on on a glacier as well. I've narrowed things down to two choices, the Petzl RAD Line and the Beal Back up Line: Petzl Rad line Beal Back Up line The stats are similar enough that they don't make a big difference to me, but the Beal is significantly cheaper than the Petzl. Beal notes that "Because the BACK UP LINE uses aramid fibres and is intended to be ultra-static it will not absorb energy. Therefore, the BACK UP LINE must not be used for tying-in, progression or any situation where dynamic loading may take place e.g. climbing." Petzl on the other hand suggest that "cord elongation of less than 2%" will "eliminate the yo-yo effect during rappels or fall arrest in a crevasse" and in fact have conducted a study showing that a crevasse fall is more likely to be arrested when using a static cord as opposed to a dynamic rope. Can anybody explain the price difference/why one appears to be recommended for roping up on a glacier and the other does not when they seem to have the same strength/materials? Does anybody have any experience with the Back Up Line? |
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My partner and I used the Beal in the Winds recently, for hauling and a couple rappels (paired with our Sterling 9mm). It performed really, really well. Durable and didn’t tangle like many skinny lines tend to do. |
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Mammut cord is another option as well as the grivel rappel cord. |
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Never tested those but heard good things about the Rad Line, but its a pricey option. |
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I picked up the Mammut cord last winter. If I remember correctly it's dry treated where the Petzl Rad line is not. Another difference between these two and the Beal cord might be in the sheath tear strength. I think petzl has said that they expect a minimum of 4kn to approve a cord for use with the tibloc and microtrax for a haul system, I'm not sure what that value is on the Beal cord. |
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Thanks for the thoughts guys. Sheath tear strength is definitely something that I was thinking about as a potential difference - figured that if I got the Beal I wouldn't use it with a micro traxion (though Beal has certified it for use with their own Tract Up, so I suspect it would work fine with a micro traxion too). Anyhow, sounds like there isn't much of a difference here. I'm leaning towards going with the Beal and just bringing a different rope if I suspect I'll need to tie in for anything. The Mammut looks awesome and dry treatment is definitely nice, but at that price point it doesn't quite make sense for me! |
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As a tag line for rappelling I would pick the Beal in 50m. Slightly stiffer and doesn't tangle as much. For glacier travel and very short rapps on its own I would pick the 30m Rad Line. The difference between 5.5mm in the Beal and 6mm in the Rad Line is definitely noticeable for the handling. Also nice to combine a 30m thin triple rope with the 30m Rad Line for Alpine climbs which involve a lot of simmulclimbing and also require 25-30m rappels. |
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Oof, rabbit hole of competing details and compromises! ENSA testing showed more success catching crevasse falls with a static cord in certain situations, while better luck with a dynamic cord in others---I think those data are presented here: https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=youtube+ENSA+braking+knots&atb=v1-1&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DIgNR-VZMwHo One cord I hear praised, but with which I have zero experience, is that Sterling VX-T (5.4mm), dyneema core/poly sheath, way cheaper than the Mammut or Petzl. $175 for a 50m. Here: sterlingrope.com/store/work… Double check if that Beal cord has been tested with any toothed progress-capture devices (MicroTrac; or the Spoc). I think to be UIAA-rated as a hauling cord, it has to endure 4kN pull with a device to pass, but I don't know that Beal product. (Poster above seems to think it works with a Beal progress-capture device, so maybe it works?) I own the Mammut dyneema cord, and the Edelrid Rap Line. Newer Rap Line has their "protect" technology which roughly doubles the cut-resistance; nice if you're working on/around rock. 29g/m, so a bit heavier than the Mammut/Petzl. Couldn't find a weight for the Sterling. You can double it and lead on the Edelrid. For just skimo or walking on a glacier, the Mammut one has been great. The Edelrid rap line is nice on rock, as it gives you a little more versatility in a pinch. Ugh, too many choices! Good luck! |
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Thanks for the comments and real life experience guys. ENSA has so much great stuff! I finally managed to hear back from a Beal rep, who had the following to say about the Back Up Line:
I'd suspect from this that it would be fine with a Micro Traxion as well, though they did not comment on that when I asked. As far as I can tell then, the Back Up Line should be able to do more or less anything that the RAD Line can do at a significantly more wallet-friendly price point. I haven't been able to find much information (reviews, weight, etc) on the Sterling V-TX. If anybody has any real life use with it I'd love to hear thoughts! |
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Maybe also look into the Edelrid Rap Line Protect. Slightly heavier at 29g/m but fully dry treated, with the extra cut resistant protect fiber treatment and as the biggest bonus can take 2 falls as a twin! Can be used with a microtrax and looks more durable than the Beal line. After my old tag line just got damaged the other day I ordered a 60m one from Bannanafingers in the UK for around 150$. |
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Resurrecting the thread to see if anyone has experience with the Sterling V-TX 5.4 as a ski rope or rap line? |
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Just found another option yesterday on Colin Haley's blog, the new Petzl Pur (20g/m!). He sure is sold on it...and provides a good comparison to other options. |
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https://www.edelrid.de/en/sports/accessory-cords/rap-line-protect-pro-dry-6mm.html This can withstand 2 dynamic falls as a twin rope. |
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also this review https://youtu.be/IFXSyfNV1kI |
Cody Hwrote: That looks very interesting and allows worse case to be lead on to retrieve a struck rope |
Steverwrote: That is the rope Tommy and Alex used to simulclimb during the CUDL link-up so potentially it can be used for much more than just emergencies. |
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I’ve recently have been researching 6mm and smaller cords for friction hitch use so can give some comparison to other known small cords. The cords in picture are arranged most flexible to stiffest, left to right.  V-TX, Mammut’s Ist gen Rap Cord, Titan Cord, Beal’s Kevlar Cord, NER Tech Cord, Sterling X-TEC, and Edelrid Aramid cord. The V-TX had the loosest cover, making splicing easier for my use, but might not be for rappelling. I was easily able to milk some of the cover longer than the core, if the end were left not sealed this might be able to be “corrected” by milking excess cover while on the ground. |
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Hey all, after seeing Ryan Franz's post above about the Petzl Pur line I did a little looking online and was able to find it pretty cheap by the foot from Alpenglow sports so ordered it. I got a 65 meter rope shipped to me for total of $169, well below the listed retail for the precut 65m rope. Just a heads up. I haven't used it yet so no observations other than its insanely light. https://www.alpenglowgear.com/pur-line-6mm-200m.html?source=googlebase |
wilcox510wrote: Out of stock already...good find though |
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Petzl Pur line, 65m for $177 US https://www.telemark-pyrenees.com/petzl-pur-line?currency=USD&tax=ex_vat&country=US&var=71276 |
