11.4mm too thick for top rope anchor?

Trying to convince myself not to buy more static line. I have a good condition 11.4 canyoneering rope. Is there any reason this wouldn’t work for wrapping trees to build anchors/clove hitches/BHK/etc?

Matthew Ford wrote:

Trying to convince myself not to buy more static line. I have a good condition 11.4 canyoneering rope. Is there any reason this wouldn’t work for wrapping trees to build anchors/clove hitches/BHK/etc?

Not if you're willing to carry it. If you're up for cutting it, a 25-30ft and a 50ft piece are bomb. 11mil will be a little more of a pain to put into a grigri, so you could potentially limit what options you have for moving around, but use what you have and see how it works for you before buying anything else. 

I'm not too familiar with canyoneering ropes but I do see why it would not work well for anchors. a rope that thick can be difficult to do knots and hitches with but it would work just fine. If you really want to but more static line, I have two of these that I use for anchors and funny enough, canyoneering.

Just protect yourself and rope from edges and have fun!

You will hate tying and untying and handling a rope that thick. Just get 50’ of 9-10mm and it’ll last you forever.

This is what I use for top rope anchors at my local areas, which have easy approaches to the cliff tops, but trees etc are often far back from the edge. 

https://www.rei.com/product/179719/pmi-e-z-bend-sport-11-mm-x-46-m-non-dry-static-rope 

I have not cut it, I just use however much I need and pile/coil the rest.

I have had no problems putting a GriGri+ on it for security around the cliff edge. Since you already own your ropes, you could just try that out. A stout prussic cord is also not a bad way to provide edge security.

Thick rope is more durable. If you can deal with the bulk and weight, there’s no reason to go skinnier for top rope anchors. 

If the rope has enough stretch in it (as opposed to being almost entirely static), it might be poorly suited for top rope anchors over terrain with sharp edges. The lowering forces can cause it to stretch and any spots you protected might move (=> you might want to protect larger areas).  With 50ft of a rope  like the edelweiss linked above might mean that leg moving by a foot and a half each time it gets loaded.

How much is a problem? It depends! Sometimes I'd be perfectly fine with a stretchy rope being in my anchor, sometimes not. 

Jay DePun wrote:

If the rope has enough stretch in it (as opposed to being almost entirely static), it might be poorly suited for top rope anchors over terrain with sharp edges. The lowering forces can cause it to stretch and any spots you protected might move (=> you might want to protect larger areas).  With 50ft of a rope  like the edelweiss linked above might mean that leg moving by a foot and a half each time it gets loaded.

How much is a problem? It depends! Sometimes I'd be perfectly fine with a stretchy rope being in my anchor, sometimes not. 

I have no issues with stretching with my edelweiss ropes. I have used them for top ropes, top belay stations with other climbers, and rappel stations. The key is to pre-tension your systems before putting climbers on them, or tying shorter to account for stretch. A leg moving by 18 inches under normal top ropes loads is unheard of, especially on a rope with 3.6% elongation is unheard of.

Thomas Worsham wrote:

I have no issues with stretching with my edelweiss ropes. I have used them for top ropes, top belay stations with other climbers, and rappel stations. The key is to pre-tension your systems before putting climbers on them, or tying shorter to account for stretch.

Yes, and that's maybe broadly useful for everyone asking this question or one like it. Great point.

 A leg moving by 18 inches under normal top ropes loads is unheard of, especially on a rope with 3.6% elongation is unheard of.

 Many years ago when I knew even less than I do now I had a similar rope (https://www.backcountry.com/edelweiss-canyon-everdry-rope-10mm ; actually more stretch than I recalled at 4.5%) and didn't know anything other than how to tie a few knots. It did noticeably move when weighted. I won't claim an exact number of inches but I also stopped using it for anything like that until I understood things better.

Matthew Ford wrote:

Trying to convince myself not to buy more static line. I have a good condition 11.4 canyoneering rope. Is there any reason this wouldn’t work for wrapping trees to build anchors/clove hitches/BHK/etc?

Rescue and fire depts typically use 11-13mm ropes. The rope will work fine for knots to build anchors. The gear you use with the rope may/may not work well. Simply tying off trees and boulders should be fine. Protect against sharp edges.... pad the trees if needed...