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I like these: 

https://d4portaledge.com/rope-bags/ols/products/rope-buckets

I want my buckets separate (“options baby”) 

I like that they open for stacking and zip up to keep the anchor tight. this style doesn’t need to be cinched (but can be) as zipping up keeps the rope tight enough to avoid auto feeding 

pro tip:
As soon as you’re done hauling (1:1 or 2:1) don’t take the haul line out of the pulley- just open the cam and use the pulley as a redirect to stack in to the Rope Bucket.. do the same with an extra MicroTrax or Roller Biner with the lead cord while your partner racks for the next pitch.. 

Metolius stuff is usually great but they do have some harebrained ideas. I have one of those bags and I still can't figure out what to use it for. It's  too heavy and you want a closure on it to control the rope feed.  Quinn's are too complicated.

Specifically which bag by Skot do you use Mark? I’m keen to redesign my own rope bags and interested in hearing what you like to use and your thoughts. 

I don't know its exact name, but I'm sure if you go to his site or call him he'll know. I don't wanna take sales away from Skot, but the large Metolius wall bags are simply perfect to use as rope bags.

It needs to be big enough to hold a 70 m rope and it needs to be  big big enough for you to get both of your hands into so that you could yard the rope into it quickly. It needs to have a closable collar.

I just bought a couple rope bags from Skot and they look freaking sweet. I also like that he'll build to order whatever color you want, and is very accomodating. 

I love Metolius, I've been doing business with them for 30 years, but I find it super important to support the innovators in any core sport. 

my 2 cents...

The big wall buckets are very suitable for sport route development.

Yup. I probably own 15 of them in various sizes. I use them for my food, clothes and misc bags on walls also.

You used to be able to specify colors and I would buy certain colors for different uses. 

Mark Hudon wrote:

  Quinn's are too complicated.

just bought 2 Metolius bags…

trying to Silence Mark and Kevin’s voices in my head 

All the cool kids these days are using IKEA shopping bags.

Charles Winstead wrote:

All the cool kids these days are using IKEA shopping bags.

For rope bags on the ground, sure. There ain’t no cool kids using them on walls any more than once.   

Found one of those ikea bags on eagle ledge one time - the original owners liked it so much that they forgot it, along with a 20m tag line and a couple of biners. barely fit in my 12L pack but now I'm the proud owner of an IKEA bag with taped up handle.

Mark, assuming you're only using the L metolius bags for rope management? I personally have been using the BD Creek 20 to stack rope in, though it is snug trying to fit an entire 80m inside - Maybe a good trick is to take a 25L bag w/ zippered top (more raven resistant) *and* a metolius bag/rope caddy, hang both on the belay, and grab them for the jug up. I guess that wouldn't be too faffy, and those metolius bags will smoosh down inside the main pack pretty well, I assume.

Charles Winstead wrote:

All the dirtbag kids these days are using IKEA shopping bags.

Slight adjustment ;)

Mark Hudon wrote:

For rope bags on the ground, sure. There ain’t no cool kids using them on walls any more than once.   

I feel like this post calls me out specifically.  I use a few of em to organize and stage gear, but all of my local climbing is single short pitch.  I'm planning on hiting some more multipitch and a wall soon.

What's wrong with the Ikea bags?

Strength of the Ikea bags is abysmal. You cant count on clipping that webbing to something and not have the stitches rip.

I have used them several times, including multipitch hanging belays... and they do work... but a wall, where you absolutely can not have a rope fall... is different.

Jake Tarren wrote:

I feel like this post calls me out specifically.  I use a few of em to organize and stage gear, but all of my local climbing is single short pitch.  I'm planning on hiting some more multipitch and a wall soon.

What's wrong with the Ikea bags?

We’re talking about walls. 

ryan climbs sometimes wrote:

I prefer Trader Joe’s bags inside the expansion lid of the haul bag with the top winched down to keep the haul line from screaming out of there. Then flake the lead line in between the haul bag straps. Each their own. 

Skot has a “need it now” or a “day bag” that we stuff between the haul bag straps. We pretty much never need to get into the haul bag during the day. Your technique sounds good (to each his own) but a rope bag is far simpler, has more options and certainly less faffing than flaking the entire lead line (what do you do with the haul line.) between the haul bag straps.

AND

You’ve got the 60m lead line nicely lap coiled between the haul bag straps. The pitch is 130 feet. You now have to un-faff 70 feet of rope from the haul bag straps.

There is no way in the world you can lap coil the rope between the haul bag straps faster than I can hand over hand it into a rope bag. There is also no way you can un-faff the remainder of the rope out of the straps faster than I can dump it out of a rope bag.

At the end of the end of the day, your technique or mine makes very little to no difference if we both have our system wired are happy with it. 

Mark Hudon wrote:

Yup. I probably own 15 of them in various sizes. I use them for my food, clothes and misc bags on walls also.

You used to be able to specify colors and I would buy certain colors for different uses. 

What do you use the brown one for?

Been reading this thread and noticed this in Tyler Karow's latest video..  

Wasn't there someone on mp a while ago that made a full side zip rope bag that had draw cord closures in both ends? So you could put it on a rope already tied to an anchor and then flip it any way you want with the rope inside.

Tyler is a great guy and a fully awesome climber. He can break all sorts of rules and still pull it off.

Mike J wrote:

Wasn't there someone on mp a while ago that made a full side zip rope bag that had draw cord closures in both ends? So you could put it on a rope already tied to an anchor and then flip it any way you want with the rope inside.

Edelrid has the Tillit. I have one, occasionally it comes in handy, but I find it awkward to get rope into compared to other bags described here, as its so lightweight and flimsy. I prefer the D4 bags.

I've found it convenient when I've wanted a bag with me on lead to deal with ropes immediately when hauling, can stack right away as you haul and then flip it to continue leading.

https://edelrid.com/int-en/sport/backpacks-and-rope-bags-shop/tillit