Best lead rope

Sorry if this has already been covered but do any of yall have a good recommendation for a 70m rope for leading? I need to get a new one. Preferably not over 250 but I will do what’s best ig.

Look at REI, Backcountry, Campsaver, HowNot2, etc. for a dynamic rope at least 9mm thick that's on sale. Dry-treated ropes are worth the extra cost in my opinion if you're going to be climbing outside.

If this is just for general climbing and you don't have any specific needs other than price, that should get you sorted.

EDIT: a 70m would be my recommendation. 60m is often too short for what I do, but this depends on where you'll be using your rope.

I like sterling personally, but as long as you stick to the major climbing brands (stay away from Amazon - sketch brands and downright dangerous fakes abound), they’re really all great these days.

The best lead rope is the one having the most fun

Sterling Ion 9.4 is the best rope I've handled and the only rope I'd buy for cragging.  Love the bi-pattern but it adds cost.  This rope will be near the top-end of price range.  Avoid Edelrid TCPro.

The Mammut Crag (mine is 9.8mm) is great. Handles really well, light but durable, the "duodess" versions have 2 patterns so the midpoint is easy to identify.

Roca/Fixe plug. Still some great deals in the sale section fixehardware.com
9mm monkey 60m for $140 - awesome rope.

Jay Andersonwrote:

Sterling Ion 9.4 is the best rope I've handled and the only rope I'd buy for cragging.  Love the bi-pattern but it adds cost.  This rope will be near the top-end of price range.  Avoid Edelrid TCPro.

...he asked for something under $250 and you're suggesting something nearly $100 more for a 70m based on a quick google search. Even the 60m is $280+

After decades using only Mammut, I've pretty much switched to Petzl. I really like the way they handle and the durability seems fine to me, comparable to the Mammut.  Backcountry has the 9.2 mm Petzl Volta for $310. I know that is more than you wanted to pay. That's pretty much my preferred diameter for an all round rope, but weight is more important to me than how long it lasts or the price.  A 9.5 or larger diameter will probably last you longer if that is your main concern. If you don't have to carry it for long approaches, 9.5 or 9.8 might be a better choice for you. 

Someone mentioned Fixe.  It is a bargain rope, but one of my partners has owned a couple and has been quite unsatisfied with the longevity.  She has sworn off the Fixe at this point.

phylp phylpwrote:

After decades using only Mammut, I've pretty much switched to Petzl. I really like the way they handle and the durability seems fine to me, comparable to the Mammut.  Backcountry has the 9.2 mm Petzl Volta for $310. I know that is more than you wanted to pay. That's pretty much my preferred diameter for an all round rope, but weight is more important to me than how long it lasts or the price.  A 9.5 or larger diameter will probably last you longer if that is your main concern. If you don't have to carry it for long approaches, 9.5 or 9.8 might be a better choice for you. 

Someone mentioned Fixe.  It is a bargain rope, but one of my partners has owned a couple and has been quite unsatisfied with the longevity.  She has sworn off the Fixe at this point.

Complete opposite results for me, Roca/fixe ropes are top tier IME. Cest La Vie.

little break down of rope and MFG's as I know it:
Petzl does not make their own ropes they are white labled by Edelrid, so if ya like pretzel ropes, edelrid is your hucklberry.

TBH, I have used and loved Mammut ropes. durable, handle well, and good price points. They are owned by Teufelberger now, but made on mammuts own machines when they purchased the rope arm of mammut. So essentially the exact same. They also make Maxim/new england ropes amongst a few others.

Then you have Lanex who white lables ropes for quite a few of the climbing brands out of the CZ (Tendon as an example of their "house" climbing rope brand).

USA made rope MFGs are Blue water and Sterling. both make excellent ropes, but I do LOVE Bluewater ropes if I had to choose one over another. I know sterling was bought out by a large corp recently too, by a company called vertical supply group, so little less inclined to support them. but don't kopw enough to draw any real judgment.

Esprit out of canada used to make some rad dynamic lines, I have been told they only make LSK now, but thats un confirmed. Small female owned/ran business. Hope they still make dynamic lines....awesome outfit.

- fin

That’s not the first time I’ve heard about Edelrid making Petzl ropes. It’s totally plausible, I’m not doubting you. But subjectively, I’ve used some seemingly equivalent Petzl and Edelrid ropes and they seem pretty different to me. The Petzl 9.2 Volta is supple like cooked ramen. The Edelrid Hummingbird 9.2 has a pretty stiff crisp hand to it.

I think there are two possible versions of this. In one, you’ve got two of the same rope—one has an orange sheath and is called a Petzl and the other has a teal sheath and is called an Edelrid; in the other version, you’ve got Petzl contracting with Edelrid to make ropes to Petzl’s recipe/specifications. My hunch is that the latter is what’s happening there. No inside knowledge, could def be wrong. But I don’t think it makes sense to think of them interchangeably.

To add to Mr. Roger’s list, I think the Czech company he mentioned is also the mfg for BD ropes. 

Cosmic Hotdogwrote:

...he asked for something under $250 and you're suggesting something nearly $100 more for a 70m based on a quick google search. Even the 60m is $280+

And you suggested that any rope on sale was great...  Really helpful.

Buy your rope from Europe in the next two weeks. Varuste currently has a Mammut Crag Dry 70m Duodess for $150 + sh and no tax. Tons of other models for equally cheap. But you gotta have it through customs by Aug 29th, because that's when de minimus ends.

If you like a bouncy rope, consider Beal Zenith 9.5. Mine have been really durable and I like the way they handle.

Mr Rogerswrote:

Complete opposite results for me, Roca/fixe ropes are top tier IME. Cest La Vie.

little break down of rope and MFG's as I know it:
Petzl does not make their own ropes they are white labled by Edelrid, so if ya like pretzel ropes, edelrid is your hucklberry.

TBH, I have used and loved Mammut ropes. durable, handle well, and good price points. They are owned by Teufelberger now, but made on mammuts own machines when they purchased the rope arm of mammut. So essentially the exact same. They also make Maxim/new england ropes amongst a few others.

Then you have Lanex who white lables ropes for quite a few of the climbing brands out of the CZ (Tendon as an example of their "house" climbing rope brand).

USA made rope MFGs are Blue water and Sterling. both make excellent ropes, but I do LOVE Bluewater ropes if I had to choose one over another. I know sterling was bought out by a large corp recently too, by a company called vertical supply group, so little less inclined to support them. but don't kopw enough to draw any real judgment.

Esprit out of canada used to make some rad dynamic lines, I have been told they only make LSK now, but thats un confirmed. Small female owned/ran business. Hope they still make dynamic lines....awesome outfit.

- fin

Didn’t know that Teufelberger bought out Mammut, they also have Robline and a wire cable company under their wing.

I haven’t seen any change in Sterlings product line, or prices, unlike their buyouts of two of the largest arbortist suppliers, SherrillTree and TreeStuff.  Both use to carry anything a tree worker would want, now it’s only what sells the most.

Jay Andersonwrote:

And you suggested that any rope on sale was great...  Really helpful.

Re read my post. I gave suggestions for length, a diameter, suggested dry treatment, and provided multiple websites to check to ensure he finds something that meets his price needs and gives him plenty of choices. Yeah...super unhelpful of me. 

You quite literally made a single suggestion that did not fit his one primary criteria. You read his ask and instead said nah lemme just post what I like anyway even though it's not at all what he asked for. 

Join the AAC you'll get access to expert voice and get a standard discount on Mammut at all times and occasionally there's a 50-60% off sale where you could get 3 70m ropes for under $250.

Mr Rogerswrote:

Petzl does not make their own ropes they are white labled by Edelrid, so if ya like pretzel ropes, edelrid is your hucklberry.

If this based on your direct experience with Petzl?  I have owned 2 Edelrid ropes and they were indeed very kinky.  The Petzl are nothing like that.  My experience is similar to Slim Pickens, that they are a very supple rope.  Anyway, ropes are pretty personal, glad you are happy with your Fixe ropes.

New England Ropes (Maxim) are owned by Teufelberger now but I thought they still manufactured their ropes in the U.S. I could be out of date on that though. I’ve liked Maxim, not sure why they seem to have lost popularity. I’ve also had good luck with Mammut and will echo the AAC advice. 

There are some Maxim and Beal ropes under $250 at https://www.mtnoutlet.com now. And Edelweiss, but maybe avoid those.

Cosmic Hotdogwrote:

Dry-treated ropes are worth the extra cost in my opinion if you're going to be climbing outside.

Side question: I bought dry treated ropes for years, but now that I 98% single pitch crag, I just buy the cheapest thing I can get on sale. Perhaps I replace a bit more frequently, but it’s still way cheaper. What’s the utility of dry ropes for single pitch?

Mike Zamzowwrote:

Side question: I bought dry treated ropes for years, but now that I 98% single pitch crag, I just buy the cheapest thing I can get on sale. Perhaps I replace a bit more frequently, but it’s still way cheaper. What’s the utility of dry ropes for single pitch?

It's not so much doing single pitch vs. multi-pitch, it's more about the durability. Dry treated ropes are supposed to do a better job of not just resisting water (not an issue where I climb), but also protect better against particles like dust, sand, etc. More than half the year I climb at Joshua Tree and Red Rock. On the rare occasion I sport climb, that's often in a desert environment too. So for me I buy dry treated ropes because the places I climb the majority of the year are heavy in dust and sand and other small stuff like that which I want to try and keep off/away from my ropes. 

Dry treated ropes generally handle a little better too

Maybe I'm just buying into the marketing, but I do feel like my dry treated ropes have been worth it compared to non-dry ones I've owned. I climb pretty much every single weekend year round so I'll take anything I can that helps my stuff last longer.