ZZ and chicane vs akimbo

[pete mctree]

Pillow case with a couple of zip ties to keep it shut. Hang on line to dry on the same day that the better half does a shit load of washing. Collect from shed floor and hang somewhere else 😆

 

[SeanKroll]

Mine get washed at work.
What is this drying you speak of?

 

[Marc-Antoine]

Thought I smelled something.

A dirty wet rope smells indeed nasty, just by the organic mater collected on the barks. The first time, it took me a while to figure out the origine of the smell. Not the gloves, pants, shirts... yes that's the ropes !

 

[WoodCutr]

A dirty wet rope smells indeed nasty, just by the organic mater collected on the barks. The first time, it took me a while to figure out the origine of the smell. Not the gloves, pants, shirts... yes that's the ropes !

smells like fish to me

 

[Jonny]

Definitely unpleasant.

Ever use your wet rope to climb with on a friction hitch and have it wring all that filthy liquid out of the rope and into your lap? Good time I tell ya.

 

[Burnham]

Been there, Jonny...nasty, I agree.

I was always blessed with enough funding to be able to rotate ropes when the weather was wet, or when I'd pitched out a rope to make it hard to use and needed a serious wash/dry.

I think it's a smart place to spend a few shekels...you get quite a bit more than double the life, rotating two climb lines, I am convinced.

 

[Marc-Antoine]

Definitely unpleasant.

Ever use your wet rope to climb with on a friction hitch and have it wring all that filthy liquid out of the rope and into your lap? Good time I tell ya.

In the lap, over the hands and along the arms inside the sleeves. The mechanical devices do the same but with the added downside to load their knuckles with the matters carnied by the water. When it dries finally, the knuckle freezes and prevent the ascender to function properly. Akimbo and Zigzag behave the same on this point. Obviously not the Hitch Hicker. Working them with wd40 unfreezes the parts, dislodges the crap and restores the internal plays and function.

 

[Eric H-L]

I have always just daisy chained the rope and out it in a pillow case tied at the top. Whatever washing machine detergent is there and press a few buttons and it’s is clean in a bit. No fabric softener though.

I was given some Beal rope cleaning soap but tbh, I can’t recal there being that much of a difference.

Appreciate the advice from all of you on washing ropes. I had held off on washing my ropes for years on the theory that my infrequent recreation climbing would not expose the ropes to dirt. I had a static rope that I had used to practice industrial rope access techniques in my yard trees. I finally got an opportunity to do some actual industrial work with it. The rope got imbedded with gritty dust that did not look healthy for a rope. I decided to wash it first and then all my less dirty ropes in several successive loads to clean out the washing machine. The daisy chain in a pillow case with woolite worked great! The ropes look better, feel better and smell better!

 

[SeanKroll]

I was thinking about washing rope today. Does climbing in the rain count?

 

[Bermy]

Wonder what woodcutr ended up getting?
It's been a year....

 

[WoodCutr]

Wonder what woodcutr ended up getting?
It's been a year....

logging in for the first time in a long time
I bought a Unicender first since I found one in a store local, ran it for a few months then got an akimo, yet to get a zigzag
the unicender is more reliable by far, only once had it slip and I think that was due to sap (lots of it) getting into the pivots and not letting it grab, honestly have no clue how that even happens
my akimbo and drenaline combo dont really get along good sometimes, and I find myself adjusting the akimbo a lot as I climb and milk the rope/twist around and stuff
I have had one time it didnt grab after I bombed out from 40ft or so, burned my hand trying to stop, re adjusted and its going decent now

doing real sized trees now, with super long limb walks, GRCS and crane work also so getting out on the tips and having a smooth running device isnt an option, my dad hates the akimbo and I dont care for the uni after getting the akimbo, so he has his own device now, I use it in white pines when I have sap caked onto my line now

man its been a while since I last posted here, wow

 

[SeanKroll]

Is your drenaLine newish?

Washed?

What do you weigh?

I had drenaLine trouble, at first.

I have yet to wash it, but work in wet conditions.

 

[WoodCutr]

Is your drenaLine newish?

Washed?

What do you weigh?

I had drenaLine trouble, at first.

I have yet to wash it, but work in wet conditions.

ive got probably 3 months on my drenaline, not washed but has had many many trips through white pine and rain, lots of sap and water scrubbing it lol
I weight 130 pounds currently, 150-160 with gear or a big saw
ive heard DrenaLine gets this spots rather quick, ive noticed mine has some of those issues
going to buy a zigzag and some Xstatic probably next time im at vermeer

 

[WoodCutr]

UPDATE:
still got the uni and akimbo, also bought a Zigzag plus
the ZZ+ rides on my 200ft Sterling Scion 11.5 (spliced)
akimbo and uni are on my 180ish ft drenaline (no splice)
tried a Chicane out on my zigzag/scion combo at a climbing party a while back and its a great setup, once I quit buying truck parts im ordering a chicane

hitches still try to kill me, I quit using them entirely, except the blakes hitch on some stablebraid
considering how much crane work I do, the zigzag is amazing

might try the RRP next, tried one at that climbing party and didnt like it but it wasnt adjusted right and I never took it up a tree, just playing on the ground

 

[WoodCutr]

I should also note, I dont do much SRT anymore, although I will be on monday, got a 90+ft tulip im climbing for another company, prolly going to SRT up it and DRT the rest, huge limb walks to tip tie and lift limbs

 

[SeanKroll]

An SRT 3:1 can be nice for limb walks... don't lose the tail when it on the limb.
Steady returns.