max rappel length/ figure eight

[Herman Miller]

like the subject line i was just curious the max rappel length one would suggest when using a figure eight

[Scott McCrea]

I don't use my 8 for anything longer than about 75'. No reason why, that's just me. I've seen rules of thumb that say anything between 50' to 200'. But it really depends on your rope, the type of 8, how much you weigh, etc.

[hank moon]

But it really depends on your rope, the type of 8, how much you weigh, etc.

Yes, it does all depend...no hard rules on this one. The longest rap I've done on an 8 is 300' on single strand 8 mm. It got hot.

[speloman]

I do 120 foot drops all the time with my recuse 8. But usually I use a rack for drops over 100 feet. It depends on what I want to carry in my pack and if it is feasable. The only thing about the 8 I have noticed is a slight twisting in the rope not that bad but enough to be anoying.

[Ralph E. Powers]

I'd recommend it for no more than 125' regardless of caver weight and that they go s-l-o-w.
Typically I use if for the short drops around here which are usually less than 100'

[Herman Miller]

alright thanks all. one day i have to muster the funds to purchase a rack but until then i'll be stuck with my $8 fig 8 :)

[hunter]

I once did about a thousand feet of rappelling with 2 100M drops on a rescue 8. The rope was wet so overheating wasn't an issue but I cut almost 2mm into the aluminum on several spots, probably because the rope was very muddy....
As everyone else has said no max it depends on the conditions...

Hunter

[Tubo Longo]

I once did about a thousand feet of rappelling with 2 100M drops on a rescue 8.
Hunter

"Mathematic isn't an opinion" was my dad used to say.

So, 1000' are 305m: if you had 2 100m drops, you still lacked some 105m, i.e. about 344'. How did you managed them? Got wings?

Cheers -- Renato

[hank moon]

So, 1000' are 305m: if you had 2 100m drops, you still lacked some 105m, i.e. about 344'. How did you managed them? Got wings?

oh, that was the 23 x 15' drops in between the two big ones...

[Tubo Longo]

oh, that was the 23 x 15' drops in between the two big ones...

Boy, bet he wished for true to have either wings or VERY long legs: was it called the Endless Giant Staircase or what?

Cheers -- Renato

[hunter]

Hey Tubo Longo, I don't want to be insulting but try to read between the lines a little bit...

To be specific I don't remember the other drop lengths exactly. A couple of nuisance 35ft drops and a couple of 100 ft ish length ones. I included the 1000ft length (all done on the 8 in one trip with generally muddy rope) to give people an idea of what it took to seriously groove the 8. I included the 2 100M drops number (that is roughly 100Ms as opposed to exactly) because the original question was about how long a drop you can do.

And, to justify the 1000 ft number I guessed based on the depth of the cave at around 900ft and the fact that I did a couple of redundant drops at the bottom checking different pits.

James Hunter

[Tubo Longo]

James... take it easy please... I was just joking

To me, to say "1000' of rappelling" means I actually rappell pits for 1000'. Which is not the same to means that I have been in a 1000' deep cave, as I'm sure we all know.
Unless of course that cave is so vertical that's made only of pits and there's no passage whatsoever in between the different drops.

So, as far as me, more than insulting you have been misleading, or incorrect if you prefer, in your statement.

Cheers -- Renato

[NICKSCAVE]

I personally think 8s are great for small, tight fissure drops or anything where you would not need to use your hands to assist in the drop but, I always use either use a stop or a rack on anything with very muddy ropes of small diameter or rebelays where a positive lock is DEFINATLY (sp) needed.Just my thoughts, not a rule or even a rule of thumb

[hunter]

Tubo Longo,
Reading back my post was slightly vague but your response sounded to me more like "making fun of" instead of "joking" or honestly asking for clarification. You just criticised someone for laughing at your English in an adjacent thread so try to understand that's about how I felt reading your sarcastic post.

I'm not trying to start an argument or say your post was in any way wrong, just explaining why I had an irritated response...

Hunter

[Tubo Longo]

Hunter, there is no argument here, really.

I was asking an explanation, thinking of some confusion between feet and meters, like it happens to me at time. And cracked what I thought was a small joke at the end. You misunderstood and we explained each other. End.

BTW, I'm surprised you (and probably others too) got my post in another thread as if I criticized a person for laughing at my English, because, again and once more, I was cracking a joke, in that case at myself. In fact, even if I'm told that I speak a good English, I perfectly know that my accent, and my English too, isn't perfect and I do make mistakes. Like when I told a joke and my pronunciation of moron was more likely of maroon. Well, everybody got it anyway and laughed even more, at the joke and at my mistake. And I laughed with them of course.

I tend not to take me and life too seriously: I like jokes and laughing. That's it. Because, like someone wrote (was he Antoine de Saint Expury?), if you loose the pleasure to play, then you have lost the kid from your inner soul. Basically, I'm just a grown up kids, who still like to play in the mud. That's way I like caving....

Cheers -- Renato