Rope material for a "permanent" handline outdoors

[Squirrel Girl]

I was thinking of installing a semi-permanent handline out of doors on a steeply sloping hillside. I don't know what would be a safe material for this. Nylon wouldn't hold up in the sun's UV light. Natural fibers might rot (~17" of annual rainfall). I could consider a much thicker rope than one for caving because it wouldn't have to be carried around a lot.

Anyone have any suggestions?

[snoboy]

Nylon Kernmantle will actually last quite a long time, due to the sheath protecting the core. I have seen old 2 strand telephone wire braided together and used for handlines, the rubber insulation provided decent grip.

[Scott McCrea]

Polyester does better in the UV than Nylon. Although nylon, especially kernmantle, lasts quite a long time in the exposure. However, if this is in a public use spot, it could be stolen long before it wears out. Might be better to buy a fat, cheap, poly rope from Home Depot and replace it when it wears out or disappears.

[captnemo]

why not do it right and just use stainless with some turnbuckles etc, may cost a little but compared to the amount you'll spend replacing the rope you'd save in the long run.
A quick search turns up:
http://www.e-rigging.com/one-eighth-X-2 ... aQodDN4DZw
(I've never ordered from them so shop around but price seems reasonable.)
p.s. we used cable like this for numerous jobs offshore and even exposed to salt water it lasted a long time.

[tncaver]

captnemo, those are some pretty good prices for stainless steel rope and other hardware. The only thing I didn't see that I would have liked to see is
stainless steel expansion bolts to be used in limestone or concrete.

[Squirrel Girl]

Thanks, you guys. I hadn't thought of steel cables. I am pretty clueless about them. I have no tools for crimping the ends into loops and I don't know how a person's hand would grip the cable. I mean just using bare hands on a thin cable would be painful and difficult to control.

I'll keep polyester in mind.

Thanks!

[tncaver]

The steel cable would most likely have to be used to make a cable ladder rather than a handline. So might not be what
you want.

Thanks, you guys. I hadn't thought of steel cables. I am pretty clueless about them. I have no tools for crimping the ends into loops and I don't know how a person's hand would grip the cable. I mean just using bare hands on a thin cable would be painful and difficult to control.

I'll keep polyester in mind.

Thanks!

[captnemo]

Thanks, you guys. I hadn't thought of steel cables. I am pretty clueless about them. I have no tools for crimping the ends into loops and I don't know how a person's hand would grip the cable. I mean just using bare hands on a thin cable would be painful and difficult to control.

I'll keep polyester in mind.

Thanks!

You dont need to use crimpers (swaging) you can use clips http://www.e-rigging.com/product-and-safety-warnings#Wire_Rope_Clip_Installation though both are fairly simple to do. They sell cable grips which operate similarly to the ascenders you're familiar with. I routinely used one of these as a safety on water towers.

[eyecave]

anything good enough for the national park service is probably gonna be ok with me.... ......halfdoome hike up has cables,.....thick ones, half inch mebbee????.......frequent stopping points....you could fall off a metal cable and get hurt.....most won't...... .......has anyone suggested nautical rope for "permanent" handlines..... ...sumovvvthem r really thick........ ...any diameter synthetic rope will work with an adequate prusik knot.. ..and safeguard any climber using it with the skill to use it.... ..

[NZcaver]

Nylon wouldn't hold up in the sun's UV light.

Pretty much all modern nylon ropes for climbing and caving are UV-stabilized. I used one low stretch nylon kernmantal rope for about 10 years caving, and then left it rigged outdoors as a zip line for another 10 years plus. The rope got pretty crusty, and I eventually pulled it down and had it tested. Loss of MBS was no more than about 10%. The strands in the middle were still clean and bright white.

[Squirrel Girl]

Nylon wouldn't hold up in the sun's UV light.

Pretty much all modern nylon ropes for climbing and caving are UV-stabilized. I used one low stretch nylon kernmantal rope for about 10 years caving, and then left it rigged outdoors as a zip line for another 10 years plus. The rope got pretty crusty, and I eventually pulled it down and had it tested. Loss of MBS was no more than about 10%. The strands in the middle were still clean and bright white.

Interesting! If you come out to convention this year, my land is only a half an hour away, but you need a high clearance vehicle.

[NZcaver]

Nylon wouldn't hold up in the sun's UV light.

Pretty much all modern nylon ropes for climbing and caving are UV-stabilized. I used one low stretch nylon kernmantal rope for about 10 years caving, and then left it rigged outdoors as a zip line for another 10 years plus. The rope got pretty crusty, and I eventually pulled it down and had it tested. Loss of MBS was no more than about 10%. The strands in the middle were still clean and bright white.

Interesting! If you come out to convention this year, my land is only a half an hour away, but you need a high clearance vehicle.

Not holding my breath, but if I do make it convention this year I will need to rely on the high clearance of other people's vehicles.