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No matter how hard you try, sooner or later your climbing rope gets dirty. If you think your climbing rope has become dirty, you should wash it within the next 24 hours to get the loose dirt out of your rope.
But how do you wash a climbing rope properly? It is best to wash your climbing rope by hand with cold or lukewarm water and without detergent. You can learn all further details within this article.
By washing your climbing rope correctly, you will increase the durability and lifespan of the climbing rope* considerably. Make sure you dry it well and only use it again when it is absolutely dry.
The Consequences of Dirt and Dust
Dirt is the enemy of a climbing rope. Fine dust can penetrate through the sheath into the inside of the climbing rope and cause invisible damage there. The small dust particles then behave like sandpaper every time the rope is stretched and compressed. In the long run, the inner fibres of the climbing rope are roughened up and are no longer as stable as before.
–> When to Retire Climbing Gear
How to Wash a Climbing Rope by Hand
Washing a climbing rope is very easy. Here are the individual steps:
- Fill your bathtub or a large washbasin with lukewarm water. The water should not be too hot, otherwise it could damage the rope.
- If your climbing rope is very dirty and you even got dirty hands the last time you belayed, you should also use special climbing rope detergent. This detergent has been specially developed for climbing ropes and does not attack the nylon fibres. Just follow the instructions on the packaging.
- To remove the dirt from the climbing rope, move the rope back and forth in the water to soak it a little. Then pull the climbing rope between your hand and squeeze the dirt with the water out of the rope. Repeat this process until no more dirt comes out of the climbing rope.
- Now drain the dirty water and let in new, clean water. Repeat the washing process until the water is no longer dirty.
- For drying, you can either hang the climbing rope loosely or place it on a towel. Let it dry completely. You have to avoid direct sunlight!
Can you Wash a Climbing Rope in a Washing Machine?
You shouldn’t put the climbing rope in the washing machine. The rope can get tangled and the rapid movements can damage the rope. Besides, it’s really not that hard to wash it by hand!
Checklist for Climbing Rope Care
- Wash your climbing rope within the next 24 hours after it has become dirty.
- Washing extends the life of the climbing rope.
- Wash the climbing rope with cold or lukewarm water and without detergent (but there is also climbing rope detergent).
- Allow the rope to dry for at least 24 hours before reusing it.
- The climbing rope must not dry in direct sunlight.
How do I store the climbing rope correctly?
The storage area should be dark and dry. However, the trunk of your car is not suitable for this. In summer it can get very hot in a car and heat damages the rope.
The lifespan of a climbing rope depends to a large extent on the frequency of use and how it is maintained and usually ranges from a few years to 10 years. So if you take good care of your climbing rope and wash it regularly, you will get something out of it for a very long time.
Keep the climbing rope away from strong chemicals. Especially acids attack the fibres of the rope extremely. The bad thing about chemicals is that the damage they cause is usually invisible.
How do I Choose the Best Rope Bag?
A rope bag is not only very helpful for storage. Most rope bags can be spread on the ground, creating a clean and safe surface on which the climbing rope can lie during climbing.
Because rope bags can be very different, I have listed the individual features to make your decision easier.
Capacity / Volume
The volume you need depends primarily on the length of the climbing rope you want to take with you. The longer the rope, the larger the rope bag has to be. Sometimes the manufacturers give information about how long the climbing rope can be and what can be transported with the rope bag.
You should also consider whether you want to transport the rest of your equipment in the rope bag.
Tarp Size
In general, a larger tarp is always preferable to a smaller one. The larger the tarp, the smaller the chance that the climbing rope gets dirty. Of course, it also depends on the length of the rope. If you only climb in climbing gyms with short ropes, a small 1 m * 1 m tarp will certainly suffice. If you climb outdoors with very long climbing ropes, you need a bigger one.
Weight
If you want to design your equipment as lightly as possible, for example, because you first have to walk several kilometres to the climbing route, you have to consider where you want to make compromises or not.
The general size of the rope bag and the tarp naturally determine the weight from the outset. But also the material and extra pockets influence the weight.
If you want to do go without a rope bag completely and simply stuff the climbing rope directly into your backpack, you should at least have a loose tarp with you to be able to lay it out under the climbing rope when climbing.
Rope Bag as a Backpack or Bag?
This question depends mostly on the type of transport. Carrying a rope bag as a backpack is much more comfortable than just throwing it over your shoulder like a travel bag or carrying it like a bag.
The two decisive factors in this decision are how heavy the rope bag is and how long you have to walk with it. If your rope bag is quite light and you only need to carry it from the car to the climbing gym, a normal bag is sufficient.
However, if you have to hike several kilometres to your climbing route, you should get a rope bag as a backpack. On such climbs, the rope bag is usually heavier as you need a longer rope outdoors than in a climbing gym. The only question you have to ask yourself is whether or not to stuff the rest of your climbing equipment into the rope bag.
Since you are normally always at least two people, you can share the load. One takes the rope bag and the other the backpack with the rest of the equipment. But that’s up to you to decide.
Final thoughts
You can extend the lifespan of your climbing rope considerably if you know how to wash it properly. I hope you learned in this article how easy it is to wash a climbing rope.
It is also a very good idea to get you a rope bag* to properly protect the rope during climbing and storage.
Attention: You have to take care of your safety when climbing! The information on climbtheearth.com only helps you to learn. Before you climb, you should make sure that you have been properly instructed by an expert and that you follow all safety precautions.
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