Canyonero vs. Sterling C-IV

[kokopelli99]

Any opinions on which is the better rope at 200' length: Imlay Canyonero or Sterling C-IV? Canyonero is 100% polyester, weighs 8.4 lbs, has mbs of 5000 lbs, and is very low stretch vs. Sterling having polypropelene core with Technora sheath, weighing 6.4 lbs, having mbs of 4630 lbs and about twice as much stretch as Canyonero I think.

[Bootboy]

I have one of each and prefer the C-IV for wet canyons and the canyonero for dry. I like the canyonero just fine for wet but the C-IV picks up less water, dries faster, and sinks slower. Also, the C-IV is easier to manipulate with cold wet hands. So depending on your usage....
The canyonero is cheaper, so if your mix is equal parts dry and wet canyons, for the price, go canyonero. If you can get the C-IV at a decent price, I would go that way. In my usage, the C-IV is also wearing better. Both are great ropes.

[LVRAY]

Have used both extensively and greatly prefer the C-IV - though it may depend in part on what the intended use is. I use what canyonero I have left (I am selling it off as I really do not like it)) for practice sessions, doing canyons with newbies or in very rough dry canyons. In general, the C-IV is far lighter, much more flexible, absorbs far less water, dries faster and generates far less heat on long rappels (the Technora makes a big difference). Be aware, it is faster than other 9mm ropes - it is much closer to an 8 mm rope in that regard. I know if you buy it a full bolt (660') at a time, you can get it for around 80 cents a foot.

[Bootboy]

On sale here

http://www.nwbackpack.com/products/sterling_canyon_c-iv.php

Great deal in this rope.

[bioject]

I highly recommend the sterling c-IV. It has outlasted all my friends' ropes and continues to stay soft and supple. I wouldn't dwell too much on the technical specs as I don't think the differences matter too much. The c-Iv does have a lot of stretch, but I think it's weight and super durability make up for it. 30+ canyons and it still keeps on going like the energizer bunny. One interesting thing to note about the c-Iv is that it is nearly impossible to melt the ends if they become frayed because the technora sheath is rated beyond 3000 degrees. Also because it is technora, the material displaces the heat much better than other ropes preventing your gloves from heating up.

If you want another rope for comparison, I recommend checking out bluewater's technora ropes. They are also good.

I really don't understand why people buy nontechnora ropes these days.

[Bootboy]

Regardless of heat, technora won't melt. I simply decomposes and chars above 900f. To whip the ends, I use seam grip and a bit of heat shrink tube while the seam grip is fresh. I did this when I bought my C-IVs. It has held up remarkably well even when rapping off the ends into water.

[bioject]

It won't melt? I had a feelin that was the case. There is another option. If you melt the core and let it seep through the sheath, it can actually harden the tips enough to prevent fraying. That way you don't have to worry about rope pulls.

Where do you buy seam grip?

[Bootboy]

Most gear shops carry it in their repair section

[Brian in SLC]

I've used super glue to secure the ends of Kevlar cord...wonder if that would work for one of these ropes?

[Bootboy]

We stray from the OP.

The rope end discussion has been had several times before.... Super glue is NOT flexible and will chip off.

[Brian in SLC]

So, to continue this OP line...have you tried it?

I have a Sterling cord. Like it. Nice hand and wear has been great. Price was hefty.

[optikal]

I've never used the Canyonero but I can speak highly of the C-IV. I have one, and 2 of my buddies have them too. Like others have said, in my experience it's very durable, easy to handle, pretty light, doesn't soak up much water, and I love the diameter.

[kokopelli99]

Thanks for all the input. It was sterling and my rope shall be sterling.

[Bootboy]

Just remember to buy it from the link I posted above. Best price you'll find on the rope.

[dougr]

Another vote for the C-IV. I've used the gamut- poly, nylon, aramid- and greatly prefer the C-IV over others. The hand is simply awesome, and it's wearing phenomenally better than my other non-technora ropes. Light, great wearing, great hand. Simply the best overall canyoneering rope ime. The polypro core has not been a problem for me, but I do understand if someone else has hesitance based on that.

Sent from my ICS'd SGS2

[Bootboy]

The only thing I'd change about the C-IV is the stretch. It's not bad but I wish it were less. I wish they could put a spectra core in it for the same price. In my dreams...

[bjp]

In general, the C-IV [...] generates far less heat on long rappels (the Technora makes a big difference).



Also because it is technora, the material displaces the heat much better than other ropes preventing your gloves from heating up.


Interesting; Technora actually makes a difference with regard to heat transfer? It can't reduce total heat because there's a fixed amount of potential energy (mgh) that has to be dissipated by the system regardless so it must just change where the heat goes. From previous experiments, my impression was that the energy going into the device heating it up is about half of the total energy being dissipated; the other half heats up the rope, almost entirely via bending/flexing rather than friction. Does a Technora sheath increase or decrease the fraction of energy dissipated to the device rather than the rope? LVRAY seems to indicate that it decreases this ratio, meaning that proportionally more energy is dissipated in bending/flexing the rope. I'm not sure how that could be given that the C-IV is a more flexible rope (requiring less energy to bend/flex it?), but if that were the case then that would seem to be a good thing -- heat dissipated to the rope is spread out over the whole rope whereas the heat dissipated to the device is all concentrated in the (small) device.


The only way Technora would prevent gloves from heating up is if the rigging stayed the same and the Technora had more sliding resistance than other sheath materials, but LVRAY seems to indicate that it has less sliding resistance (the C-IV is a "fast" rope). So is the C-IV a fast rope that heats up one's gloves more (everything else equal), or is it a slow rope that heats up one's glove less? Or, is it fast enough to prompt people to change their riggings, therefore heating up one's gloves less because the rigging is absorbing more heat?

[LVRAY]

Interesting; Technora actually makes a difference with regard to heat transfer? It can't reduce total heat because there's a fixed amount of potential energy (mgh) that has to be dissipated by the system regardless so it must just change where the heat goes. From previous experiments, my impression was that the energy going into the device heating it up is about half of the total energy being dissipated; the other half heats up the rope, almost entirely via bending/flexing rather than friction. Does a Technora sheath increase or decrease the fraction of energy dissipated to the device rather than the rope? LVRAY seems to indicate that it decreases this ratio, meaning that proportionally more energy is dissipated in bending/flexing the rope. I'm not sure how that could be given that the C-IV is a more flexible rope (requiring less energy to bend/flex it?), but if that were the case then that would seem to be a good thing -- heat dissipated to the rope is spread out over the whole rope whereas the heat dissipated to the device is all concentrated in the (small) device.


The only way Technora would prevent gloves from heating up is if the rigging stayed the same and the Technora had more sliding resistance than other sheath materials, but LVRAY seems to indicate that it has less sliding resistance (the C-IV is a "fast" rope). So is the C-IV a fast rope that heats up one's gloves more (everything else equal), or is it a slow rope that heats up one's glove less? Or, is it fast enough to prompt people to change their riggings, therefore heating up one's gloves less because the rigging is absorbing more heat?

The majority of the time, I use the same rigging with C-IV that I do with other ropes.

Fast is obviously a relative, and slightly ambiguos, term. I have used 3 ropes extensively - the 9.2 mm canyonero, the 9mm C-IV and the 8.3 canyon fire. I have also used Imlay's 8 mm canyon rope and several other ropes, but far less often, so I am less familiar with them. I would descrive the canyonero as being quite slow while the C-IV is much closer to the canyon fire in terms of speed. Your opinion may vary.

I agree with Bioject's statement that your gloves heat up far less with the C-IV compared to other ropes (in my experience, that would mostly be canyonero and canyon fire). Where the heat goes, I haven't a clue.

[LVRAY]

On sale here

http://www.nwbackpack.com/products/sterling_canyon_c-iv.php

Great deal in this rope.

Thanks for the link - just picked up another 200 feet :-)

[Bootboy]

Buy em out man. Stellar deal.