Over the past few months I’ve been testing out a 70m Petzl Nomad 9.8mm rope on trips to Ten Sleep, WY and the Red River Gorge in Kentucky among other places. This is my second Petzl rope, having used a previous version of the Nomad for a number of years now. It’s a bit hard to make too many judgements based on only using the rope a couple dozen times, but I can offer these thoughts on the rope based on my use thus far:
- The fact that the rope comes butterfly coiled from the factory makes it a breeze to use the first time.
- The rope has a Duratec Dry treatment which I expected to make the rope have a slippery feel to it however it handled really well, even the first few times out of the box.
buy singulair online https://buynoprescriptionrxxonline.com/dir/singulair.html no prescription
- The rope feels light despite the 70m length.
buy clomiphene online https://buynoprescriptionrxxonline.com/dir/clomiphene.html no prescription
For most sport climbs a 70m does seem a bit superfluous so I’m not sure it’s necessary unless you know you are going to be doing long sport or multipitch routes. - Having climbed on smaller ropes during this time (9.4 and even down to 9.1) I came to appreciate the added size of the 9.8. This definitely felt like more of a workhorse rope than some of the floss thin ropes people are climbing on these days.
- While I can’t say I’ve been able to use the rope enough to fully gauge its durability, if it’s anything like the previous Petzl rope we owned it is going to last a long time.
Overall I’ve been extremely pleased with this rope. When Petzl first introduced their ropes a few years back I heard grumblings from some about their durability but I’ve had nothing but good experiences with both my Petzl ropes. If you’re looking for a new cord the Petzl Nomad is definitely worth considering.
Using the Petzl Nomad at the Red River Gorge
While this product provided to ClimbingNarc.com free of charge the opinions stated are my own and not in any way reflective of any expectation of a positive review on the part of the companies involved.
Thanks Narc! I’ve been eyeing this rope for a while now. I’m moving down from a 10.2 and glad to hear you’re happy with it. Be sure to update with any new insights!
loading...
Hey Narc,
Do you use the Nomad rope with a Grigri?
How do you feel about using a 9.8? Does it feel loose or slippery?
loading...
Great question. I’ve used it almost exclusively with a Gri-Gri. It was maybe just a touch on the sticky side out of the box, but it feels pretty good right now. I know that you aren’t technically supposed to use it with a Gri-Gri but it never felt too loose or anything like that.
loading...
Ropes are one of the toughest things to review and this write up is like just about every other rope review: I’ve used it for a little while now, it’s a nice rope, and it does what I expected it to do.
The truth is (in my opinion) that there are a number of good manufacturers out there and you really can’t go wrong, so the best bet seems to be to get the least expensive rope you can find.
The exception is the petzl zephyr, a number of which experienced freakish wear immediately out of the coil.
loading...
Heh. I gotta agree with Dave. Personally, I just pick the prettiest one that’s just under 10mm in diameter.
loading...
ropes are for sailors
loading...
Heh
Who are mattresses for?
loading...
I’ve got the Petzl (70m x 9.4) that I use almost exclusively for multi-pitch sport & trad, with the occasional long single pitch slab. It’s generally only used on things I don’t plan to fall on. It has lovingly been dubbed the “Adventure Rope” because it inevitably gets packed along for every epic I’ve ever had.
but I love it and it seems to feel and handle comparably to your 9.8mm. I’ve even used it for gri-gri roped soloing (with a bit of weight on the tail end to ensure it locks) and it caught perfect.
loading...
I’m surprised to see a positive comment for the Petzl Fuse (9.4), a couple of my friends have it and hate it, and pretty much all reviews online say it frays easily and coils badly.
loading...
Hi narc,
Another question: is it more of a bouncy/stretchy rope or would you say its on the ‘firm’ side?
loading...
Hmm. I can’t really say I recall it feeling one way or the other.
loading...
I’ve had the Petzl 9.8’s and 9.4’s. I’ve heard of and seen the pre-mature wear on the 9.8 but I think it was more from mis-use than poor manufacture. Supposedly that was just the first batch anyway and things have been cleared up. I still have the 9.4’s that I use as doubles for a few years now and they are still looking good.
I just picked up two Sterling 9.2’s and I’m psyched to save a little weight! Sterling, I believed is at the top of the heap.
loading...
I have been using the 70m Fuse (9.4) for my almost everyday rope now since last september. I have been pretty psyched on it, as in my situation it has worn well on granite, sandstone, basalt, and tuft. Works great with a Gri. I mostly climb on it as Smith Rocks in Oregon, and the only time I end up breaking out the 9.8 (Monster) is when I am using my mini-traxion. It still has some life left in it, but overall it is wearing like any other rope of that size. Two thumbs up.
loading...
I’ve been using the Petzl Nomad for nearly 2 years now. I can’t see much that is wrong with it really. It’s a breeze to pull through my draws because it’s nice and light, and easy to lug around. I have no problem using it on multi-pitch climbs or even in the gym.
The rope is getting a little furry on both ends, but I suppose that’s just the usual thing. If I had to buy another rope I would either buy the Nomad again or something relatively similar in specs.
loading...
Horrible durability on this one. Way to soft. Got worn out all the way into the core after 8 falls on a red point. Had to get my old Joker 9.1 out…and it didn’t even show signs of wear after 15 falls from the same bolt. The Contact 9.8 really sucks monkey balls
loading...
That’s a bummer. My Nomad is still in pretty good shape despite getting used pretty heavily the year or so after I got it.
loading...