Atwood 8mm Grand Rope
Atwood 8mm Grand Rope
The Atwood 8mm Grand rope is a very nice, light, low bulk rope for canyoning far from the road. It is intended for canyons where every ounce counts, like in the Grand Canyon. Polyester sheath over aligned dyneema core works pretty darn well. Softer than Imlay Canyon Fire (not a big surprise) but with more body than the Imlay Slyther. Not really all that durable, so not a good choice for ‘everyday use’. Ties well but has enough body to not be noodley. You will want to set your friction a bit higher.
I like how this ropes feels and handles, and it is light in the pack. But it is a bit on the tender side.
We are down to the last few pieces that are listed here. Taylor might have some available at Atwood Gear
Weight: 43.8 grams per meter
Weight: 2 lb 15 oz per 100 feet Strength: 5400 pounds
Neon green with a blue tracer. Braided in the USA using imported fibers.
Anticipate 5% shrinkage (total) in the first 5 canyons of use. Best practice is to soak in water and dry 3X before the first use, to tighten the sheath onto the core.
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The first rope designed specifically for Colorado Plateau Canyoneering, the Canyon Fire has become popular with discerning canyon enthusiasts across the globe. Since the sheath is what counts, we added material there to create a “sheath-heavy” static rope, with 60% of the material devoted to the sheath. The result is a cut resistant, durable rope at a reasonable weight and an affordable price. It is on the stiff side for a tad more friction, to help resist cutting, and so it has a noticeably lesser tendency to get stuck in cracks on the pull down.
We carefully finish the ends to weld the sheath to the core without making the end larger than the rope itself, and to not create a long stiff section.
You can ADD cuts to your order for a modest fee. Some people order a spool then have it cut to non-standard lengths. We are to serve your needs, so we charge a modest fee for this service. Or you can order ‘by the foot’, which works out much the same.
The 2025 Shipment arrived in Mt Carmel on June 24th. Alas, my costs went up by 15%, so the price is higher by that amount. New color is ‘tan’ with blue.
Our new Slyther is a high-tech rope that is both durable, light, and slinky / smooth; and extracts the maximum possible cash from your wallet… (almost, there are more expensive ropes). 75% Technora Sheath (+25% polyester), Dyneema core. It is very light, 41.71 grams per meter, though not quite the lightest real rope available. Please read the hangtag, image #2.
Only available by direct sales, and only in 120’, 200’ and 300’ lengths - and full spools. There might be Odd Cuts from time to time. I added a 15’ length if people want to have it in hand before buying (limit, 1 x 15’ piece per customer). We can TRY to do something else if you ask for it.
(The actual rope lengths are 126, 210, and 315' to allow for 5% shrinkage. NOTE: Odd Cuts are the actual length…)
I highly suggest doing 3 wet/dry cycles before using the rope if you can. It improves the hand of the rope to a small degree. In my test of this, the rope shrank by 4% with the 3 cycles.
2 lb 12.8 oz per 100 feet ==
5 lb 9.6 oz per 200 feet. ===
8 lb 6.4 oz per 300 feet.
41.71 grams per meter
I have had problems Toggling (FiddleStick/SmoothOperator) with the Slyther as the knot overtightens. Be careful with this, and maybe position the stick a bit further out. Definitely untie and retie the knot before going last. Anticipate having to pull harder than usual.
The hangtag has many warnings about it being super-fast… which apply when the rope is brand new, but it breaks in quickly and becomes similar in friction to the Canyon Fire, though completely opposite in hand. I still don’t think third hands will work well with this rope even when broken in, but then I don’t like third hands in general. So you are on your own, as you always are.
We applied the Sheath-Heavy design that worked so well for the Canyon Fire to our 9mm rope, to get a somewhat bigger, somewhat stouter and better-handling rope — Canyonero! The sheath is 52% of the rope, so there is 8% more sheath than core. It is firmly woven for longest life, and uses 100% polyester to minimize water absorption. A nice handling, long-lasting static rope that works great, especially for heavier canyoneers and for Class C canyons with harsh rock, as in Ouray, Colorado.
The Canyonero is longer lasting (than the 8mm and 8.3mm) for 10% more weight. We also gave it a few more core strands, so it has a rated strength of 5000 lb.
NEW PRODUCT - IN STOCK
1/8" TaiSteel braided string for use as a FiddleStick Pull String.
When every ounce or cubic inch matters - this is the ultra-light solution. The UHMWPE gives this braided string a tensile strength of 2200 lbf - way strong. Hard to handle (hold onto), ties not so well and is a pain to stuff. It is very light and very compact. Choose your tools wisely.
TaiSteel - our new source is in Taiwan, so we now call it TaiSteel… though it is actually made in Red China.
Compare to Amsteel.
It is Hard to Handle, such that stuffing the STRING back in the bag is called “Milking the Kitty”. Using without a specialized bag would be excruciating! We make the SECO-050 for this (both lengths) and BG-Gear/Luke also makes a very different specialized bag, which you might like.
