Imlay Canyon Fire 8.3mm Static Rope
Imlay Canyon Fire 8.3mm Static Rope
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.
Conditioning your rope —a good idea before first use to bind the sheath to the core. Soak the rope in water for an hour or two, then hang it up to dry. Three cycles of this, then it is ready to go. Many times this happens naturally in the rope’s first canyon, but long ropes tend to escape this fate. Please condition your long ropes before using.
Canyon Fire is a true static rope. No bounce! This helps it resist core-shots over sharp edges. (Elongation at 200 lbs is less than 1%).
Our ropes are cut 5% longer than the nominal length to account for the expected shrinkage in the first couple of canyons. A "200 foot rope" will be at least 210 feet, usually a foot or two longer. Check out rope shrinkage tests and rope absorption observations!
Available in pre-cut lengths of 75, 120, 200, 240, 300, 360 and 640 feet. The 240 and 360 lengths may take a couple extra days for us to cut. Odd cut pieces might be available at a discount - see Odd Cut Ropes
Ordering by-the-foot is 10% more expensive than ordering the pre-cut lengths.
Weight - 1750 grams or 3 lb 13.6 oz per hundred feet.
Weight - 58 grams per meter
Breaking Strength: 4100 lbs.
Made in Canada. Core: polyester. Sheath: polyester.
More Info: Imlay Canyon Gear
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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.
2025 color is Red, White and Blue
NOW with 5% more, all lengths, to account for shrinkage. (e.g. a 200 foot cord is actually 210 feet)
Our cord is Polyester sheath and Polyester core which absorbs quite a bit less water than nylon cords. It is quite a bit more static, so you won't be fighting the stretch. Works better! After using a very pretty but very stretchy nylon accessory cord as pull cord for a couple of years, I figured it was time to make some 100% Polyester pull cord for superior performance.
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.