Arborists buy a lot of ropes and honestly as a rigging company, we kind of like it that way (keeps us in business - pays the bills, brings in the bread, etc.). With that being said, most tree workers would like to save some money and avoid replacing their ropes quite so often. That’s fair… we get it, so... much to our chagrin, we begrudgingly present to you five tips for helping you keep your tree climbing ropes and arborist rigging lines longer. 🙄

1. Don’t Be Blind to Your Eyes

This is really no secret... Tying knots in your rope decreases its breaking strength and its shelf life. However, there are two pretty easy solution:

If you buy ropes with factory spliced eyes, they will maintain a lot of their strength and live a longer, happier life. This may cost a couple extra bucks coming out the gate, but will save you a lot of money in the long run.

The other option is to get yourself a rope termination plate. This thing'll keep your rope's break strength at 💯 eliminates the need for knots, splices, eyes or other permanent factory terminations on your ropes.

2. Choose Your Ropes Wisely

Buying good ropes means buying fewer ropes. This can be easier said than done since there are so many ropes out there. A good rule of thumb is that Kernmantle ropes made with a nylon core and a soft cover, with a soft material like polyester, will last longer. These ropes have fewer issues with “milking” where the cover of the rope gets bunched up and worn out.

3. Give Your Rope a Bath

At the end of your day, you may just want to take a nice shower, get into bed, and probably want to forget about work. Not for nothin’ though, cleaning your ropes will make them last much longer. Climbing ropes in particular are infamous for absorbing dirt, grime, and sap.

Don’t forget to wash behind the ears! There are soaps out there that are specifically made to clean ropes. They are of course mostly great, but you can also use hand soap or a citrus based solvent. Avoid abrasive chemical solvents. If you want to save some work, you can put them in a front-loading washing machine. Either way, your rope needs a bath!

4. It All Boils Down to the Coils

To maximize the longevity of your rope, you're going to want to coil your ropes properly. A rope bag will help with this for sure. If you don’t have a rope bag, coil the rope around your elbow and shoulder and wrap it as neatly as you can. This will all cut down on unnecessary wear and tear on your rope while you store it.

5. Your Ropes Are Stronger Without Friction

If you want your rope to live longer, don’t skip out on the additional safeguards for your rope. This all seems like common sense, but you would be surprised at how many people don’t pay attention to how much friction savers will help keep their rope alive to fight another day. For some of your rope, you'll also want a chafe guard that stands up particularly well to pitch and sap.

Side Note: All of these solutions take some time and a few of them require spending a little money, but all of them will save you cash in the long run. Of course the best advice we can give you if you want a good rope is to buy from our wide selection of climbing line! We kid… sort of. 😉