A veteran climber called my rope management 'a mess' and he was right

I was working a big oak removal in Springfield last fall, and a guy I really respect was watching my setup. After I came down, he just said, 'Kid, your rope bag is a mess. You're adding ten minutes of untangling to every climb.' He showed me his method: flake the rope into the bag in consistent, flat loops, alternating the direction of each coil. I started doing it that way, and it's stupid how much time it saves. No more pulling out a giant knot ball at the base of the tree. It also makes feeding the rope through a friction saver way smoother. That one piece of advice probably saves me an hour a week now. Anyone else have a simple rope trick that made a big difference?

4 comments

4 Comments

drewr152mo ago

Honestly, watching a clean rope payout is just satisfying. Makes the whole climb feel more professional.

kevin9743mo ago

Yeah, the "consistent, flat loops" thing is a game changer. I used to just stuff my rope in the bag after a job. Got the same talk from an old logger. He made me re-flake it three times until I got it right. Now my rope comes out ready to run every single time. That smooth feed through a friction saver is worth the extra minute on the ground.

marydavis3mo ago

Absolutely. My climbing partner used to just dump the rope in a pile. Watching him fight a twisted mess halfway up a pine was painful. I started coiling mine the way you described, with those even loops, and the difference is night and day. It just pays out smooth, no snags at all.

the_thomas3mo ago

Spot on, @kevin974. It's wild how many things work better with a little careful setup. I see it all the time with extension cords or garden hoses, people just yank them into a tangled mess. Taking that extra second to coil it right means no fighting knots later. That old logger knew the score, it's about respecting the tool so the tool works for you. Makes the whole job smoother from start to finish.