Slingy thingys.

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 d_b 10 Sep 2019

For various reasons I have to replace a load of slings soon.

A couple of months ago someone on here mentioned the existence of slings with cores that are more abrasion resistant than the standard woven design.

Looking around I have found the edelrid aramid cord slings, but have otherwise drawn a blank. 

Are there any other manufacturers out there?  Any nylon or dyneema options?

 Martin Bennett 10 Sep 2019
In reply to d_b:

I don't like to be without my Edelrid Aramid sling - invaluable for threads. I'm also now a devotee of Edelrid TechWeb slings. You can read all about 'em and  buy both at Rock and Run. Inexpensive too.

OP d_b 10 Sep 2019
In reply to Martin Bennett:

Thanks. I will certainly get one of each of those. Hoping to get a range of stuff this time so I know what I want to standardise on next time.

 C Witter 10 Sep 2019
In reply to d_b:

Just a note: I think the 120cm Aramid slings are great, but the 60cm ones I find are not good for making alpine draws if that's one of your uses. Because they are stiff, I find they just don't hang properly. Perhaps others disagree, but I rarely bother with my 60cm aramid sling, even though I take two 120s out all the time.

 Ben Snook 10 Sep 2019
In reply to d_b:

I have a TechWeb sling. Looked on paper like it would check all my boxes, but I find it a bit meh. Great for slinging big stuff (duh) but it hasn't struck me as the new best ever rigging item. It feels pretty chunky.

I still like skinny dyneema for general sling-ery (I have a variety from Mammut, Ocun and DMM - chosen based on cost), but for rigging trad belays am moving towards cordelette (5 m of 7 mm currently).

 GarethSL 10 Sep 2019
In reply to d_b:

> A couple of months ago someone on here mentioned the existence of slings with cores that are more abrasion resistant than the standard woven design.

I think you are perhaps referring to slings that have a protective cover.

Mammut have their magic sling which is a core of dyneema with a nylon sheath. 

https://weighmyrack.com/sling/mammut-12-mm-magic-sling-60-cm

The edelrid aramid slings are as far as I'm aware similar, but use an aramid core with a nylon sheath (although this doesn't seem to be stated explicitly by edelrid). 

The key difference between the two aside from materials and overall design (cord vs sling), is that the mammut core is apparently a spun dyneema loop with no stitching as opposed to a conventional sling. The nylon sheath is then stitched on top to give abrasion and uv resistance. This also has the apparent benefit of increasing knotted strength (stated on other forums as only having a 20% strength reduction as opposed to the usual 30-40%). 

They are both however pretty stiff slings in comparison to a normal dyneema or thin nylon sling. This can be good depending on what you want them for. Personally I think they're best suited in their longer lengths to sharp rock spikes or threads where thin dyneema doesn't quite inspire confidence. Also probably good for slinging around trees, but that's not a huge issue. As C Witter says, 60cm versions aren't great for alpine draws, although I have seen people try. 

OP d_b 10 Sep 2019
In reply to GarethSL:

I should have clarified that I am mostly interested in big slings for belays etc. I am currently happy with dyneema for my extenders. 120 and 240 are the lengths I'm most likely to buy.

 spenser 10 Sep 2019
In reply to d_b:

Either the Mammut or Edelrid slings discussed above are good for these purposes. Being a bit of a lardy individual I occasionally have trouble getting knots out of dyneema slings if I have used one to extend my belay plate/ make a cows tail. I've never had these issues with my aramid slings and would imagine the mammut magic slings are somewhat similar in this respect.

As you have said dyneema is the best choice for extenders.

 galpinos 10 Sep 2019
In reply to d_b:

120 -  2 off dymeena and 1 off aramid covers most scenarios. Aramid is pretty stiff so doesn't always seat quite as you would like but is amazing for poking through threads. 

240 - 1 off dymeena but don't always take it.

 Jim Walton 10 Sep 2019
In reply to d_b:

Add to the list the Skylotec cipE - https://www.skylotec.com/uk_en/cipe-l-0615-1-2.html

It is similar the the Edelrid Aramid slings but has managed to make the joint in the sling continuous so you can't really see it.  I find it a little smoother than the Edelrid sling but is rather expensive.

 C Witter 10 Sep 2019
In reply to Jim Walton:

Looks good... except, wow!, that's some price!

 PaulJepson 10 Sep 2019
In reply to d_b:

I have a couple of the aramid ones. They're good and I quite like them (good for pokey threads) but there are a couple of disadvantages to them. 

As someone else has said, the stiffness of the 60cm makes them not ideal for extendable draws.

The stiffness means they're not very good for clove-hitching runners onto quarry spikes, rock-anchors, etc. that you often come across in the quarries/gorge. 

The 120cm ones seem to come up a little longer than your standard 120cm sling, which means if you shoulder them like I do (clipped over the shoulder to a krab) that they hang annoying long. If you just double 120s up rather than this method, then they're fine. I don't like doing that because of issues getting them off when I need them. I think they'll be okay clipped with a krab for winter use, as the extra layers of clothing will increase my girth.

They don't knot as nicely as a flat sling or regular cord does, but that can be seen as both an advantage and disadvantage. 

They definitely handle a little better than your standard sling, and feel a bit more abrasion-resistant (which increases confidence in chucking them over sharp blocks or through threads). 

The other big advantage of them is that they are a lot better when exposed to UV. The strength is in the core, so the sheath stops them degrading in sunlight like a nylon sling would. 

One thing I would be interested in (since the core is an alien material to me), is how well it wears. From my understanding, dyneema cord needs to be replaced more frequently than nylon, as repetitive movement wears it down more quickly. How about this 'aramid'?

 tehmarks 10 Sep 2019
In reply to C Witter:

Weirdly I have a couple of 60cm racked as slingdraws, but I've avoided buying any 120cm; I rack all my 120cm slings around the shoulders, and because they're so stiff and I'm quite slight, I suspect they'll ride off my shoulders and cause an incident.

 TeeBee 11 Sep 2019
In reply to PaulJepson:

>  How about this 'aramid'?

An aromatic polyamide akin to kevlar, says wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aramid

OP d_b 14 Sep 2019
In reply to d_b:

Thanks all. Good information there. I shall arrange a shopping trip next week.

My lack of replies was entirely due to pembrokeshire phone coverage.

 John Kelly 14 Sep 2019
In reply to d_b:

https://www.climbers-shop.com/10941265/products/beal-6mm-dyneema-sling--60c...

Worth having couple of these, will hang on really small spikes, unfortunately don't last forever


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