[catsp]

Any (helpful) recommendations for a multipurpose rope suitable for some miscellaneous uses, including as a safety rope for infrequent work up on a roof, occasionally hoisting a person up to clean second story windows, and maybe the random rappel?

[Bosterson]

I'm not sure you'd want a static rope as a safety line on a roof, unless you're going to anchor it across the roof and attach yourself to it with something dynamic. (Or unless there is zero chance of you falling off the roof, but that seems to obviate the need for the rope...)

[Randito]

If the essential piece is fall protection while working up on a roof -- consider something designed specifically for that. https://hdsupplysolutions.com/p/fall-protection-00-90-15/miller-titan-b-compliant-fall-protection-roof-kit-p551296

[Cyclopath]

[catsp]

If nothing else, the responses probably indicate that I posed a poorly worded inquiry predicated on a poorly conceived endeavor.

[Cyclopath]

I have an old 60 meter (approx 200 feet) climbing rope I've been meaning to dispose of. It cannot be trusted to catch a fall. I'm sure it's plenty strong enough to rappel with, because the force involved is so much less. If memory serves it's 9 mm in diameter. The pattern changes at the center point, which is a feature some ropes use for to make rappels faster and easier. It's yours if you want it, on the condition that you understand it's too old to catch a fall. I've been meaning to figure out how to make a rug out of it but I have too many projects already.

[dave allyn]

That is actually a good rope for all the uses mentioned. As bosterson said, you would need some thing dynamic in the system when working on the roof. A Purcell prusik as used by climbers would work but the best would be a proper force reducing lanyard from an industrial supplier. A static or low stretch rope is great for raising and lowering loads, rappelling,etc, but not for climbing. About the only proper use for a dynamic (stretchy) rope is for rock or ice climbing.

[catsp]

CP - Thank you for your kind offer, but I think making a rug out of it would probably be a better use than giving it to someone who, if I used it at all, would use it for exactly the situation you warn against. After a small amount of further thought, if I get anything it will likely be an inexpensive dynamic rope.

[Cyclopath]

That looks like a great rope. There's absolutely no problem rappelling on a dynamic rope. People do all day every day. You take a rope like that to climb, and you also use it to rappel. People do laps on their favorite route, do multi pitch climbs, etc, and it isn't a common practice to bring a static rope just to rappel with. The one thing to be aware of is the rope will stretch slightly as you descend, that won't cause problems. Very important, please always knot the ends of your rope before you rappel. Even if you can see both ends every time, just be in the habit of always tieing the ends off, like wearing a seatbelt.

[Malachai Constant]

It is very hard work to prusik on a long dynamic rope.

[Riverside Laker]

It's like climbing sand. One step up, a half step back (at the bottom of the rope anyway). I didn't mention this just because Dune came out... just a coincidence!

[Bosterson]

Depending on what you plan to be doing, you might consider getting two different ropes. "Hauling" someone up with a dynamic rope will be terrible due to rope stretch, so maybe you could get a short segment of static line for that (or like a rope ladder or something?). I'm not sure what kind of random, non climbing rappelling you're thinking of doing, but if you wouldn't need to rap more than 50 ft you could save money/weight and get the 40m version of that Sterling rope. It seems like 100 ft of rope would be enough for your roof shenanigans as well. Side note, how do you plan to anchor it on the roof? Would you get belayed? Etc. Those answers might help determine which rope to get - for instance, if you were to anchor the rope on your roof in such a way that you'd keep it pretty taut, so that you wouldn't be taking a plunge off the roof onto a slack rope (but rather the rope is a tether that keeps you on the roof if your feet slip), you could get away with an 8mm glacier type rope since that's more than strong enough for anything less than a full-on single strand climbing fall. 8mm is also fine for rapping and weighs less to carry around. If you needed the rope to be slack (where the rope is catching you if you actually fall off the roof) but didn't need a lot of length, you could double over the 8mm to use it as 2 strands, in which configuration most of those ropes are rated for actual falls. If you needed more length, then you could get a full length "double" (aka "half") or "twin" rope (eg an ~8mm rope meant to be used with a 2nd rope while climbing, only rated for falls when you use 2 ropes at once) and then use it doubled over as two 30-35m strands (depending on the length of the original rope).

[catsp]

[Malachai Constant]

That does not look like a dynamic climbing rope it looks to be at least 30mm.

[Cyclopath]

Yeah prusiking up a dynamic rope is a slow pain in the ass. I've never done it up a static rope, but thinking about it, it seems like it would be easier. @catsp if you're going to rap somewhere without a ladder you should learn to do a Texas prusik and carry cords for it.