Which rope bag

And the bag had enough capacity for 80m ropes or 70m ropes and some equipment. A nice touch is the transparent window that allowed seeing the rope inside the bag when stowed and easy identification when loading up at home. A pair of rope tie-in points and an adjustable shoulder strap round out the rope bag with the most established history and an affordable price. The traditional fold and roll method was also practical. The nylon bag was by far the largest of the burrito-style models in this roundup.

It was large enough to house a dozen draws, harness, belay device, and shoes with a 70m cord. Two compression straps with metal buckles and a drawcord opening compressed the load into a tight package, and an adjustable and padded shoulder strap rounded out the Super Chute.

Rope buckets are not new; uber-thrifty climbers have been using IKEA shopping bags for years. But the Edelrid unit uses a wire frame to keep the bucket walls upright while in use, and it folds flat into its case for packing. The 30L bucket measures 9 inches tall, 19 inches long, and 10 inches wide. It did take more diligence when restacking the rope into the bucket to ensure a smooth belay afterward.

And it took an extra step to pack up, as stowing the cord in or on a backpack required recoiling. There are two mesh pockets inside the bucket for storing smaller accessories and a pair of tie-in loops.

Opposing handles made for easy transport and served as a clipping point to hang the Spring Bag The bucket-style Spring Bag 30 also prevented the rope from slithering away on sloped ground and made it a viable option for rope hauling during vertical access work, tree work, or route development.

The Spring Bag 30 also presented a stashable solution for multipitch climbing when the rope cannot hang below the belay, as on sea cliffs. When it was time to go, a quick twist identical motion used for wireframed auto sunshades collapsed the Spring Bag 30 into an 8-inch-diameter flat circle held taut by a buckled webbing strap. Another unique entry into this roundup is the Petzl Kab. The Kab is essentially a 20L messenger bag with padded laptop sleeve, expandable to 26 L by way of a zipped gusset.

It has a 55 x 55 x inch removable triangular rope tarp. The tarp has handles on each corner that also act as tie-in points. The interior of the bag has a laptop sleeve and zipped pocket for small items. The closure flap has a bigger zipped pocket. A single adjustable shoulder strap rounds out the stylish bag. Although the tarp was large enough for a tightly flaked 70m rope, the volume and shape of the bag are less than ideal, especially with gym climbing essentials and a computer my inch barely fit.

But with a 35m cord typical for gyms, the Kab felt perfect for remote work-to-gym missions. The triangular tarp has less surface area than the usual square tarp.

Still, it was plenty generous for a 35m gym rope and provided enough room to stand on the tarp to belay, which was preferable when belaying barefoot in the gym. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison. Best Rope Bags for Climbing. Photo: Ian Nicholson. Share this article:. Our Editors independently research, test, and rate the best products. We only make money if you purchase a product through our links, and we never accept free products from manufacturers.

Learn more. Want to know what is the best rope bag for climbing? We've tested 24 different bags in the past ten years, and have included nine of the best and most popular in this comparative review. Our climbing experts never show up at a crag without a bag for the rope, which is essential for helping keep the rope clean, tidy and organized, and also makes for convenient transportation.

We've packed and unpacked these rope bags hundreds of times, thrown them down in the dirt, and loaded them into our packs or worn them over our shoulders, assessing them along the way for how easy they are to use, to pack, and for comfort.

If you need a new rope bag, we have the best recommendations for you. Top 9 Product Ratings. Displaying 1 - 5 of 9. DMM Classic. Mammut Crag. Petzl Kab. Metolius Speedster. Metolius Ropemaster HC.

Show full specification details Hide full specification details. See all prices 2 found. Packability 8. Packability 4. Packability 6. Packability 3. Simplest for easy packing and unpacking. Score Product Price Our Take Black Diamond Super Chute. Trango Antidote. Metolius Dirt Bag II. Black Diamond Full Rope Burrito. The Kab is clearly what it intends to be -- a gym bag.

And it plays the role very well. Product testing. Metolius keeps it simple with this affordable rope bag. We managed to get a 70m rope, harness, shoes, quickdraws, and a chalk bag inside, but it was tight.

The Classic has plenty of space for the essentials that you'll want for sport climbing. The Speedster has a fair amount of space but doesn't pack down very well without any compression straps. Backpack straps are great for carrying your rope on long approaches. The single strap is fine for short approaches, but shoulders start to suffer if traveling a mile or more.

Having extra space around the rope can be nice for uneven surfaces or if you move the rope around between climbs. Here, the DMM Classic is keeping our meter rope clean. Flaking into the Speedster, which has a substantial tarp. Tie-in loops are a great feature because they allow you to pack up a flaked rope without worrying about losing an end and creating a knotted mess.

This can save time at the crag and gym because you can unroll your bag with your cord flaked and ready to go. All of the products we tested have tie in loops in one form or another, whether they are colored-coded or not. The Dirt Bag II has two internal tie-in loops one red, one black to help with rope management.

Removable tarps are more convenient when moving from pitch to pitch. A pocket for keys is always a welcome feature. Keep your rope protected in a bag to, from, and at the crag to extend the life of your rope and to make it easier to transport.

Learn More. Check Price at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers. Large removable tarp, comfortable backpack straps, useful compression straps. Large carrying capacity, comfortable backpack straps, padded back panel. Works as a cragging pack, padded shoulder straps are suprisingly comfortable, big tarp, nice zippered pocket. Awkward to pack with too little or too much gear, lacks adjustability. Expensive, not great outdoors, single carrying strap. No smaller pockets, not as nice to carry for long distances.

A top-notch model that is comfortable to carry and easy to pack. A spacious and comfortable backpack-style model. The Speedster is a great single day cragging pack for fast and light days where you don't need a ton of extra equipment or layers.

An upgraded version of the original Ropemaster, that we found to be much more useable than the older version. The Speedster does its job as a rope bag well, while also functioning as a basic small cragging pack. An improved version of an older version of a rope bag, with a much larger tarp. The Super Chute features a large usable tarp that is easy to roll and pack into the bag.

Do you carry it in a separate bag or do you throw it in with all your other climbing gear? Many rope bags will often list on their product pages what size ropes they can comfortably carry. Messenger bags have only one shoulder strap and are usually worn diagonally across the chest.

While neither style is inherently better than the other in terms of keeping your rope clean, the style does matter for transporting your rope. Messenger bags tend to swing and bounce around more and can be difficult to hike or scramble with. You often need to use one hand to stop it from bouncing around while walking. They also tend to be less comfortable, making them the inferior choice for long, technical approaches.

One upside, though, is that you can carry a climbing pack simultaneously. Backpack-style rope bags are much better suited for longer approaches where you need a comfortable pack that you can wear securely on your back. They also tend to be able to carry more stuff.

Stray ounces can add up quickly. Could you shave off some ounces by stuffing your rope into your pack instead? Just so you know, this page contains affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase after clicking through one, at no extra cost to you we may earn a commission.

Messenger Bags Weight. View this post on Instagram. About the Author: Alex Beale. Alex Beale is 99Boulders' founder and editor-in-chief.