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fabe
Jun 19, 2006, 3:58 PM
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We went climbing yesterday in a forest that was full of ticks and mosquitos. So we grabed the REI Jungle Juice and began to apply some booster doses of DEET!
Unfortunately my Mammut Infinity 9.5mm got a splash of Jungle Juice (>95%DEET). Needless to say right in the middle of the rope.....
As DEET is known for eating the rubber of camera bodies i guess the rope is going to land in the garbage....
It's not the newest one but it still sucks!
What do you think, does it really harm the rope.
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double
Jun 19, 2006, 4:10 PM
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Take a look at the bottom of the page for several threads on the same topic. In my opinion, Deet will not damage ropes, but follow the previous threads and make up your own mind.
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j_ung
Jun 19, 2006, 4:10 PM
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There are numerous second-hand reports on the Web saying that DEET does not, in fact, harm climbing ropes, including from a site that appeared to be associated with Blue Water Ropes. But that site doesn't seem to exist anymore. I'm going to move this to The Lab. Maybe we can get a first-hand answer from somebody.
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j_ung
Jun 19, 2006, 4:13 PM
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j_ung moved this thread from Gear Heads to The Lab: Online Climbing Safety Test Discussions.
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sungam
Jun 19, 2006, 5:09 PM
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I'll be nice anmd simplyfy the bad news that link brings. That rope just became to half length ropes. Sorry dude, ropes are expensive, but DEET is strong stuff and will easily damage your rope.
-Magnus
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joshy8200
Jun 19, 2006, 5:28 PM
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Did you look at the link to the test?
"Laboratory tests performed have shown no appreciable damage done to nylon fibers by contact with insect repellents containing DEET (Test #0559). "
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pastprime
Jun 19, 2006, 6:46 PM
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There was a European organization, German I think, that a few years ago soaked a rope for 48 hours in a bucket of Deet, then tested it. Dynamically it was fine, and it had actually gained a bit on breaking strength.
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geezergecko
Jun 19, 2006, 7:39 PM
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DEET affects some plastics (rayon, dynels, acrylics) but does not affect nylon which is what your rope and webbing is made of.
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j_ung
Jun 19, 2006, 7:57 PM
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Where'd you find that?! I couldn't get it to work to save my miserable life! :lol:
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joshy8200
Jun 19, 2006, 8:40 PM
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In reply to: Where'd you find that?! I couldn't get it to work to save my miserable life! :lol:
Searched through the old threads and found it. There was another that was even better. It tested at least like 10 different chemicals...and I seem to recall that maybe a few of them were shown to damage climbing ropes breaking strength.
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fabe
Jun 20, 2006, 9:11 AM
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OK so it technically doesn't harm my rope... But 15 feet above the last bolt on a multipitch climb I already have to deal with other thoughts than a rope that might break!
So for my part it's clear now: I'm in the market for a new rope.
Thanks for your replies!
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dleighto
Jun 20, 2006, 1:43 PM
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In reply to: Testing done by the AlliedSignal Corporation indicates salt water, acetone, benzene, chloroform, freon, gasoline, kerosene, motor oil, mineral oil, paints and pine oil do not appreciably affect nylon and should not damage your rope.
According to the link provided, gasoline and other such products don't harm your rope. Is this know to be true?
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crimp2bfree
Jun 20, 2006, 1:59 PM
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Get some of the Repel Lemon Eucalyptus stuff. It actually really works, I couldn't believe it. It is actually better than deet because you aren't afraid to lather it on and even smells good.
http://www.repel.com/...nts/LemonEucalyptus/
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fabe
Jun 20, 2006, 2:55 PM
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hmm I've spent a few summers canoeing in the Yukon and I really belief in DEET! I tried that citrus stuff with Swiss bugs and it didn't really work...
I guess the next time I have to be more careful...
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crimp2bfree
Jun 20, 2006, 3:36 PM
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This isn't a citrus stuff, Ithink every other natural repellant does absolutely nothing. This stuff actually works though. I think repel is the only one making it right now. It's more of a menthol type thing than citrus, even has some of that menthol cooling affect which can be nice.
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fabe
Jun 20, 2006, 3:42 PM
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fortunately we don't have bears in Switzerland! I think the smell of eucaliptus / citrus / menthol would turn on every bear within a few hundret miles 8^)
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catbird_seat
Jun 20, 2006, 6:28 PM
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This is surprising, since I have seen DEET eat holes in nylon backpacks before. Perhaps the backpack wasn't actually nylon but rather rayon?
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pastprime
Jun 20, 2006, 7:13 PM
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Uhm, fabe, no, you don't have to be more careful next time.
Your rope isn't "technically" OK, it is just plain OK. There isn't some small remaining doubt about it; deet doesn't hurt ropes. If you can know that, and still can't handle it, you need to work on putting yourself in charge of your mind instead of whatever mysterious force outside of your control is running it now.
Maybe sweaty hands make the rope unsafe. No one has ever found that to be the case, but don't let that stop you. You probably should replace your rope after every use, just so you don't have to worry about it.
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redpoint73
Jun 20, 2006, 8:16 PM
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In reply to: OK so it technically doesn't harm my rope... But 15 feet above the last bolt on a multipitch climb I already have to deal with other thoughts than a rope that might break! So for my part it's clear now: I'm in the market for a new rope. Thanks for your replies!
Can you read?????
There is not a single thing on the Internet or anywhere else saying that DEET weakens climbing ropes, except for stuff made up by paranoid people with no scientific (or unscientific) evidence.
If you are going to retire your rope, send it to me. I will gladly take huge whippers on it to 'test' how much the DEET 'weakened' it.
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legion
Jun 20, 2006, 9:19 PM
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So you're saying if someone will ship you a DEET soaked rope you'll take multiple 80+ foot whippers on it? I want to see the videos!
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pastprime
Jun 20, 2006, 9:51 PM
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Hey legion, what part of "ropes soaked in DEET have been tested and found to be fine" are you having trouble comprehending? Yes, if you send me an otherwise OK rope soaked in deet, I'll do anything with it I would do with any other rope that is OK. I have, incidentally, climbed extensively in major bug areas such as the Wind Rivers, Sawtooths, Canada , and Alaska, where we were slopping bug repellent all over ourselves and had it all over our hands and I certainly didn't worry about it. Why didn't I worry about it? Because it has been thoroughly tested (this question, like the one about dropped carabiners, has been coming up, and getting answered, forever), and I choose to base my decisions on reality, not some weird irrational uncertainties I let run me.
Incidental, it isn't the length of the fall that determines how much the rope is stressed, but the fall factor; though I expect trying to explain that concept to you would be pretty futile.
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jt512
Jun 20, 2006, 10:08 PM
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In reply to: This is surprising, since I have seen DEET eat holes in nylon backpacks before.
No way. I have spilled DEET on every backpack I've ever owned, and I never clean it up. It does nothing to the backpack itself, although it seems to mess up the plastic zippers.
Jay
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