Sterling Canyon C-IV Rope - 9mm for Sale, Reviews, Deals and Guides

Nice thin rope for wet canyons, haven't used it a ton to see how it will hold up and I don't think this is a beginners rope, I'll take my thicker more workhorse type ropes if I'm taking new people out.

This is our go-to rope for canyoning in the Pacific Northwest. It achieves a good balance between durability, weight, hand and knotability, and water absorption. A brighter color would be better so it could be more easily seen in whitewater, and at night.

Use for canyoneering in southern Utah the rope handle well and very abrasion resistant ,great product

Got a 300' C-IV specifically to descend the final drop in Heaps Canyon, Zion. The rope was kept in a dry-sack and pulled out one time so that 5 people could do a single 290' free hanging rappel on it all using Piranhas. We ended up with massive sheath slippage resulting in a fat and malformed rope near the lower end. I latter measured the lower end of the rope to be over 13mm thick. Of course I could cut the extra sheath off but why should I have to and how long before I will have to do it again and will that come at a convenient time? After much effort I was finally able to get a hold of a support person who actually works at Sterling and not the marketing company they employ. The guy seemed friendly enough. He had me send him pictures and said he would show them to QC. After a long wait I got impatient and cut all the extra sheath off of my rope myself. I was eventually contacted and offered the option to send my rope in for further inspection which of course now would be useless. So to be fair if I had been more patient the company may have eventually replaced my rope but I will never know. I guess that's what the second star is for. I wont go so far as to say this rope is unsafe especially for shorter raps. However, on supper long rappels and under heavier loads I could see an ATC getting choked up with all the extra sheath. Of the over 2 dozen ropes (dynamic and static) that I have owned over the last 12 years this is the most disappointing purchase. I have ropes by Blue Water and Imlay that have gone down dozens of canyons and still look better than this did after one use.

10/10 would trust this with my life again. Doesn't wear much over hard edges, almost no stretch. Floats for a bit, pretty light, handles softer than most static lines.

Its not as heavy as the CanyonTech, its tough, reasonably light weight and a nice compromise between fast 8mm and slow and heavy 10mm.. Perfect general use rope for less experienced and / or heavier canyoneers. Works exceptionally well with the ATS descender - not too fast and smooth. It does require a break in, like a lot of canyoneering ropes its a bit stiff to start and it shrinks about 2% once its gotten wet. Once broken in its a joy to rappel on. I have used this rope on ratty rock, edges and a lot of places ordinary rope would have shredded & it still looks like new.

the Sterling C-IV has been my go to rope for over a year now. After about 18 colorado plateau canyons, it looks great and is wearing very well. it dries fast and is reasonably light for its diameter. It rappels a little faster than most 9mm ropes so use caution. Once your used to the way this rope handles it will become your go-to. Its softer than the all polyester ropes and is kinder to your wet, cold hands. Sterling hit a home-run with this one. My only complaint is that I wish the core were Dyneema? or Spectra?, as that would significantly decrease the stretch, however, that would also dramatically increase the price. Bottom line: great workhorse rope for the money.

I've used this rope a couple times guiding trips for my schools outdoor program and just bought one of my own. Nice light weight rope that handles well, great bang for the buck. No complaints.

Short story is, we now only use our "other" rope on practice days on the rough crags, and use C-IV when running any canyons, wet or dry. Lightweight, very smooth, nice hand for tying a knot or stuffing in a rope bag, floats, and most importantly, doesn't heat up anywhere NEAR as much as any other rope we've used on rappels. It's more expensive than other canyon ropes if you buy a shorter or precut length, so just buy a full bolt and split it with a buddy. ... Updated 1/30/2014 - we've been using this rope extensively and the only note I would add is that the older the rope is (well, the more you beat it up!), it does seem to absorb more water and get bouncier when rappelling in class C canyons. Still my favorite rope by a long shot but maybe we'll get a segment of Canyon Pro for the really wet canyons.

This rope has performed very well so far. Tough and longlasting as promised. This Spring I used the C-IV 9mm with small groups on two trips to Moab, Utah. After four canyons (including a 160 foot rappel in Rock Of Ages Canyon) with multiple raps in each canyon (times four people), the rope still looks great. A little fuzz here and there from pulling the rope over the sandstone, but otherwise, it looks great. We all used a Pirana rappel device--great kit, especially for the heavier (190 pound) climbers. The C-IV is lightweight and knots well--great static line. I'm going to buy a 120 footer to supplement my two 200 footers and I'll buy the C-IV again. I'm completely happy with this rope.

Been using this rope for several years. I just bought my second one last month. It has held up really well. The rope is very durable and the dry treatment has held well also. If anyone is looking for a great canyoneering rope this is a great choice.