Beal Booster III Review

The Beal Booster III 9.7mm weighs 61 g/m. It has a low impact force rating (7.3 kN) and a high static and dynamic elongation (9.7% and 38 %). This rope is available in Classic, Dry, and the "Golden Dry" finishes (less than 1% water absorption), as well as with a "Unicore" weave, where the sheath and core are bonded together to prevent sheath slippage. We tested the Dry version for this review.

Performance Comparison

Handling

As we mentioned above, we weren't in love with the handling of this line when it was new. The chart below shows how it compared to the other ropes for handling.

It felt very stiff out of the bag, and didn't feed smoothly through our hands when belaying. It did soften up quite a bit over time and by the end of our testing period, clipping and overall handling felt a lot smoother.

It isn't a particularly kinky rope — some of the lines that we tested seem to kink up if we even look at them the wrong way — though it is possible to put kinks in any line with a staggered anchor while lowering or top-roping. Although it isn't our absolute favorite in the handling department, it still works well.

Catch

We like the catch on this line, and it received a high score for its performance in this category.

With a 38% dynamic elongation, we expected a soft catch from this rope, and we got it. It felt a little spongy when top roping but not nearly as bad as with a couple of the worst offenders in this department, despite having nearly the same elongation ratings. This just confirmed to us though that you have to take the numbers listed on the packaging with a grain of salt. Climbing ropes are tested in extremely controlled conditions that don't always translate to real-world experience.

Speaking of numbers, this rope does have the lowest impact force rating of any rope in the review, 7.3 kN. This rating comes from a very specific test, whereby an 80 Kg solid mass takes a 1.77 (factor) fall on a fixed point. The maximum force allowed is 12 kN, as this was determined to be the maximum amount of deceleration the human body can withstand. The reality is that a "real" fall with a squishy human (instead of a solid mass) and a belayer (instead of a fixed point) will never result in those types of forces, but ropes are engineered with worst-case scenarios in mind, which we appreciate.

So, what can we take from its lower impact force number? Assuming that ropes behave similarly in real-world scenarios as they do in drop tests, this rope might have a lower impact force in a real-world fall than a rope like the Maxim Pinnacle, who's max rating was 10.3 kN. This is something to consider if you're traditional climbing and want to minimize the forces on your gear.

Weight

This rope weighs 61 g/m, which is on the light side of the spectrum for a 9.7mm rope. To put it into a "what am I carrying in my pack" perspective, a 60m length of this rope should weigh about 8 pounds. This makes it slightly heavier than some of the 9.5mm models in this review, but that 1/3 of a pound might hardly be noticeable in your pack or while you're climbing. Those looking for a lightweight option for alpine or multi-pitch routes should check out one of the super-thin cords we have reviewed here, in the 8.9mm to 9.2mm diameter range, as they offer significant weight savings for bigger adventures.

Durability

This rope impressed us most of all with its durability, and it topped our ratings for this category.

After more than a dozen days on this rope and over 70 pitches, we're not seeing too many signs of wear. There's little to no fuzz on the sheath, and we couldn't identify any noticeable wear spots. The rope does look a little dirty though (the downside to a light-colored rope), and the middle marker is mostly faded and easily mistaken for a dirty section.

This rope has a 42% sheath proportion, and typically, a rope gets retired from too much sheath damage, so, the more sheath, the better. However, this is not the only indication of durability, as some other ropes seemed fine with only 36% sheath. Ultimately, if you know you are hard on your ropes, you can use this number to try and help you decide which one to get, but don't assume that a lower percentage of sheath will automatically be less durable, or vice versa. We've also added a spec column to convey the actual quantity of sheath (in g/m) in each rope. This will hopefully make it easier to compare the sheath percentages between different weight ropes.

Value

This rope retails for a pretty darn low price in the 60m Dry version (prices vary higher for the Golden Dry treatment and also for 70m lengths). Considering that it handles almost as well as far more pricey ropes, we think this line is a great value. Also, it held up well during our testing and promises to be a durable and long-lasting line, increasing its value even more. For these reasons, it is our Best Buy winner.

Conclusion