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Edelrid Boa Pro Dry Review

A good rope for those not looking to spend too much.
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Price:  $210 List | $209.95 at Backcountry
Compare prices at 3 resellers
Pros:  Not too expensive, available in a bi-pattern weave
Cons:  Only average catch and handling with poor durability
Manufacturer:   Edelrid
By Cam McKenzie Ring ⋅ Senior Review Editor  ⋅  Sep 11, 2017
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64
OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#11 of 14
  • Handling - 40% 7
  • Catch - 15% 7
  • Weight - 20% 5
  • Durability - 25% 6

Our Verdict

The Edelrid Pro Dry is a 9.8 mm rope that handles and catches well, but not exceptionally so. It feels very supple initially but stiffens up a bit with use. It also got very dirty, noticeably more so than many other ropes in this review, even despite the dry coating, which usually helps protects a rope from taking on too much dirt. We noticed a lot of sheath fuzz as well by the end of testing. For a great overall rope that doesn't soak up the dirt, check out our Editors' Choice winner, the Mammut Infinity.


Compare to Similar Products

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This Product
Edelrid Boa Pro Dry
Awards  Editors' Choice Award Top Pick Award  Best Buy Award 
Price $209.95 at Backcountry
Compare at 3 sellers		$259.90 at Backcountry
Compare at 2 sellers		Check Price at Amazon
Compare at 3 sellers		$247.97 at Amazon
Compare at 3 sellers		$164.96 at MooseJaw
Overall Score Sort Icon
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Star Rating
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Pros Not too expensive, available in a bi-pattern weaveGreat balance of weight, handling, catch, and durabilityGreat handling, durableDurable, excellent feel and handle, soft catchesSoft catches, low impact force rating, durable
Cons Only average catch and handling with poor durabilityExpensiveHeavy for the diameter, high impact force ratingPriceyA little too stretchy for top roping, stiff
Bottom Line A good rope for those not looking to spend too much.A great all-around rope that's not specialized to any one discipline.A great rope for advanced sport climbing.One of the best ropes you can buy, striking a perfect balance between low weight and durability.Not the best handling but excellent overall performance.
Rating Categories Edelrid Boa Pro Dry Mammut Infinity Maxim Pinnacle Sterling Evolution Helix Beal Booster III
Handling (40%)
10
0
7
10
0
8
10
0
9
10
0
8
10
0
7
Catch (15%)
10
0
7
10
0
9
10
0
7
10
0
8
10
0
8
Weight (20%)
10
0
5
10
0
9
10
0
7
10
0
8
10
0
7
Durability (25%)
10
0
6
10
0
8
10
0
8
10
0
8
10
0
9
Specs Edelrid Boa Pro Dry Mammut Infinity Maxim Pinnacle Sterling Evolution... Beal Booster III
Diameter 9.8 mm 9.5 mm 9.5 mm 9.5 mm 9.7 mm
Weight (g/m) 63 g/m 58 g/m 61 g/m 59 g/m 61 g/m
Certified Use Single Single Single Single Single
UIAA Fall Rating 10 6-7 7 7 8
Impact Force 8.9 kN 8.6 kN 10.3 kN 8.9 kN 7.3 kN
Static Elongation % (in use) 8.3 6.8 5 7.2 9.7
Dynamic Elongation % (first fall) 34 30 26 31.9 38
Sheath Proportion % 39 42 36 41 42
Dry Coating Option Pro Dry Mammut's Dry Treatment Endura Dry 2x treatment DryXP Dry Cover
Middle Mark or Bi-Pattern Option Middle mark Bi-Pattern or Middle Mark Bi-pattern option Middle Mark and Bi-Color Option Middle mark
Lengths Available 50m, 60m, 70m, 80m 50m, 60m, 70m, 80m 60m, 70m 40m, 50m, 60m, 70m, 80m. DryXP: 60m, 70m, 80m 60m, 70m

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Edelrid Pro Dry 9.8 mm weighs 63 g/m and is rated for 10 falls. It is available in a wide variety of options, including a bi-pattern weave, standard or dry coated, and the new "Eco" version, which uses leftover yarns from previous productions. You can also purchase 200 meters of it, should you need that long a rope!

Performance Comparison


Testing out the Boa. This rope performed reasonably well but didn't stand out in any one category or application.
Testing out the Boa. This rope performed reasonably well, but didn't stand out in any one category or application.

Handling


We were impressed by the hand feel of this rope when we first opened it. It felt soft and silky, was easy to feed, and not too kinky. Then we used it a bunch, and it stopped feeling quite so smooth. Some ropes tend to stiffen up with use, and this felt like one of them. It was nowhere near as stiff as the Edelweiss Curve Unicore Supereverdry, but it wasn't as easy to clip with and feed out slack as our Top Pick for Sport Climbing, the Maxim Pinnacle.

This rope handled reasonably well - it was very supple at first but did stiffen up a bit with use.
This rope handled reasonably well - it was very supple at first but did stiffen up a bit with use.

Catch


The numbers on this rope suggest that it should have a nice and soft catch (8.9 kN impact force and 34% dynamic elongation), but it didn't feel noticeably different than many of the other ropes in this review. This rope does have the highest fall rating (10) of all the models that we tested. That means that it can withstand 10 Factor 1.77 drop tests before failure, which is impressive (all of the others range between 6 and 8). That being said, most climbers are never going to put even one fall of that magnitude on a rope, and most manufacturers recommend retiring your rope regardless if you ever do experience such a harsh fall.

Weight


This line weighs 63 g/m, which is similar to most of the other 9.8 or 9.9 lines in this review. If you want to save a few ounces and don't mind a skinnier rope, the Mammut Infinity and Petzl Arial are lighter and will weigh about half a pound less in a 60 m length.

Durability


We had to give this rope a relatively low score for durability. The sheath was showing quite a bit of fuzz after eight days of climbing, and it was particularly dirty, without us using it anywhere that we didn't use the other lines in this review.

Can you spot the middle marker? This rope got very dirty very quickly even when used in similar conditions to other ropes. There was also quite a bit of sheath fuzz and some glazing but no significant damage.
Can you spot the middle marker? This rope got very dirty very quickly, even when used in similar conditions to other ropes. There was also quite a bit of sheath fuzz and some glazing, but no significant damage.

Best Applications


The Edelrid Pro Dry is a good line for a variety of climbing. It's not too specialized as to be suitable for only sport or only trad, and it didn't feel too spongy for top roping. Because it seemed to attract and hold dirt more than other ropes, it might not be the best choice for people who climb in notoriously dirty or sandy locations.

We liked sport climbing with this rope but it got really dirty after a month of bolt clipping in Ten Sleep WY.
We liked sport climbing with this rope, but it got really dirty after a month of bolt clipping in Ten Sleep, WY.

Value


This rope retails for $209 in a 60m dry version and only $150 for a non-dry. This makes it fairly affordable when compared to some of the $260 and up models out there. We did prefer the $210 Beal Booster III, our Best Buy winner, over this model, as it showed less wear than this one.

Conclusion


The Edelrid Pro Dry is not a bad rope, but it just didn't stand out enough in any one category or for a particular application to win an award.


— Cam McKenzie Ring