Edelrid Boa Pro Dry Review

The Edelrid Boa Pro Dry is a 9.8mm thick rope that comes in either 60m or 70m lengths. It makes up the upper end of Edelrid's rope lineup in terms of thickness, although if you want something fatter, they still offer a couple of 10.0mm options as well. It comes either Dry Treated, which is what we tested, or in a standard, non-dry treated version. You can also buy the Boa Eco if you choose, which uses more environmentally friendly dry treatments, and is also made out of the ends of other fiber reels so that there is no waste, but expect to pay extra for this version.

Compared to the other workhorse competition, the Boa was not our favorite. We should say that we actually do enjoy using it, but that the other 9.7 and 9.8mm options that we've compared it against simply perform better, and are also more affordable. If you have a bead on some Edelrid deals or are simply loyal to a fault, this is a solid and durable rope that will serve you just fine. But if you are shopping the field, then our Top Pick for Workhorse Ropes handles a lot better and is a bit less expensive, while our Best Bang for the Buck winner is also a workhorse that can save you a solid chunk of change over this rope.

Performance Comparison

The Boa Pro Dry is the definition of a workhorse rope, and after four months of heavy usage, we felt like it still looked pretty much like new. While it's a bit thick for some, and tends to the burly side when handling rather than the soft and supple side, we think this rope is a solid value.

Handling

Ropes certainly run the gamut between super soft and squishy versus firmer and less pliable, and to some degree, handling is a personal preference. That said, we found this rope to be a bit less enjoyable and functional in our hands than others we compared it against directly. Considering it has a dry coating applied to the outside, we didn't find it to be especially slippery or smooth. We like how it comes lap coiled with the end fed through a hole in the packaging that simply requires you to pull the end continuously through the hole in order to flake it out for the first time. However, in general this rope isn't super flexible, and we found that once twists and kinks found their way into the rope, it was hard to get them out. The inherent stiffness and the propensity to stay a bit kinked, bent, and twisted, meant that this rope often gave us troubles as we belayed with it, such that we short-roped our buddies more than we would have liked, and more than they deserved. The thick gauge of the cord also contributes to this effect, as a thicker rope means more friction in the belay device, making it slightly harder to quickly and easily feed out slack, regardless of which kind of device you are using. If you are a beginner, then this may be a good thing and make your belays slightly safer, but most experienced climbers will prefer a rope that handles and belays a bit more smoothly.

These two bights of rope are laying naturally on the ground. It is obvious, therefore, that the Boa, in pink on the bottom, is clearly not as naturally supple and flexible as the 9.5 Crag Classic on the top, which bends more easily, and retains that shape. While every individual is free to choose what type of handle they appreciate the best, a more supple rope is generally easier to use and belay with.

The rope comes packaged in such a way that you are meant to just be able to pull it through the hole as you flake it onto the ground with no tangles. This method certainly works, and can save you a lot of time with initial unpacking, but the rope will still be a bit kinked and twisted, as you can see in the pile laying on the ground.

Durability

Over our test period, which took place over the course of four months and included well over 200 pitches of climbing, we feel that this rope has held up quite well, and that fact combined with the overall thickness of the rope leads us to believe that it is indeed a durable rope. The sheath is woven in a standard 2x2 pattern that doesn't feel quite as tight to us as on some other ropes, and of course, after that many pitches, we are starting to see some light abrasion and some fuzziness creeping up in places, but this is common amongst all climbing ropes that have been used, especially for sport climbing. The sheath constitutes 39% of the fibers of this rope, and considering it is fairly thick, that means a lot of sheath to protect those all-important core fibers. In general, thicker ropes tend to be more durable, and of course, those that are dry treated also serve to improve the durability and longevity. As long as you treat this rope well, and it doesn't end up accidentally core shot, we think you will be more than happy with the durability and lifespan.

With a thick diameter and relatively hefty sheath percentage, this rope should last you a long time as long as you don't treat it poorly and accidentally core shot it. You can see in this photo the light picking up on some frayed "hairs", which happens as a rope wears from use.

Weight

This rope weighs in at 62g/m, which ties it as the heaviest rope in this review. If you are to extend that weight outwards to a 70m cord, you are looking at about 9.57 lbs. While it is heavier than the rest, it is also right in line with the other thicker ropes we've tested, those that are also 9.8mm or 9.7mm, so there is no disadvantage to this cord specifically if you want a rope with this diameter. For comparison sake, you can save about half a pound by choosing a 9.5 mm rope instead, which for some may seem like a reasonable amount of savings, and for others might not be worth worrying about.

The Boa is on the bottom, compared to a thinner 9.5 crag classic, our Editors' Choice winner. The difference in diameter between these two ropes is 0.3mm, which may be noticeable by looking, but there is also a decent jump up in weight when you go for the thicker rope.

Catch

We've fallen on this rope many times, and certainly can't remember the feeling that we weren't receiving a soft catch. Since what makes up a soft catch is so subjective, and also has a lot to do with the weight and skill of the belayer, it can be handy to look at the statistics as well. It's elongation percentages — 8.3% static and 34% dynamic — indicate that it should be one of the stretchiest ropes on the market, but our real-world experience didn't exactly back this up. On the contrary, we found it fairly easy to suck the slack out and give a nice and tight belay while top-roping, something that isn't usually possible with extra stretchy or bouncy ropes. It's fall force rating — 8.9kN — is slightly on the high side, but in our real-world experience, we didn't notice this translating into a catch that wasn't soft.

We sometimes found it a bit difficult belaying with this rope because it didn't feed through the GriGri as easy as some thinner cords. Check out the twists on the brake line, a problem we often had throughout our many months of testing this cord. While twists can and should be worked out of a rope, this one simply seemed to work harder to hold onto them against our wishes.

With a thicker rope, there is going to be added friction going through the belay device. For newer climbers, this may be a good thing as it makes the belay a bit safer, although more experienced climbers generally want the improved handling that comes with thinner ropes.

Value

Retail price for this rope is roughly average for a higher-end 9.5mm rope, and a bit high compared to the other similar workhorses we compared it against. Considering that its performance is merely average and adequate according to our comparative testing, we can't see a solid reason to spend extra money, when you could have a better rope for the same amount, or potentially much less. For this reason, we aren't sure that this rope presents a great value.

Sticking the first bolt on the calcified tuff of the God's Crag with the durable workhorse Boa Pro Dry. Considering the longevity we feel you can expect with this rope given no core shots, we think it provides pretty solid value.

Conclusion

The Edelrid Boa Pro Dry is a thick and durable workhorse rope that handles way more like a minivan than a sports car. It is a bit stiffer than most ropes we've tested, and combined with its thickness, makes belaying a bit more of a struggle. While we honestly think this rope works just fine for what it is, we think there are more compelling options available.

Putting the Boa Pro Dry to the test at the God's Crag, in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, on a sunny day. We thought this cord worked well as a workhorse for sport climbing, or just any situation where you are hard on the rope or want extra longevity.