5 Best Tree Climbing Rope (Ensure a Safe Climb) in 2023

When it comes to climbing ropes, a lot of matters! But, what’s more, important than safety, right? So, yes, a lot of people scratch their heads when buying one. 

And, oh tell me about the options in the market. There are almost a thousand ropes lying around. But, it feels frustrating when you’re trying your best and still couldn’t climb on that tree easily. 

Well, people, we’ve heard your call. So, we’re here with the best tree climbing rope in the market. But, we’ve even pushed our researching limits and brought 5 more out of the thousand options.

But, fear not as we’ve provided all their features and selling points so that you can distinguish between them. 

Sounds promising? The comparison table is the best place to begin- 

• Top Pick: Blue Ox Rope 12-Strand Climbing Rope
• Editor’s Choice: Pelican Rope Climbing Rope
• Best Overall: X XBEN Climbing Rope
• Strongest: OXYVAN Climbing Rope
• Best Flexible: VOXLOVA Climbing Rope

1. Blue Ox Rope 12-Strand Climbing Rope

• Size: 60, 100, 120, 200, 150, and 300 feet. 
• Diameter: 12.7 mm
• Material: 12-strand polyester
• Tensile Strength: 8000 pounds 
• Weight: 11.6 pounds

Drum rolls for our favorite product!! The Blue OX rope has been our favorite for various reasons. But, the main selling point of this rope is the 8000pound max tensile strength and the large diameter. 

So, let’s check this product out at why we’ve crowned it as the king of tree climbing ropes- 

First things first, this product showcases the battle of numbers. By this, we mean the high-end specifications. So, let’s start at that- 

The rope has a solid construction of 12-strand polyester. Added to that is the durable plastic coating. This makes the climbing rope ideal for most climbing situations. 

So, yes, this rope is one of the strongest ones out there and you won’t have to worry about it tearing. 

Now, let’s talk a bit about the 12-strand construction. As the rope is made out of 12-strands, they’ll remain stable under loads. At times, many ropes rotate when added loads are pushed through them. 

But, that won’t happen here. Furthermore, the thicker rope shell will reduce the chances of twisting under tension. 

Besides, the 12-strands make it easier to grip the rope as well. Speaking of the grip, this rope comes in a thick 12.7mm diameter. This means you can grip the surface easily with your bare hands. 

That said, the surface of the rope is non-slippery as well. So, you’d be able to grip the rope well enough. 

Then again, having a thicker surface and a thick diameter means that the rope won’t be lightweight. And, trust me, this rope has the most weight on this list. 

So, carrying it around isn’t the easiest of tasks. But, the added toughness and strength make up for the added weight always. 

Other than that, the rope provides up to 8000 pounds of tensile force. So, the rope will have your back even through the heaviest of works. But, keep a track of the time you use this rope. But, why? 

Well, the ropes wear out over time. And, bypassing heavier loads through them, you’ll wear them out quicker. So, get ready with another one on the line if needed. 

To summarize, this rope is an absolute beast when it comes to climbing trees. And, it makes climbing easier and simple. All you have to do is maintain a proper grip throughout your climbing. 

2. Pelican Rope Climbing Rope

• Size: 120, 150, and 200 ft
• Diameter: 11.7 mm
• Material: Nylon
• Tensile Strength: 7000 pounds
• Weight: 7.25 Pounds

Time for the runners-up! We have the Pelican Rope at the 2nd place on our list. But, this rope did come real close at snatching the win. Perhaps there are some features here that didn’t catch up with the previous one. 

But, that said, it’s still one of the best ropes in the market and comes with a lot of benefits. And, the USP of this product is the 24-strand construction. Let’s discuss this feature and the others down below- 

First off, the rope is built off polyester strands. This means the rope can handle high stress quite regularly. Here, the lesser flexible core of the rope handles friction and heavier loads quite easily. 

Speaking of the core, it’s made of a nylon core. So, the rope is strong and tough overall. And, it’ll remain durable even amidst the heaviest of loads. 

To be precise, it comes with a maximum tensile strength of 7000 pounds. Even though it’s lower than the first product, this strength is simply amazing. 

To top it off, the top has a polyester cover. Here, the cover is chemical-resistant. So, you won’t have to worry about chemicals causing problems to the rope’s surface. 

That’s not all. The materials of this rope can handle abrasion and excess frictions easily. And, the best part is that it’ll even resist moisture and UV-ray degradation. So, you can take the rope with you in any weather. 

Now, on to the diameter of this rope. And, it comes with an 11.7mm diameter. Even though it has a slightly smaller diameter, it’s still a thick rope. 

For this reason, you’ll be able to grip the rope better. So, when it comes to gripping, this one is better than the later ones in this list. 

On the other hand, the rope is made for climbing larger trees. And, you have the full liberty of choosing your rope size. So, if you’re planning on climbing a larger tree, we’d suggest you try out the 200ft size. 

Now, we’ve saved the best part for the last. Let’s talk about the 24-strands construction. Here, the construction ensures that you’ll have a smoothened ascend with lesser friction. This mainly happens due to the cover. 

Another benefit of this feature is that the rope’s cover and core will both work at sharing the load. 

In the end, this rope is perfect for climbing trees. The diameter provides enough room to grip the rope. Plus, the lightweight characteristics make it easier to carry this rope around. And, the rope remains strong and flexible all the time. 

3. X XBEN Climbing Rope

• Size: 32ft, 64ft, 96ft, 160ft, 230ft, 500ft, and 1000ft. 
• Diameter: 8mm
• Material: Nylon fiber
• Tensile Strength: 3300 pounds
• Weight: 1.55 Pounds

Bringing in another outdoor climbing rope from the brand- X XBEN. And, the main selling point of this rope is the lightweight ability and availability of various sizes. So, let’s begin discussing this feature and the rest- 

Let’s begin with the various size ranges of this rope. Here, it comes with providing sizes up to even 1000ft. So, this gives you the liberty of climbing larger trees. 

And, the rope doesn’t end there. It’ll provide options of 32ft, 64ft, 96ft, 160ft, and even 230ft. If you’re not planning to use the 1000ft option then you can even settle for a 500ft option as well. 

We’ve spoken a lot about the size options. So, now let’s head-on with the rope itself. First off, you’ll love the sliding rate of the rope’s skin. Here, it comes with a sliding rate of under 0.05%

Thus, safety won’t be much of a concern about this rope. But, as this rope has the lowest diameter of 8mm in this list, you might want to buy a glove. Normally, less thick ropes aren’t easy to grip. 

However, investing in a glove will make gripping easier. That said, this rope has a lesser sliding rate which means you won’t have problems gripping the rope. So, the manufacturers have sorted this problem out. 

Another benefit of the lower diameter is that it’ll make the rope less heavy as well. So, yes, this rope comes at an astonishing 1.55 pounds. With this lower weight, you can easily carry the rope anywhere you go. 

Now, let’s talk about the construction of this rope. And, it’s made of nylon fibers. With this sturdy and solid construction, the rope makes tree climbing easier. 

Also, the rope comes with a combination of 13-core lines. This combination of the 13 core lines makes the rope stronger and more durable. So, the rope will survive abuse easily. 

Furthermore, the rope is safe from external abuse due to the twisted outer surface. Here, the surface provides an overall smoother texture on the rope. This will make gripping and braking easier. 

But, when compared to the previous product, it does lack behind in the maximum tensile strength. Here, it’ll come at a 3300 pounds strength. And, this makes the rope lag behind the top two products. 

When climbing trees, it’s important that your ropes have the right elasticity. But, why? Well, this makes the climbing sessions comfortable and easier. 

Guess what? This rope maintains this right elasticity ratio. As a result, the climbing sessions will be comfortable and easy. Plus, you can effectively stop without getting hurt. 

In the end, this lightweight rope can be used for other functions quite easily as well. So, you can use this rope for climbing, camping, and even hiking.

4. OXYVAN Climbing Rope

• Size: 32, 49, 65, 98, and 164 ft 
• Diameter: 10 mm
• Material:  Polyester and Polypropylene
• Tensile Strength: 2200 pounds
• Weight: 2 Pounds

Presenting one of the most lightweight products on this list- OXYVAN climbing rope. But, being lightweight isn’t the best part about this rope. Here, the thing that makes this rope phenomenal is the double braided construction. 

And, what does it do? Well, it provides stability and makes it easy at sharing the load. More on that below with the other significant features. So, let’s begin with them- 

Now, the double-braided construction makes it easy at sharing the loads equally. And, this does make it easier at keeping the rope stable and strong throughout your climb. 

However, in this rope, the manufacturers have made the exterior skin tighter. Plus, the rate of sliding is less than even 0.05%. So, when it comes to safety, you won’t have much to worry about. 

Speaking of safety, the steel carabiner has a rigid structure. And, it won’t fall easily when the lock is buckled up. Plus, this rope has a smoothened braking function. So, you’ll be in safe hands. 

Moving on, let’s talk a bit about the material of this rope. Here, it’s made of polypropylene and polyester. This means it has higher longevity. And, the presence of firm braiding sheaths contributes to longevity even more. 

Plus, the higher toughness makes it resist the most amount of damages. Furthermore, the materials contribute to better abrasion resistance when compared to other ropes in the market. 

Apart from this, the rope is the third thickest option on the list. It comes with a diameter of 10mm. So, it’ll be quite easier to grip. But, you can wear gloves to grip the rope even better. 

That said, this rope does have a limited 300kg weight capacity. And, it’ll maintain a tensile force of 2200 pounds which is the lowest on the list. 

On the other hand, this rope is twice more wear-resistant due to knitting technology. Here, the rope is made from 3 core ropes knitted together. As a result, the rope is strong and stable all the time. 

Other than that, it’ll maintain a stronger binding force and won’t absorb water at the same time. This is mainly due to the precise weaving of the ropes. 

As we’ve mentioned earlier, this rope is tough yet lightweight. And, you can roll it up to a smaller part quite easily. Thus, the rope is easy to carry and easy to store as well. 

In the end, the rope isn’t made for tree climbing only. It’ll work well when you’re camping, fishing, boating, and even when escaping a fire. So, it brings a lot of variety in the usage. 

5. VOXLOVA Climbing Rope

• Size: 32, 65ft
• Diameter: 10mm 
• Material: Polyester fibers 
• Tensile Strength: 3300 pounds
• Weight:  2.47 Pounds

We’re done with our list. Before going away, we’d like to present the last yet one of the best climbing ropes for the trees in the market. This rope is from the brand- VOXLOVA. 

Now, even though you’ll find this product in the last part of this list, it has the same diameter as the previous rope. So, this one also is a lightweight edition of this list. More on the features down below- 

First off, let’s discuss the materials of this product. This is because the materials do matter a lot in the toughness and longevity of the ropes. Here, the rope is made of polyester fibers. 

And, all of the polyesters fibers are accompanied by tight woven sewing. So, the fibers form a stronger bond and will provide much strength. 

Apart from the durability, the 15 thick core ropes added to this rope provide additional strength. Thus, the rope is able to maintain a tensile strength of 3300 pounds. 

Compared to the previous rope, this one takes the lead in the tensile strength as it has a more prominent 15 thicker core rope addition. Here, the added strength in this rope makes it wear-resistant as well. 

 So, you won’t have to worry about safety with this one. Now, rope extension happens for various reasons. But, you won’t have to worry about it much as this rope has a lower ductility that’ll reduce the causes of the risk by the extension. 

Moving on, the only drawback of this rope is not being able in climbing larger trees. As the length of this rope is only 32 and 65ft, you can’t really go up on the larger trees. 

But, this rope will help you at climbing medium/smaller trees. That said, you’ll need a longer rope of 200ft in order to climb the larger trees. 

In accordance with that, this rope does come with a smaller diameter. So, invest in some gloves in order to grip better. Plus, as it’s lightweight, you won’t have problems carrying it around. 

Other than that, you can use this rope for camping, boating, caving, and fishing as well. So, you’ll have your options. 

In the end, it does come with aluminum lightweight snap hooks that’ll lock completely. And, the carry bag that’ll help you carry this rope around easily. So, if you like what you’ve observed till now, go for this product. 

Best Size Rope for Tree Climbing

Well, it’s true that there are different-sized ropes out there. And, trust me. Each of the ropes has its impact. Honestly, you don’t need a 200ft or a 500ft rope for climbing a smaller tree. 

So, our advice is to start at 150ft. This means you can go upto trees of 75ft. Basically, the size of the rope has to be double the size of the tree. 

By calculating like this, you can go ahead and choose the correct size needed. But, in our words, unless you’re going for shorter trees, 150ft of ropes are enough. 

Best Thickness for the Tree Climbing Rope

If you’ve followed our review section then you’ll know that there are different diameters for the ropes. But, the most common one was 10mm. Now, the question is- does rope thickness matter? 

Yes, the thickness of the ropes does matter. But, why? Well, the more the diameter, the thicker the rope will be. Also, more diameter means you can grip the rope properly as well. 

At times, the lesser diameter ropes are hard to grip. And, it can cause problems when you’re gripping them with bare hands. But, having a larger diameter in a rope has a bit of a disadvantage too. And, what is that? 

Having a larger diameter increases the weight of the ropes. So, they’ll be quite heavy. On the other hand, having a smaller diameter means that your ropes will be lightweight and easy to carry. 

So, if you’re a beginner then go for a rope below 10mm. This way, you can ensure that you have enough room to grip and still have a lightweight option. Plus, it’ll be durable and strong as well. 

Now, having a thicker rope means you’re in it for the business. The thicker ropes will provide enough support and will remain strong all the time. Plus, they’ll be easy to grip. So, invest in them if you’re new to climbing. 

Arborist Rope VS Rock Climbing Rope

You’ve seen the review section. Now, you know there are two types of ropes lying around. So, which one should you get when you’re climbing trees? And, can you use a rock climbing rope in climbing trees? 

Well, let’s find out as we’ve prepared a head-head comparison between the two- 

Arborist Rope

From the name, you’d know that these ropes are designed for climbing trees. In fact, they’re made for the sole purpose of climbing trees only. Here, these ropes are mainly static ropes. 

Generally, static ropes work in the favor of climbing trees for one main reason. That is the less stretchy feature of the rope. Static ropes don’t stretch much. As a result, they don’t bounce at all when climbing. 

At times, when bouncing occurs, the climber will require more energy than usual to climb up. So, they’ll need to put in more effort to do normal work. 

But, the static ropes don’t stretch much. And, you won’t have to put in more effort when climbing. 

Rock Climbing Rope

When compared to the arborist rope, rock climbing ropes make it easier to climb rocks. But, are they good with trees? Well, let’s find out- 

These ropes are dynamic in nature. This means they’ll create bouncy effects when you’re trying to climb them. So, it’s not nice to use them to climb trees. But, why? 

Well, when they create bouncy effects, you’ll need to put in more effort to climb up the trees. So, it might drain you out fast enough. Hence, it’s better to leave rock climbing ropes to climb rocks. 

Which One to Climb Trees?

It’s safe to say that arborist ropes are the ones to go for. These ropes don’t stretch a lot and you won’t require much effort to climb trees with them. 

Types of Tree Climbing Ropes

There are different types of climbing ropes in the market. Apart from being static and dynamic. So, let’s check them out- 

1. Single Ropes

Yep! Given the name, you’ll need to use these ropes as standalone strands. 

2. Half Ropes

Generally, you can use these ropes together. But, you’ll need to clip them. And, they come in 8-9mm diameter.

3. Twin Ropes

These hopes are the same as half ropes as you can use them on a two-rope system. That said, they’re a bit thin when compared to half ropes. 

How to Climb up a Tree with Rope?

Yes, we know most of you will know how to climb up a tree with a rope. In fact, this article is targeted towards the arborist who has done climbing a few times. 

But, what about the beginners? So, if you’re new to the entire climbing process, we’ve decided to provide some help here. Given that matter, we’ve even tried to put some tricks and tips there. So, let’s begin- 

Step 1: Selecting the Right Equipment

Yes, this is the most important part. Get the right equipment before climbing. So, ensure a locking carabiner that can lock at the place. Next, invest in a harness. 

And, if you don’t have one, take a 15ft rope with you to be used as a harness. Lastly, you’ll have to ensure the rope that’s twice the size of the tree. So, you’ll need a 150ft rope for a 75ft tree. 

When it comes to the tree, choosing a thick oak tree would be just fine as they’re strong. 

Step 2: Getting Rope Attached to the Tree

It’s important to know how to attach the rope to the tree’s surface. So, begin with attaching a weighted substance at the end of the rope. 

Now, swing the rope and aim towards a branch. Ensure that the rope gets attached to the branch. 

Step 3: Tying the Knots

Tie the knots in the tree. There are different types of knots. So, you’ll need to ensure one from the internet. 

Step 4: Getting the Climb

As we’ve prepared the pre-climbing procedures, it’s time to get up on that tree. So, let’s take a look at how you can do it. 

First off, wrap the rope around your hands. Maintain a stable and secure grip on the hanging rope. But, make sure it’s comfortable and you’re not hurting yourself. 

Next, pull the rope down. Here, it’s important that you maintain your weight on the rope below you and not on the rope above. You’ll have to put in some effort but you’ll get the hang of it in no time. 

After this, pull the first rope using both your hands. If you haven’t noticed yet, you’re going up on the tree. Then, hold the rope that you’ve pulled down. 

Next, slide the harness with the left hand. And, once you stick the harness in one position, it’ll keep you in that position. 

Lastly, do the same thing again and again. And, you’ll climb up the tree easily. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: When it comes to tree climbing, what’s the best rope? 

Answer: The best rope for tree climbing is the “Blue Ox Rope 12-Strand Climbing Rope”. 

Question: Is it possible to use a rock climbing rope for climbing a tree? 

Answer: No, rock climbing ropes can be bouncy at times. Normally, rock climbing ropes stretch a lot compared to the static ones. So, in this case, they’re better off with rock climbing and not with tree climbing. 

Question: Are climbing ropes expensive? 

Answer: Yes, climbing ropes are expensive. That said, all types of climbing gear can be expensive. 

Question: What diameter should a thick climbing rope have? 

Answer: The optimum diameter for a climbing rope should be from 9.4 to 9.7mm. Having this much diameter means the ropes would be abrasion-resistant and lightweight at the same time. Plus, it’ll provide strength and toughness at the same time. 

Question: How much time can a tree climbing rope last? 

Answer: Well, the longevity of the tree-climbing ropes mainly depends on the usage. For example- if you’ve kept the rope as it is and never used it, it’ll last for almost 10 years. But, if you’ve used the ropes every month for once, they’ll go on for 5-6 years. 

Verdict

Well, arborists, this section marks the end of this review guide. Things have been quite informative until this point. So, we expect you to buy the best rope for tree climbing for yourself. 

And, even if you’re trying to climb trees for fun, go ahead and take a look at our products. This is because all of them would make your climbing process safe and easier. 

That said, do leave some comments below for us to keep track of. We’d love to give our honest feedback on any of your problems. Good Luck!

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Kevin Smith

Founder and Author at woodhungry.com

Author of WOODHUNGRY.COM. Through THIS website, I shares MY expertise by providing insightful articles, detailed tutorials, and practical tips to help both beginners and seasoned woodworkers enhance their craft.

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