How to Coil and Carry a Rope for Climbing or Rappelling

In this week's Knot of the Week we'll show you how to coil a climbing rope so that you can easily carry it on your back. Not only is this method quick, but it will also allow you to easily deploy the rope for use. Check out the full article here with step-by-step instructions and photos: http://bit.ly/P0ur2c While we use the term coiling, the real definition of this method is called flaking. Flaking allows the rope to be gathered in the natural way it lies and doesn't add any unnecessary twists to the rope. Twists can kink over time reducing the life of the rope fibers, as well as lead to knotting when undoing the rope. Carrying a rope in this configuration will allow a climber to move with the least amount of weight possible to reach their destination. Carrying the rope like this also helps a climber maintain a good center of gravity. Trying to free-climb with a backpack full of rope adds unnecessary risk to an already dangerous task.