ProView – C.A.M.P. Kasama 9.7 mm x 70 m Dry Rope Review

Most climbers likely know by now that C.A.M.P. makes quality climbing gear for every style of climbing – encompassing almost everything you need besides stretchy clothing. The only major holes in their product lines are SLCDs and ropes. The big news is that C.A.M.P. has secretly been working on at least 1 of these and is officially releasing their 5 rope series in Spring 2026. They will release a 9mm dry, 9.2mm, 9.4mm dry, 9.7mm dry, and a 9.8mm. I tested the Kasama 9.7mm dry treated rope over a handful of climbing filled months in the Desert Southwest.

I am lucky enough to have a few months off from work each winter, when tourism in Moab peters out, and I get a break from the guiding industry’s work/work balance. The timing of this rope review has been fantastic – I was able to use it the last couple weeks of the work season and then left on a 6-week climbing trip that spanned climbing on Sandstone all along Southern Utah and Nevada, down to the Limestone covering Arizona. Chasing the sun and generally climbing 4 days on – 1 day off,  single to multi pitch, this rope has done it all and has been really solid the whole trip.

Features

The Kasama’s main features are its dry treatment and middle mark. I like my middle marks darker and longer than C.A.M.P., but this is easily fixed on my own time. Compared to other major brands’ dry treated 9.6-9.8mm ropes (companies don’t often make a 9.7mm), this rope is often slightly lighter (gram per meter), with generally the same fall ratings and elongation percentages. On paper, the 1st iteration of the Kasama is on par with other long standing brands.

So what sets it apart?

One of my first impressions using this rope was the suppleness without the squishiness. This is one of my favorite things about opening a new rope and not every brand has mastered this hand feel. It feeds extremely well through different belay device types – tubestyle and assisted braking style – while lead belaying, which is a joy. 

The Kasama is turning out to be quite durable – it got used a ton these past two months with little wear to show. There’s a slight wear spot from repeated failed attempts at a crux, but otherwise it’s still looking new and has very few hairy frays so far. 

Really my only negative experience using this rope is it pigtails more than most other brands I’ve used while rappelling or lowering a climber. It’s not the worst, but I don’t have these issues with my few go-to brands so it stands out quite a bit.

Friendliness to the Earth

Making truly sustainable ropes out of nylon just isn’t possible but there isn’t currently a better option for our life lines. One of the best things a company can do to offset this truth is to create durable, lasting ropes so you don’t have to keep buying more and more.

So far, I think the Kasama is going to last a very long time and it’s nice that the label and rope ties were made of recycled material – the little stuff adds up! Another positive is C.A.M.P. owns their own rope manufacturer so they theoretically have complete control over material sourcing and fair human labor practices. 

The Final Word

While their opening line of ropes are very well crafted, there’s still a few kinks to work out, though I have no doubt they will continue to create quality and worthy gear. The future of C.A.M.P. ropes looks to be bright! 

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