Porta-Cord
Built on a different premise, the Porta-Cord more closely resembles a daypack, or even a small haul bag, in appearance. It has two shoulder straps, and is worn upright like a daypack, a lid that closes over the drawstring on the top, and a zipper running down the back. The volume of the pack (18L, expandable to 24L) is big enough that I’m able to fit two half ropes in it if I’m diligent about how I pack them, and more than big enough for one 70m crag rope.
The sides of the bag are adorned with two daisy chains and, on the flanks, a pair of sleeves that are well sized for water bottles (read: cans of beer). The sleeves and the daisy chains make it much easier to bring water, a small amount of food, and to clip shoes and a harness to the back of the pack. Basically, it does exactly what I’ve come to want a rope bag to do: it allows me to bag up the rope, carry it up to the crag with the rest of my stuff, minimize kinking, etc., without carrying a second bag.
The best part about the Porta-Cord, however, is the two shoulder straps. If a majority of your time is spent cragging, this is a nice improvement; for those interested in longer routes or even alpine trips, this is a major advantage. Having used both bags on days in Eldorado and Lumpy Ridge, the Dirt Bag comes along for the hike then is left at the base to be recovered on the way out. The Porta-Cord, on the other hand, does double-duty as a great climbing pack. It’s got no frame, so it’s light and squashes down to almost nothing; it’s got a low profile, and I don’t have to leave it at the base and figure out how I’m going to get back to it.
The bad news about the Porta-Cord is that it’s endowed with the same frustratingly small tarp as the Dirt Bag. I’ve actually been tempted to do my own home repairs to rip the thing off and replace it with an old tent footprint, but on the whole, I have to give the Porta-Cord high marks. I would just love to see Metolius make this one adjustment.
[Editor’s Note: Again, good news: like the Dirt Bag, the tarp size of the Porta-Cord will be increased to 58 x 52 inches for 2013.]
Bottom Line
Many people get along fine without a rope bag, but I have to admit: they do make life easier, provided the rope bag you end up with suits your type of climbing.
If you climb with a 60m rope at the crag, or really just want a rope bag so that you’re rope stays clean in your house or your car when not in use, then the Dirt Bag is a solid choice.
For most people, however, I would argue that the Porta-Cord is worth the extra cash. Heck, the fact that you can use it hiking as well as cragging makes this worth the extra $25. The under-sized tarp is a bit of a drag, but I found this to be easily remedied by keeping an old tent footprint in the bottom of the bag. Though this is a quick fix, I would really like to see a larger built-in tarp in future generations of this rope bag, and I’d then call it perfect.