Hello Eriebuoy;
McMaster-Carr (PN: 8069K13 and called "Ultra-Flex" within the "Liquid Tight Flexible __meta__l Conduit" category) very inexpensively (currently $1.93/foot).

Did you happen to locate in the same catalog the _meta_lic end caps? I was looking around but was not able to find them.
Any helpers there? I would like to make a few small diameter (for 1/2 inch ropes) friction savers for me and a couple of climbing friends. My current F-saver supplier has not replied to my e-mails inquires. ;-((Sad) (Hint, Hint-treetramp.)

If you are interested on this project let me know and we can split the end caps since you have to buy 100 per box and I only need about 20 or so. Or maybe I can buy more "Ultra-flexible" conduit and make more of them since New Tribe does not carry them anymore.

The original Inventor and Master Friction Saver maker has not been around the boards lately but his are the best I have seen and they are durable enough for me.

Any other "hose" will not work because they melt with the friction generated by the rope. So Michael's Idea of the "Shower Hose" will not work because it is too light weight to stay in shape under the heavy weight of the climber.

Oldtimer -- I haven't found the endcaps in McMaster-Carr. The official name for that part is a "ground cone" and it's a part of a fitting for liquid-tight conduit called a "Liquid Tight Connector Assembly (T&B Part #5333). Since I can't use 100 of them, what I do is go to my local electrician supply store that carries Thomas and Betts and buy the whole fitting (~$4.00) and take out the ground cone and throw the rest of it in my junk drawer.

However, if we could find enough takers within the rec-TC community (via this forum and others) I'd be happy to buy a bag of 100 and send them to people for only the cost of the parts and shipping. I've gotten a lot out of reading the very good information shared by the community and would be delighted to have a way to return the favor.

I wonder how many would be interested? If the minimum order is 4 cones, we'd need 20 people to make it worth doing (I don't mind keeping a few).

Michael, no problem to butt in -- that's the whole point of a forum! If tangents weren't allowed, we'd all be stuck in the same circle (get it?)

I'd be mildly surprised if there isn't liquid tight conduit in England -- there must be some equivalent. In any case, the stuff that we know works as a cambium-saver/rope-sleeve has a spirally wound steel core that provides the required structure and low-friction interface between the sleeve and the rope. The outside is coated with a plastic/rubber coating of some kind (I think some kind of PVC, but not sure). The coating is aesthetic and also may let it slide around the branch union and protect the tree a bit better than it would if it weren't there.

The part that is important is the steel core -- I've tried some all plastic alternatives and they just don't hold up well or provide a smooth enough surface for the rope to pass through. You can more easily find non-coated conduit -- just the naked steel core. Maybe you can coat that with plasti-dip to protect it and provide the same kind of properties that the rubber coating provides on the stuff we buy.

Also, there are a few different varieties of liquid-tight conduit. As you can see on my flickr site, I've tried another one and it works okay -- not as well as the black ultra-flex, but it worked. I'm not sure at all what you mean by shower hose, but the ultra-flex that I use is very flexible and does not "remember" or hold it's shape once deformed. The Allflex (the alternative conduit I've tried) does hold it's arc shape, which actually seemed to make it more difficult to set and keep in the branch union.

Do let us know if you try something else with success (or failure, for that matter). Sorry to be pedantic, but remember to go low and slow when you're testing new stuff -- even though this doesn't seem life-support critical, you never know how things might backfire on you . . .

Moss, thanks for the invitation . . . it sounded like a can't miss opportunity which I, unfortunately, missed. I had plans that couldn't be changed for that weekend.

However, I'll try to check the forums more often and hopefully I can make a gathering sometime soon. Virginia and points in the northern South is not a long drive from Central PA -- after all, Mason and Dixon started in Philly!

Is there a report/review/photo-site up anywhere yet?

I think I've found something similar, however I need to wait until my account is activated before I can even see the prices!

There is a choice of 13mm or 17mm ID (1/2" or 11/16"). I would tend to go for 17mm with my 10mm climbing rope - would you agree that more clearance is preferable?

If I had a lathe I could make up some tapered end fittings instead of the chunky screw fittings that are available!