Whether you are an avid hunter, hiker, boat owner, or simply a DIY homeowner, you will often find yourself in need of a good piece of rope. And when that happens, the rope is usually tangled up in a pile in the garage or thrown in the back of your pickup two miles down the trail. Wouldn’t it be great, you think to yourself, if rope came in a neat little dispenser that fits in my backpack, or could be stored neatly in the garage until I need it? Well, it does!
Chris and Geanie Rodgers and their family are outdoors as much as possible and are avid hunters, hikers, and lovers of nature. Telling his story on the Rapid Rope website, Chris recalls how he would often find himself coiling rope around his hand or elbow just in case he might need some. Usually he had to untangle and unknot the length of rope, and once he had it ready needed to search for something to cut it with. Initially Chris experimented with putting rope into Pringles cans or water bottles, but soon realized he would benefit from some professional help in developing his product.
He contacted Tech Help, an Idaho partnership between the three state universities and part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership. Tech Help describes their mission as giving Idaho companies access to the knowledge and expertise of a national network to create growth and jobs in rural and economically distressed areas of Idaho. Tech Help was willing to work with Chris at his convenience while he was employed full time and caring for his family. They helped design a canister that would contain a flat rope and would fit easily into a cup holder or backpack.
Chris and his family began to attend numerous trade shows, such as Expo Idaho in December of 2017, and the Sportsmans Expo at Mountain America Expo Center in March of 2018. In January of 2019, they attended the SHOT Show, the nation’s largest event for professionals in the sport shooting, hunting and outdoor industry held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Rapid Rope canister itself is weather resistant and shatterproof, and contains 120 feet of flat commercial grade poly rope, rated at 1,100 pounds of strength. The canister also has a cutting insert so the rope can be easily cut to the desired length. Replacement rope cartridges are available. Rapid Rope is manufactured in Idaho, is patent pending, and is sold in the United States and Japan, with efforts currently underway to sell in the United Kingdom and Australia.
In an early review of Rapid Rope in July of 2017, Chris Denham of Western Hunter remarked that he initially thought there would be a thousand uses for Rapid Rope, but after having a canister for a few months was convinced there were at least 10,000 uses. He said everyone should have at least one canister for the house, one in every vehicle and one in your hunting kit.
