There's always someone who didn't get the memo. At a minimum,that would be me and those who wrote the latest edition of Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills. The girth hitch is conspired legitimate and its use is advocated for several applications, such as tying off short on a piton, etc. Realizing that a girth hitch does cut down on the overall strength, think as you rig. Again, per AKSAR, things rarely, if ever break down at the knots, despite Sherman's experience.

It's always a good idea to retire equipment, especially ropes and slings, before they get too old. i'm thinking that might apply to climbers, too....

They can always find something else knotty to do.

I remember climbing on, what as it called, "Gold Line"? Something like that. Better used for rappelling or top roping. If you were foolish enough to lead climb on it, and fell, with it's 15-20% stretch you'd hit bottom and then get flung the rest of the way of the rock you were trying to climb!

Goldline was a fairly evolved climbing rope. That manila rope, I later learned, came from a rope spool that had been condemned by the telephone company. My first real climbing rope was 7/16 white laid nylon. Goldline was the next evolution, and, although elastic, as you noticed, at least it didn't break.

When I price today's full featured ropes, and their stratospheric prices, I recall my first real climbing rope cost all of $20 from REI. Yes, I am ancient...

My first rope was a 120 ft Goldline, the soft hand version that you could lead with using clean pro. The hard finished versions were only good for pitons as the kinks and coils of the stiffer rope would pull your chocks right out of their placements.

The stretch was pretty bad, but the whole point was not to fall anyway (unlike sport climbing where the gear is more tried and trusted.)

I also remember Greenline (vets probably used this), SKYline (not blue line like if first said) (solid pale blue or white with blue tracers), as other inexpensive laid climbing ropes.

My father in law still has his white laid rope, soft pitons, and steel carabiners shaped like a B from the 50's. They reside on his wall.

Goldline was in common use in the early to mid sixties, when I started climbing. Back in that era before kernmantle rope was common, lots of hard routes were climbed, and lots of bad falls were successfully held on goldline. Modern ropes are definitely better, but goldline worked.

We used Skyline at Outward Bound in the mid 80's. It was much cheaper, but heavier, stretchier, and pulled pro out on lead. But we were usually on top rope or 3rd class climbs (Allen Steck 3rd class climbs).