What type of rope do you use to attach your equipment?

I mean the kind of rope that one might use to attach a pistol-style dive light, or a camera. I would use one large clip on the equipment itself to clip it to one of my top D-rings when I can safely do so, and I would have another attachment point at the end of a 3-foot rope that connects my equipment to a bottom D-ring on my BC, so that I can immediately drop equipment at any time without the risk of losing it in case I need to react to something and do not want to waste time and focus to fasten it to my top D-ring. I do not expect the line to hold up more than a few pounds of weight, although I would still pick a thick one to reduce the risk of entanglement.

I have so far used what I think is a diamond-braided nylon polypropylene rope, a standard item from Home Depot. I chose this one, for it claims to be weather-resistant, so presumably it holds up well when submerged. I did notice that after several dives, this rope starts to look a bit roughed up, and I wonder if and how long I can still trust it. I also noticed that despite being braided, the ends disintegrate when in the water. Melting them with a lighter and securing with a duct tape helps to some degree, but I suspect the rope is going to eventually rot and break. Preparing a new one every few dives or so takes too much time. I am looking for a solution that can survive several dozen dives over a year or more and won't rot or break.

Well, these work: Gear Keeper Large SCUBA Flashlight/Camera Retractor Kit | eBay
There are also spiral "things" that are springy (I really cannot describe them) and retract well.

As for rope, a nylon rope would work, as would a the rope you describe. It will look rough, but it should not rot.

I prefer a wrist strap for what you describe. I have a bolt snap on the base to attach it to my BC.

Thank you for the response. I thought about various retractors, but do you not get fatigued when you hold a camera or light on a springing retractor for an extended period of time? I like video recording and tend to just hold a small point and shoot camera in one hand and light in the other for much of the dive, such as maybe for 30 minutes non-stop. I would put them on wrist lanyards or clip them back several times during the dive, such as when I need to focus on some task, and then I would resume.

I have my camera on a wrist strap just because it's so buoyant and somewhat hard for me to hold onto. I'm yet to encounter a situation that was so urgent that I didn't have 3 seconds to clip off something but not urgent enough that I was concerned about losing it.

This might be what Hashime meant: Cetacea Scuba Coil Lanyard Gear Attachment Clip PK #2 on eBay!
I had one on my first dive light, but found it to have too much slack for my taste when stowed.

Rope? my first thought is rope = entanglement hazard. I would much prefer the gear retractor or the coil. Both work fine. The coil does not create mcu strain hoeing the camera. The only think I would keep rope for is deep in a pocket to be used if my buddy and I surfaced minus the boat. Probably never to be used. The rope would tie us together while surviving.

Thanks. As far as clipping: I cannot see some of my D-rings, and I found that in 5mm gloves, clipping and unclipping things gets tricky when you cannot see and feel the rings and snaps. I lost a camera once; it was secured well to my D-rings with 2 small bolt snaps, and I believe I ended up accidentally unclipping both of them when operating in thick gloves in cold murky water without being able to see clearly. Ever since, I make my bottom attachment point such that I cannot accidentally undo it under water, other than by just cutting through the rope using my net cutter, and I use an extra large bolt snap for the top D-ring.

Besides the risk of accidental unclipping, I think being able to immediately ditch my camera and let it dangle is essential for me to prevent the feeling of being overly task-loaded. I just do not want to have to worry about securing an additional piece of equipment.

@farsidefan1: A thicker rope does not seem to tangle even when stashed in a pocket during entries and exits, and I can always cut through it. I think I am going to give a coil spring a shot.

I like to use military 550 parachute cord for anything small i need to secure with rope. But a gear retractor would probably be the best bet in your situation as others have pointed out.

I make all mine out of 3mm bungee inside a soft rubber tube
that wraps all the way around my wrist and incorporate a clip

These give you the required amount of shock absorbtion, when
it is necessary for both your gear and your wrists, for snagging

Bolt snap & cave line for everything...

How to tie a bolt snap