Let’s talk cordage

[rayporter]

for years i have carried a sisal similar to baling twine. it comes on a soft ball sized roll and i have not used up the roll in ten year.

 

[Hill Difficulty]

The sizes/type I use most are 1.16mm and 1.6mm microcord. It's super strong, durable, and doesn't stretch. The photo is intended to help anyone who might be trying to evaluate sizing. If you compare to most tent or clothing zipper pulls, 1.16mm would be for light zips, while 1.6mm would be for larger zips. Get 1.8mm or 2mm for guy line depending on length of cord and tent size.

Can buy a million miles of length on Amazon. 100+ feet goes for around $8 a spool.

Hope this is helpful!

 

[Dented]

I have noted that most of you have a fixation on cheap and lite. I carry 25 ft of 1/4 " hemp for dragging and hanging meat on saddles. I keep a number of 10 ft chunks of parachord in my pack for construction.

If you really are focused on light and cheap, consider baling twine. Any rancher will give you as much as you would ever like. You could buy a 10 lifetime supply supply for $40. The strength is 200-500 psi. It won't rot or fray.

That is an absolutely stellar idea!

 

[Trial153]

Lawsons is the place for cordage. You won’t find better quality or people .

 

[CaliWoodsman]

Lawsons is the place for cordage. You won’t find better quality or people .

Seems like a common theme in this thread. I’ll have to look into them.

 

[Mosby]

Depends on use. I use Lawson's cordage for my tarps and tents. I use 550 for lanyards on tools. I use cheap reflective cordage off Amazon I keep in my pack for hanging game bags. I have some heavy cordage I keep in my truck to tie stuff down on my hitch haul or roof.

 

[Drenalin]

I use Lawson’s Glowire for just about everything. It’s a little stiff so I spend an extra second dressing whatever knot I’m tying, but holy cats does it light up well when my headlamp hits it. I use 2mm for my tarp and have some 2.5mm in my kill kit.

 

[hiker270]

I use Mule Tape pull rope.

 

[MTPipeliner]

Paracord or just some nylon rope from the hardware store is all I ever carry, usually 50ish feet. Seems like eventually it gets cut up, knotted, lost, etc so end up with new stuff every few years.

 

[MTHokie]

+1 for the 2mm reflective guy line. I always carry a 9-foot NRS strap, too. "Isn't that heavy?" Yes, yes it is. But I always seem to use it for something.

 

[EdP]

Is there a paracord that doesn't stretch? It seems like most that I buy stretches too much. I want to be able to hang a whole field dressed deer using pulleys and tie a guy line that won't stretch.

 

[Tuscaoka]

Lawson reflective

 

[Beendare]

I’ve gone to this:

Atwood 3/32 x 50ft Reflective Orange Cordage

This reflective cordage is excellent for guylines.

seekoutside.com

The specs are pretty good for all my uses.

Yeah, me too

 

[khart_6882]

Is there a paracord that doesn't stretch? It seems like most that I buy stretches too much. I want to be able to hang a whole field dressed deer using pulleys and tie a guy line that won't stretch.

I use the chartruce reflective dyneema for guy lines. No stretch, super bright reflection in a headlamp


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[TrueAt1stLight]

Great thread (no pun intended)! I have the assorted bundle of 550 cordage as well as some insanely-strong Kevlar cord that comes on these little dental-floss sized rolls. Problem is the stuff will barely take a knot. I find the heavy braided “spider-wire” fishing line is an equal substitute and a fraction of the cost. Also you can knot the damn stuff.

While not cordage, one trick I use as a piece of kit in literally every first aid kit, vehicle kit, pack kit, survival kit, you name it, is a plastic credit-card sized card (ESEE survival cards are a favorite as they’re this size AND have survival stuff on them, come free with a knife!) wrapped width-wise in several layers of blaze-orange duct tape, then several layers next to that of foam medical tape, followed by several layers of cloth medical tape.

It’s a super-thin (maybe a half-inch thick worth of layers at its thickest) card of several feet each of tape for gear repair, first aid, fire-starter, literally endless possibilities.

I sent the wife with one in her purse to Napa and saved the day when she needed to doctor her little feetsies and blisters after wearing heels at the vineyards, then seal up her UNGODLY-EXPENSIVE wine bottles she checked in her luggage in the bubble-wrap wine bottle jackets that don’t seal worth a damn.

 

[Marbles]

1.8 mm dyneema with polyester sheath spear gun line.

 

[Winternews]

Some awesome options in this thread. Coming from a climbing background I appreciate cord with a real ‘stiff’ hand, like Zpacks sells on their site. It really helps with resisting tangles and untying, vs some of the super light but thin / slippery options above.

 

[Rock-o]

Atwood Rope 100', 7-strand core 550 Paracord is 8 ounces. It's always in my pack.

Made in USA!

 

[SonnyDay]

Arborist throw line for the win.

Anyone else use this?

Backstory:
This year we borrowed a bear bag kit from a friend of my son’s that was rigged with arborist throw line as near as I can tell. Lightweight, low-stretch, doesn’t absorb water, and low friction. I was thinking of removing all of my paracord guy lines from the teepee (which are not insignificant weight-wise… especially when wet) and replacing them with arborist throw line.

Anyone do this?

Thanks!

 

[northernalpine]

40’ of 1” tubular nylon or 50’ of 3/4” mule tape…makes dragging/repositioning a carcass a breeze and weighs less than 6oz