Hi,

What natural fiber cordage would come the closest to 550 paracord in terms of compactness and reliability, for applications like lashing, building snowshoes, stretchers, taut lines and so on? I know the properties of paracord like high stretch, tensile strength and construction (mantle with removable strands) can't be reproduced in natural fiber like hemp, but what would you use as a substitute for its intended purposes?

Thanks
Frankie

Well, since 550-pound parachute cord has “intended” uses numbering into the millions, you very well may have millions of options. For something that is just cheap and versatile, good braided cotton rope works pretty well. It has its downfalls, of course, but so does anything else.

I don't consider a natural cord to be as versitile as 550.
Sure you could use it for similar tasks in some cases but the 550 is more durable and can be separated into its 7 stands and core giving you 8 different cord. In addition natural fibers will probably not have a 550 pound breaking strength.
Natural cord will work but do not neccesarily replace synthetic cord like 550.
Bill

The best bang for the buck I've ever used for natural fiber has to be true hemp. Unfortunately, it is getting difficult to come by.

I know, and you can unravel the 7 strands into three even thinner strings that are very tough and thin enough to use as dental floss.

But my question is which one amongs the traditional types of natural cords and strings would be most appropriate for lashing, building shelter and so on. There's sisal hemp (bailer twine)which is used for bailing hay, linen flax string which is used for making bows, jute available from military surplus that when carbonized make a good charred cloth, cotton and hemp. There's also manila ropes, made from a plant in the banana family.

So far I think real hemp would be the way to go but where can I buy this stuff?

Thanks
Frankie

Oh I see why it's difficult to come by. I just found out that hemp is actually the cannabis plant. Is it the reason?

YEAH, probably but hemp is not bred to have the most thc and actually hemp has very little thc and so you can;t get high off of it (tho some retards might try). bottom line The drug is bred to have higher consentrations of the thc, them hemp does, even tho they are the same plant and species.

From my experience with climbing rope and cordage, nothing natural comes close to nylon. But in my neck of the woods, if I needed natural cordage, I would turn to yucca. Many species come with their own attached needle, and I have seen 800 year old Anasazi yucca cordage, about 3/16th inch diameter, that I could not break with my bare hands.

Silk.

Baring that, I use both jute and sisal for general tieing and building of practice shelters. I've found them to be largely interchangeable in most respects, although I do prefer sisal- I think it makes a better tinder.

Uh, yeah, well, if you've priced silk rope lately I think I would rather spend the money importing (albeit slightly illegally) natural hemp rope instead. Sisal, Jute and Yucca are a far cry from how well hemp does. But if you gotta use something easy to get your hands on, I guess sisal rope is fair.

Hmm, you could get heavy linen thread for leather working or hand bookbinding. Then wax it with bees wax and roll/twist several strands together to make a thin rope. It would give you a thin strong rope which could be taken apart later to the original threads and used like the inner strands of 550 cord. It would require an awful lot of extra work and expense though. Also, while you may have trouble finding hemp rope, hemp thread is pretty easy to find for various uses at craft stores.

Hemp, considered such a strategic resource that at one time some laws in the US mandated that all land owners grow it, or linen were both tarred, more like saturated with pine oil, to create traditional Marline. This was used on ships for hundreds of years and was used for lashings, tying off and just about any other use. single-strand break strength was likely several hundred pounds and the tar made gripping it easy and kept it from rotting.

That's a good point, I hadn't thought about nautical ropes/lines. People have needed solid reliable ropes for boats and ships for thousands of years. Of course there's already a solution to the question. I know from reading about tying knots that sailors used to take apart damaged lines to do some pretty incredible practical and decorative work. I'd guess you can't get it now though. How thick was Marline?

Both tarred marline (tarred hemp) and natural hemp cordage and rope are available in the US (and most likely in the Maritime Providences of Canada), most of which is imported from Hungry. For tarred marline, visit a marine supplier in an area where sailing is popular, many will stock various thickness rolls of tarred marline cordage mostly around 2-5mm in diameter. For natural hemp cordage and rope, most craft stores will have hemp cordage for macramé bracelet and choker jewelry making. Thicker hemp cordage, rope and even hemp fabric can be obtained from sutlers (retailer sellers) of 18th and early 19th century items for historical reenacting/living history. They are around, although it can be a little challenging to find them.

Pete

I think the other posts have mentioned most of the natural fibers used for rope. When you are talking about ropes of 1/4 inch diameter or less, you are probably going to marline is the easiest to find. In larger size, manilla would probably become easier to find. If you cannot find it through a marine supplier, try to contact a ship's chandler. If that failed, try calling a maritime academy and ask someone there who teaches marlinspike seamanship about where they obtain natural fiber lines (maybe try http://www.imq.qc.ca/eng//)

All that said, I cannot see using natural fiber for anythign that I really need to count on. Any line that you buy should be inspected and renewed from time to time, but natural fibers of there very nature wear out much faster than synthetics, both when in use and not in use. They rot. A natural fiber rope can become useless without ever having been used or mistreated. So, in addition to not being as strong or useful, natural fibers wear out faster.

I have seen traditional marline sold by chandleries catering to the more hard-core, uncompromising, traditional sort of sailors. Otherwise often referred to a 'pigheaded fools'. The romantic sort who still dream of 'wooden ships and iron men', rolling seas and eschew many of the benefits of modern chemistry.

Nothing quite has the same aesthetic sense and wholesomeness of a traditional wooden boat with bronze fittings subtly scented by the smell of marine tar, teak and salt spray.

But your right. Many of the traditional materials do have serious problems. Most of the stuff sold as 'tarred marline' is actually tarred brown Dacron. This is mainly what you get if you buy marline from most chandleries like Defender:

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|118|311417|311408&id=21227


It isn't as aesthetically pleasing but it comes in a color and form that look a lot like the traditional stuff but it doesn't degrade much in sunlight or rot.

The old-time stuff is still sold:
http://www.tarsmell.com/marline.html

Ttraditionally it was sold in balls by the diameter and pound weight. It comes in various thicknesses. The thinner stuff can be used for stitching, finishing the ends of ropes and light lashings while the thicker is better for heavy-duty lashings like you might need to keep that 200 pound anchor secured when the boat capsizes.

They also sell "Stockholm tar" in case you wish to tar your own line. Or just like the smell.

http://www.tarsmell.com/tar.html

This stuff has a lot of uses. A dab on a tool handle will give you a good grip. Rubbed into wood and it will resist water, rot and insects. Applied to cloth and you have the basics of traditional oil cloth that is somewhere between water repellent and waterproof depending on how tight the cloth is and how much tar, and the specific mix, you use. Everyone has their own 'dope'. usually a mix of pine oil, wax, and enough solvent to make application easy. Wrap your tools in oil cloth and they resist rust.