Further good comments from readers. I understand the concern about using paracord that only has a strength of 500 pounds. It might be a lot better - for general survival purposes - to have something thicker in your rucksack ... like 6mm or 7 mm line. I would not personally try to lower off on paracord, unless it was a dire emergency and my life was in serious jeopardy if I stayed in place.

I definitely agree with the comment that the line cannot run over any sharp edges - you would need to pad the support points. That's a good practice to use for any rope work, and it would be vital for thin diameter line.

Paracord might be quite useful if you want to support people on a descent that is not vertical. And it would be excellent as a means for tying in team members who are walking under conditions of very low visibility - just so they don't get separated. People can become disoriented, or lose their mental concentration.

other Pete