At REI and other camping stuff outlets, the "parachute" cord offered is not actually 550 cord, but an unreasonable facsimilie. I recall that 550 cord has 550 lb tensile strength (not the 300 lb strength advertised for the imitations) and had a core comprising 7 to 9 thinner lines instead of filliment. Where can I buy the real thing?

www.MajorSurplusNSurvival.com and www.ammil.com both sell milspec paracord . You might check with Barry at Blueline Outfitters also.