Well, part of why I was looking at tech cord for the hammock is becuase I haven't been called a lightweight in a while. :P I usually use a wrap of nylon webbing when camping, and then attach my cords to that, but if I can have my main lines also be how I anchor to the tree, that means that when I make a new hammock this winter, I'll have one that packs smaller.

As for shelter building, the idea I had was to make a something I can only call a "speedy cave" in winter, which is your basic tarp A-frame pitched in a spot you've dug down to ground in, then you pack the snow on top. I've tried them before, the cordage has a habit of breaking when there is a foot or so of snow on top of one of the heavy duty survival blankets (not the baked potato ones, the green on one side, silver on the other tarp ones). Never having had much luck with them in the past, I've not tried to build one in years, but after looking at Buffalo last week and them getting hit about a year after we got a nearly identical storm here, I've been giving it some more thought.

I'm just looking for somethign that is about as thick as paracord, maybe twice as heavy, and able to hold about 700 pounds reliably. And no, I'm not THAT big, wet snow is heavy. :P