Hi, miniMe,<br><br>Regarding the wire saw, I have used them before, and haven't been at all impressed with their durability. It seems as though attaining durability requires moving up to a significantly bulkier and heavier item, which starts to move away from what is feasible for a pocket kit.<br><br>Please correct me if I am wrong, and please direct me to a source for a high-quality, durable wire saw which is still ultra-lightweight and super-small.<br><br>I also am not entirely convinced that a wire saw is that important, if you have a knife. Even a small knife can be made effective for chopping, through either use as a pole-arm or use in conjunction with a baton. Yes, a saw will be faster and less work, but I am inclined to think that a knife will suffice well enough, without extra weight and bulk.<br><br>On the other hand, I think I may be able to add a wire saw to my kit with zero added bulk. I think I should be able to simply slide it inside of my surgical tubing. If this proves to be true, then I only have to deal with the extra weight, and may well choose to add the wire saw to my kit.<br><br>Regarding the snare wire, I might add some in. I'd like to hear opinions about how well spectra cord suffices for snares, instead. Spectra is harder to cut than regular nylon paracord, so I imagine that it is also harder for animals to chew their way out of. <br><br>I'm not strongly convinced of the need for snaring ability, either. This is for a couple reasons: 1) most survival sitations are short enough term that food isn't a major priority; 2) I already have the makings for slingshot hunting, fishing (I'm fixing my fishing kit up), and setting mechanical animal traps. <br><br>Again, if you feel that I am missing something, please set me straight.<br><br>The main reason I have such an abundance of cordage is as follows: I made a paper clip spool, and decided to wrap as much as I could fit on the spool. 80 pound Spectra cord is pretty small diameter stuff; and it turned out that I could fit 400 feet. Since it doesn't take up much room (about 1 cubic inch), why not? The more, the better!<br><br>I can certainly think of some realistic cord uses that will take a lot, or will use up a lot. Making a secure pole-arm out of a knife, to vastly increase chopping power, requires about 50-100 feet of cord. (For more details, go here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=209202&highlight=polearms ) Depending on the circumstances, I could easily imagine requiring 25 or more feet for lashing together a shelter. Fishing, from what I hear, goes through your supplies of line rather quickly, because you lose a lot to abrasion, tangles, and getting caught on things. If I need to lash together a raft to more safely cross a large river, that might require as much as 100 feet. If I set snares, I may need to set a half dozen or even a dozen, to raise my chances of success, and those will take a few feet each. I might even need to do several such things.<br><br>I'm still thinking of adding the 200 feet of 150 pound Spectra cord for two reasons: 1) sometimes 80 pounds isn't enough--150 pounds is almost twice as strong, allowing for wider parameters of use; 2) the 80 pound stuff isn't much wider than floss, and I am concerned that it may cut through some things which I'd try to lash together.<br><br>I made myself a "Marvin Minsky-style" cord belt a few years ago, but the weaving I came up with was sub-optimal. Making a belt from cord still appeals to me. Thanks for reminding me. I'd like to find instructions to make a better one. The link you provided for belt-knitting instructions went to a blank page. Do you have any other links?<br><br>Thanks for your thoughts.