emergency rapelling, what to use?

I'm putting together a survival kit for my office. Really it's more like a disaster kit. It doesn't need to be pocket sized, but I want to keep the entire kit small enough to fit in a desk drawer due to my workspace requirements. One area I thought about covering is the possibility of rapelling out of the building in case of a fire that might block the exits. I don’t feel like I have the space for a real climbing rope, but a bundle of 550 cord would fit nicely. Does anybody know if/how it is possible to rappel on 550 cord or is this crazy? Any other ideas? I currently work on the 4th floor. A compact and light rapelling system might also be good to take when staying in a high-rise hotel.<br><br>

On a related note, I found a page about how to weave a belt out of paracord in a way that you can quickly unravel it to gain access to the cord for rescue/escape/whatever. It's here.<br><br>

Are you the only person that will use this egress?How many stories are there total? Usually it is safer( if possible) to make your way to the rooftop for helicopter medivac or to simply stay put until rescue.The fourth floor is reachable by most large ladder trucks.Theoretically paracord could hold an experienced and conditioned climber;something most of us emphatically are not! I've used paracord with spaced knots To climb down blocked trails,usually 50' max. Gracefull I wasn't. Id go with regular line or a full on rope ladder,learn my knots and remember the old adage"be nice to people on your way up the corporate ladder,you may meet them on the way down." The safest floor in a motel is the second.You can jump successfully,and burglars tend to hit just the first floors for rapid escape.<br><br>

Serendipity! I found that site last night and was about to post it! We used to tie this in the Coast Guard along with MacNamara's lace. You realize it will be in all the Boutiques @ $250 and paracord will be impossible to buy? Im ordering a new 300'spool now! Let me know if you get into a "cat's cradle" Ill help untangle you!<br><br>

Peter Croft is a legendary climber and the author of a book on ultralight alpine climbing. He writes that he usually leaves his harness at home unless he expects extensive hard rock climbing. For general rappelling, he simply uses a double runner (a sewn webbing loop that is 48" long, made from about 10' of webbing). When held from behind, one loop is brought up between the legs and two others from around the waist, hence its name "diaper sling". The three loops are secured with a locking carabiner (I prefer the Petzl Attache- light, compact and has the correct pear shape). As for rope, 7mm perlon accessory cord would be acceptable for single rope rapelling whereas 6mm might suffice for double line rapelling. Instead of the added bulk of a figure 8 or other brake, use a munter hitch. All of this information is available in any general mountaineering book such as Freedom of the Hills. The gear could be purchased at www.rei.com or at mountaingear.com. Of course, proper training in the use of climbing and rappelling gear is the responsibility of the user to obtain and I, Andy Osborne assume no liability or responsibility for the information contained here. It is simply offered as information for discussion. Let me state that this disclaimer is not aimed necessarily at the normal registered posters but at the countless bozos out there that might stumble upon this from a yahoo search and go out and get hurt and sue me or Doug or you. Andy<br><br>

National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) approved personal escape kits for firefighters. One supplier of such a kit is Rescue Technology www.reqtek.com. In their 1998 catalog they list a product they call EscapeLine which is special purpose rope. The catalog description follows:<br><br>An 8mm personal escape rope that offers a greater degree of safety for rescurers and firefighters. This compact escape line is designed to meet the NFPA 1983 standard for Personal Escape Ropes. Additionally, it offers fire and heat resistance not found in standard nylon escape lines. Special fibers are used in this single use rope to insure that the heat generated in pouches or turnout coat pockets do not degrade the strength of the rope. Manufacturer certified. SEI certification pending. Color: White with contrasting core. Sheath Yarn Melting Point: 700 degrees F. Core Yarn Melting Point: None* (retains strength during long-term exposure to 160 degrees C.) Strength: 3,500 lbf.<br>525800 Escapeline by ft. $1.90<br>5258050 Escapeline, 50 ft. w/ snap $120.00<br>5258070 Escapeline, 70 ft. w/ snap $156.00<br>800501 Replacement Kevlar Pouch Call<br>601205 Replacement Descender $11.25<br><br>They also offer kits they call Escapeline Kits<br><br>Escapeline kits are packaged in a security pouch that is placed into a fire and heat resistent Kevlar outer pouch. To use, simple open outer pouch, grasp tear tape and open inner pouch. A permanently attached autolocking rope snap in the end of the Escapeline can be attached to a rigging point or clipped back on the Escapeline. Kits come complete with Escapeline with autolocking snap, descender and carabiner, and Kevlar carrying pouch.<br><br>5258150 Escapeline Kit, 50 ft. $250.00<br>5258170 Escapeline Kit, 70 ft. $300.00<br><br>For comparison purposes normal nylon used for kernmantle style ropes melts around 425 degrees F. You will not be carrying the escape kit with you in your turnout coat repeatly exposing it to 500+ degree heat in burning structures so you probably don't need the Kevlar pouch and inner pouch.<br><br>If you are planning on rappelling out your window, I would make sure to get a window punch (about $8) to ensure you can break out your window. I would plan on some way of padding the window sill so the escape rope is not cut on remaining glass shards or rough edges of building. I would preplan an anchor source. Don't forget some double/triple palm gloves to protect your hands while rappelling. <br><br>One caution mentioned in the catalog is that smaller diameter rope does not provide the same amount of friction as larger diameter rope so you will descend faster. So you need to preplan how to provide additional friction by either double wrapping or other means. <br><br>I don't think I would trust my life to paracord. Some 7/8mm accessory cord or prussic cord sounds much better and is relatively inexpensive. 7mm accessory cord has a breaking strength of 2,600 lbs while 8mm is 3,100 lbs. I would think maybe tying a Figure 8 on a bight in one end and leaving a locking carabiner through the bight could be used to anchor the rope. Figure 10' ceilings in a commercial building with additional 1' for floor joists. 4 stories you would need a minimum of 44 feet to reach the ground if you anchored to the outside of the building. Another 3' for knot and bight. Probably at least 15' feet to run across the room to some anchor. The absolute minimum for your case would be 60' I would rather have a little extra just in case.<br><br>I second the idea of a seat sling made of 2" tubular webbing. A loop about 15'-20' in circumfrence and a carabiner makes a fine sling. As noted earlier, place top of loop along your waist in the back allowing the loop to droop. Pull the sides next to your hips to the front while also pulling up a loop from between your legs. Place the loop from your legs over top of the two loops coming from your hips. As you continue to pull the two hip loops through the crotch loop, the slack will be taken out and cinch around your waist and thighs. The two loops become your attachment point. Universal sizing, no hardware, inexpensive, colorful. You could use 1" webbing but it will cut into your body in a very painful manner. 2" webbing will be lots more comfortable. <br><br>The military uses a carabiner wrap as a descender instead of Figure 8 plates or break bars. For an emergency descent I would think that at least 4 wraps around the long axis of the carabiner would provide enough friction for a 150lb person. More weight, more wraps.<br><br>As others have mentioned, rappelling is inherently dangerous activity. Make sure you get adequate training before attempting on your own. The information described above has not been tested and is only for ideas about an emergency situation and should be used for normal rappelling activities.<br><br>Also as mentioned in other replies, most fire departments have at least one ladder truck. Most ladder trucks are either 85' or 100'. That means the highest floor a ladder truck can reach is about 7. That assumes that there is adequate parking in the area below the window you want to exit from.<br><br><br>

Thanks for the reply. I did a fair amount of climbing a few years back and had familiarized myself with the munter hitch as a back-up belay method. I was thinking that standard braking devices would would be too large and therefore ineffective with undesized rope, but I like your suggestion of the munter hitch. And the sling. That would make a very compact package of equipment, yet very functional.<br><br>

That's good advice. I am thinking primarily about using this for myself or maybe myself and one other person (once I'm out, anyone else who wants to follow my example is welcome to). The building I'm currently working in is 6 stories, but I would like a solution that would be practical in a variety of buildings since my work will be changing soon and will probably take me to a variety different worksites. I also wan't something for hotels, so flexibility would be good.<br><br>

Great information. The link is actually http://www.resqtek.com. They still offer the bare line, but don't seem to offer the kits any more. No matter. I can assemble a kit myself cheaper. You made some great suggestions. Thanks.<br><br>

Here's an interesting article on emergency rapelling on small-diameter rope. It discusses/illustrates the use of the munter hitch. http://www.kurious.org/cpc/treeres.html<br><br>

Is it possible to purchase authentic 550 military issue cord? There seems to be an abundance of after market around.<br><br>

www.MajorSurplusNSurvival.com sells current milspec 550 paracord. The cordage is braided nylon,three inner strands similar to a fat candlewick and three tighter strands.All are nylon and will melt,not burn. Skeins are 300' in black or OD. You will have to email ,it is not shown online or in current mailer. Last price was @ 22.50+7.95 s/h. Drop them an email from website and theyll advise.<br><br>

Hi Castaway,<br>Please do NOT use 550 cord to rap from. Every knot you tie in the line reduces its strength 20 -30%. Add to that the bends over the windowsill and around your friction device and youv'e got a problem. In addition you'll find that you will not be able to create enough friction with that small a diameter for a controlled descent. <br>I have a bailout kit that's made from 5.5 mm cord. I don't carry it anymore, in favor of 8mm. The 5.5 cord is just barely adequate for this purpose.<br>JB<br><br>Expect poison with the standing water.<br> -William Blake

Thanks for your post. I have learned that there now is an extremely strong, relatively thin line available through climbing sources such as www.rei.com that would be an excellent choice. I believe it is a new product. It is called Spectra line and is available in a thin, 5.5mm, diameter with a 17.6+ kilonewton breaking strength. That's a measured breaking strength well in excess of typical bulky climbing ropes which often measure at around 10 kN (note, spectra lacks the elasticity of a "dynamic" climbing rope, so it would not be suitable to catch a falling climber, but is fine for rappelling). It's a bit pricy at $1.05 per foot, but is considerably stronger than the other lines discussed such as perlon, paracord, etc. Suitable perlon could be had at about a third of that cost. Anyone interested should look into the knotability of Spectra which is more slippery and would require special care when choosing and tieing knots.<br><br>

Hi again,<br>I'm familiar with Spectra. I believe it is kevlar- and is extremely stiff-it has a tendency for knots to come undone. (I have some chocks slung with it). I don't know how well it will work running through/around a friction device.<br>Please let us know if you try it.<br>JB<br><br>Expect poison with the standing water.<br> -William Blake

Just FYI, SPECTRA and Kevlar are brand names of two different fibers with very different characteristics. <br><br>Doug Ritter<br>Editor<br>Equipped To Survive

My local REI was out of stock, so no first-hand experience with it yet. I asked the clerk about flexibility and he said some of the styles they carry are very flexible and easy to work with. More info later...<br><br>

While Growing up in Arizona, we spent a lot of time on Apache lands. One day, the fan belt on our Hemi Chrysler snapped. A local Apache cowboy rode up,and wove a temporary replacement out of Yucca fronds! It got us to the gas station-trading post! My point is, I hope everyone has paracord or even bailing twine on hand. The pursuit of perfection is fun,but stay equipped ;)<br><br>

My apologies to all. I made a bad assumption and am very embarrassed. Spectra is actually a polyethylene, not an aramid like kevlar. It is roughly twice the strength of kevlar (by weight), Kevlar is roughly 5 times the strength of steel, by weight<br>CMC sells a 5.6mm GUIDE line, but their ESCAPE line is 7.4 mm. both are kevlar. I SUSPECT that Kevlar is the better choice for those products due to heat resistance, which the polyethylene Spectra MAY not have.<br>traditional escape lines have been made of 8mm nylon kernmantle.<br>Any thoughts anyone?<br>thanks<br>JB<br><br><br>Expect poison with the standing water.<br> -William Blake

O.K. make me feel obsolescent. Packing horses, I use 60' of 5/8 silk manila for the diamond hitches and two 30' 1/2" scant silk Manila reatas ( no longer available). My packing horse is a retired roper.He is trained to resist rope tension, and I have actually belayed off him! Well belayed is a fancy way of saying I descended like a sack of spuds with legs and arms. In any case,regardless of what miracle material you choose: please secure a proper rope knife AND a marlinspike. All rope can get wet and frozen. the marlinspike will work those knots free. A sheepsfoot blade is nice if you hate self mutilation and a truly SHARP blade will cut through just as fast as sawing with serrations. I love my Myerchin folder. The blade is actually a semi sheepsfoot and quite usefull.Every material, twist ,weave and combination thereof has it's own peculiarities or 'life'. get an extra few feet, practice your knots and get to know it's FEEL. <br><br>

Here is an interesting variation on the "diaper sling" for a rappel harness: I take a length of standard 1 inch tubular webbing such that when doubled I can add fastex type buckels and wear it as a normal belt. In an emergency I can take off the buckels, tie a water knot in it to form a loop, then step into the loop with one leg. This allows me to bring the webbing from my back around both sides to the front and reach between my legs to bring up the webbing around one leg. Attach a carabiner and you have a "diaper sling" minus one leg. I've rappelled like this just fine. I'm not sure how the biometrics would scale, but a little more than twice around the waist works for me.<br><br>Using a carabiner for a buckel would leave you even more prepared. I'd suggest a steel one since life as a belt buckel would incur some abuse.<br><br>

New England Ropes has an interesting web page entitled "Micro Rappel" where they show a kit for emergency, personal rappelling using a 5mm or 3mm rope (yes, 3mm). They also depict a descender I've never seen before, possibly unique to their system. They list "emergency rappelling line" as one of the applications for their tech cord.<br>http://www.neropes.com/maxim_climbing/micro_rappel.htm<br><br>They manufacture what they call "tech cord" with a polyester cover. Tensile strength is 5,000 lbs and 3,200 lbs for 5mm and 3mm respectively.<br><br>The thought of a rappel on 3mm rope scares the daylights out of me -- I don't care what it's made out of.<br><br>Another article I found related to micro rappelling:<br>http://www.sbccom.army.mil/products/cie/MicroRappelSystem.htm<br><br><br><br>

It's not official military issue, but Sportsmans Guide (www.sportsmansguide.com) sells Para Cord. This is how the describe it:<br><br>100 yards of Mil.-style Para Cord. <br><br> Each individual inner strand has a tensile strength of 30 lbs. • Minimum tensile strength of all 7 strands together is 550 lbs. • 100 yds. per spool • <br><br>FX1M - 15502 - Para Cord, White<br> Qty: $14.97<br> <br>FX1M - 15500 - Para Cord, Black <br> Qty: $17.97<br> <br>FX1M - 15501 - Para Cord, Olive Drab<br> Qty: $17.97<br> <br><br><br><br>Willie Vannerson<br>McHenry, IL

Thanks for the tip. I have a use for this idea, but it’s not as a belt, it’s a shoulder strap. I have a German map valise that I use to tote my copy of the Boy Scout Handbook, Field Guide, assorted Merit badge pamphlets, maps and a steno pad. I picked it up at www.sportsmansguide.com for about $5. I know notice that you can get two of them for $8 (item #WX1-54131).<br><br> It came with thin plastic strap that was uncomfortable. So I replaced that with a short piece of rope that I eye spliced onto the rings. But that’s not working as well as I would like. I was contemplating braiding a new strap out of leather laces but haven’t had the time to get to it. But I think I’ll use this idea instead to make a shoulder strap instead out of para cord. <br><br><br>Willie Vannerson<br>McHenry, IL