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#164237 - 01/21/09 07:39 PM Re: Paracord...how much is too much? [Re: TeacherRO]
Leigh_Ratcliffe Offline
Veteran

Registered: 03/31/06
Posts: 1355
Loc: United Kingdom.
Originally Posted By: TeacherRO
Am I the only one who carries little or no para cord? I just read where one hiker carries 100' - just in case. I'd rather use the space/$/ weight in my pack for other items...


Cordage is one of the most useful things in a TSHTF. And one of the most difficult to improvise/manufacture. At least in the short term. Not having any strikes me as being unwise.


2 x 20' lengths in my back pocket's.
1 x 30' length in my bag or back pack (minimum)
And I might have at least one more 3-6' length stashed somewhere about my person.

So as you see, 100'is not unreasonable.

One thing that I do like about 550 cord is that it is very user friendly. Easy to knot and easy to undo.
_________________________
I don't do dumb & helpless.

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#164249 - 01/21/09 08:55 PM Re: Paracord...how much is too much? [Re: Leigh_Ratcliffe]
jamesraykenney Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 03/12/04
Posts: 316
Loc: Beaumont, TX USA
I think people make too much of the mil-spec name...
What you want is REAL para-cord.
I sometimes buy mil-spec and sometimes just go to the source and buy from a rigger's store...
They have REAL para-cord in MANY variations.
If you need thinner, they have (I think) down to 4 strand. and I really like the 10 and 12 strand stuff.
That stuff is STRONG!

You do want to be sure that you get the REAL para-cord though...
A lot of what is sold does NOT have the inner strands that are each made up of two even smaller strands.
Some just has the fibers(unstranded) inside of the outer covering. This CAN be strong, but there is no guarantee...

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#164273 - 01/21/09 10:40 PM Re: Paracord...how much is too much? [Re: ]
drahthaar Offline
Member

Registered: 12/05/06
Posts: 110
I think its better to carry a few feet of paracord, about 100 feet of 2mm dyneema (which has a 1,000 pound plus rating, I believe) and then about 20 yards of braided spectra 20 pound fishing line.

Takes up less space than paracord, is much, much stronger than paracord, and you can use the fishing line with having to take apart your paracord.

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#164276 - 01/21/09 10:56 PM Re: Paracord...how much is too much? [Re: TeacherRO]
Frankie Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 09/19/03
Posts: 736
Loc: Montréal, Québec, Canada
If you're serious about survival and bushcraft why not buy a 1000' spool, one in olive drab for winter and one in white for summer. Bright orange seems like a good idea but it just turns brown as it gets dirty. You keep that spool at home or at your camp and when you need emergency cord to pack in your survival kits, you just measure it by arm spans. You need some to practice anyway. Mors Kochanski recommends 7 arm spans but that is according to his settings and predictions, like getting stuck in the boreal forest and having to build Roycroft snowshoes. Nylon paracord is ideal for lashing because of its elasticity, but you should gut it (remove the seven inner strands) in this case.

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#164288 - 01/21/09 11:57 PM Re: Paracord...how much is too much? [Re: ]
Desperado Offline
Veteran

Registered: 11/01/08
Posts: 1530
Loc: DFW, Texas
I have been using 550 cord as boot laces since 1988. I promise it will last wwwaaayyy longer than any lace that comes from the factory.
_________________________
I do the things that I must, and really regret, are unfortunately necessary.

RIP OBG

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#164365 - 01/22/09 01:26 PM Re: Paracord...how much is too much? [Re: ]
Glock-A-Roo Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 04/16/03
Posts: 1076
Originally Posted By: IzzyJG99
Tragically the eyelets on my Bates GX-8's won't take paracord.


Try the 4-strand (but sometimes 5-strand; watch your sources) Type II cord, which is constructed the same but is a bit narrower in diameter.

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#164379 - 01/22/09 02:42 PM Re: Paracord...how much is too much? [Re: Glock-A-Roo]
Mike_H Offline
Addict

Registered: 04/04/07
Posts: 612
Loc: SE PA
I'm surprised at how long this thread has continued, but it seems that most like their cordage.

What are people's thoughts on using paracord for water rescue in a pinch? Someone fell through a hole in ice type scenario?
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"I reject your reality and substitute my own..." - Adam Savage / Mythbusters

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#164381 - 01/22/09 02:52 PM Re: Paracord...how much is too much? [Re: Mike_H]
MoBOB Offline
Veteran

Registered: 09/17/07
Posts: 1219
Loc: here
I have at least 100" of catfish string on the outside loops of my BOB. It is broken up into 25' lengths. I can't remember how long the roll is but it was a good deal at the Big Blue Retailer. It only cost a few bucks. It is rated at 330lbs. Good enough for me. Caveat: it has a tar-like coating on it. The smell and stickiness wears off in just a little while. I love the stuff.
_________________________
"Its not a matter of being ready as it is being prepared" -- B. E. J. Taylor

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#164384 - 01/22/09 03:25 PM Re: Paracord...how much is too much? [Re: MoBOB]
JohnE Offline
Addict

Registered: 06/10/08
Posts: 601
Loc: Southern Cal
Paracord for rescue work would be good in a pinch but obviously not the best choice. It's really thin which makes it hard to hold and it cuts into your hands. It would be even harder to use with gloves or mittens but if it's all you've got...If you're gonna be around ice a lot it would probably be a good idea to have thicker, stronger rope. Of course you also have the problem of getting the rope to the victim.

JohnE
_________________________
JohnE

"and all the lousy little poets
comin round
tryin' to sound like Charlie Manson"

The Future/Leonard Cohen


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#164391 - 01/22/09 04:19 PM Re: Paracord...how much is too much? [Re: Mike_H]
scafool Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 12/18/08
Posts: 1534
Loc: Muskoka
Originally Posted By: Mike_H
I'm surprised at how long this thread has continued, but it seems that most like their cordage.

What are people's thoughts on using paracord for water rescue in a pinch? Someone fell through a hole in ice type scenario?


I would use whatever I had available in a pinch!
_________________________
May set off to explore without any sense of direction or how to return.

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