I personally wouldn't trust that twine for anything needed in a survival situation. I buy this cheap stuff myself, but only for tieing up bundles of cut tree branches destined for the garbage/recycling, and things like that. Even for those mundane throw-away uses I hate it. It breaks all the time.

One advantage to paracord that I can see is that since it is synthetic it is less prone to deterioration due to elemental exposure. Natural products are far more susceptible to breaking down over time. Of course we should be checking the condition of items in our kits regularly, but I think the natural cordage would not be as reliable...have to pay more attention to it in kits than paracord.

Another thing, as far as shelter building or repairs is that the tensile strength is much higher than most things we will require as far as shelters or repairs. This can lead to the confidence that our shelters or repairs will not fail due to the cord breaking.

Paracord has the smaller strands inside which can be used individually as well as the outer sheath which can be used with or without the inner strands. This has versatility advantages that single strand cordage does not.

Test the jute and sisal in as many situations as you can. Build a shelter in your yard binding it with the natural cordage and another with paracord. How does each one stand up to the elements? How does long term direct sun affect each? What happens when they get wet, or freeze?

Remember, survival equipment is not an area to pinch pennies in. If jute and sisal fit your budget better than paracord right now, then go with it. I'm constantly upgrading components of my kits as money allows. But having something in place is better than having nothing in place...even if it's not your ideal piece of kit.

It really depends on the application for me. Paracord is great stuff when considering shock load, resistance to rotting, and relative size. It is not the best for holding a knot, and will deteriorate in sunlight quicker than natural fiber ropes do.

In a campsite, I generally prefer manila or sisal. It is easy to knot off quickly, doesn't get too slick when wet, and is environmentally friendly so I don't have to worry about leaving trimmings on the ground or throwing scrap into the fire.

When I am on the water, I always prefer polyprop. It is the only one that floats.

From a survival supply perspective, I think paracord is the best utility line you can stow, except maybe dacron line, which is SIGNIFICANTLY stronger for similar weight/diameter. I will tote some of both, with a great deal more yardage of the dacron in the 120-200 lb strength.

Paracord is strong but DOES quickly deteriorate in UV. Our antennae used to fall all the time if we used this.
Paracord is nice and it is what we all used in the military. And every Rambowannabe knive must be adorned with it.

That being said, I don't need to rappel with my cord, I've never needed cut paracord open, and I don't carry Rambwannabe knives.

I don't know about sisal.

Jute burns and makes a decent birdsnest. It is also strong enough for MOST purposes. And you can store about 3 times as much jute as paracord in the same space.

I DO carry some paracord but also carry some twine (plumbers? carpenter? something like that). I could never carry as much paracord as I carry in twine.

If you are paying $$$ for paracord, you might want to consider some of the other smaller diameter cord found at climbing places. They aren't much more expensive usually and are more than stronger enough to fit the bill. Maybe something like this: http://www.ems.com/catalog/product_detail_square.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441775671&emssrcid=BizRate.com

I once had a friend who worked in a oil field supply house. They used a jute twine to wrap various packages, etc, for customers. He had a way (kind of a trick, but it worked) of breaking the twine with his bare hands (something you couldn't do if you didn't know how he did it). No way he could do that with paracord, I had him try...

The problem with accessory cords is due to the size/strength ratio, they are pretty stiff. That makes it harder to do things like lashing, and it also means the stuff gets picky about knots. It is also hard to work with with decent gloves on because of it's small size. I've explored the stuff, and it is NOT in my kit because of it's lack of flexibility when I was testing it.

That being said, for what it cost me and what it promises, it is getting retested this summer.