550 Paracord? Is this the right stuff?

I seriously doubt it brother. You want MIL-C-5040H Type III 550 parachute cord. Not "Sportmans Cord" or any other imitation. If that stuff was MIL-C-5040H spec cord they'd be shouting it all over the page.

Get MIL-C-5040H Type III 550 parachute cord here...

http://www.1sks.com/store/550.html
 
For survival kit use, nearly any recently manufactured 7 strand 550 rated paracord is serviceable. The key is making sure you get the paracord made with the 7 individual strands. For hanging tarps or lashing together shelters, or even making a rope ladder, it works just fine. If you can find some brightly colored cord (e.g., orange) and you will open up additional uses such as path marking, "never lost" lanyards, etc.

Because paracord is so bulky it is difficult to carry much of it in a small survival kit. If you can afford better try to buy 250 lb. rated Spectra cord and you will be able to carry much more line in the same space.

Good luck.
 
Thanks to you all for your input. I mostly want to try my hand at making some survival bracelets and maybe a belt.

It looks like the stuff I linkes is similar to the real thing just not cleared by the military.

I will look into that Spectra Cord as well.

BTW - Here is a place that Erik Isaacson recommended (he makes bracelets for sale in the sale section of BF)

http://www.supplycaptain.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=19

Cheapest I have found.

Here is Erik's thread - I ordered a couple this week.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=373360&highlight=paracord+bracelets

Thanks again.

TF
 
Check out the Spectra Air Core cord at http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/xdpy/s/Shelter Systems/index.html. It is expensive, but gives the most horsepower for the weight. I haven't been able to justify the price myself.

I carry a couple sizes of braided nylon seine twine too. I live in a port city where there are a lot of commercial fishing suppliers and I can get the stuff cheap. I have small bundles of it peppered through my kits.
 
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