alternatives to paracord & a micro block and tackle

Hmmm. Just doing a comparison to what I can easily buy here. From Quality Equipment I can get a nylon braid defined as 16 x 16 ply that evidently has a breaking load of 274 kg (about 600 pounds). Dunno the latest price, but I think a spool cost me around NZ$23 (about US $16.70) last time I got some. There is around 127 meters on a spool (say 415 feet). $16.70 divided by 415 feet gives a cost of around four cents a foot for a braid that should perform as well as good paracord for many tasks.

The cord is either plain white.... or you can get it impregnated with a 'tar' so it holds knots better. I've used both. The impregnated stuff is black and quite a bit stiffer and doesn't have as much of a tendency to snag small branches etc as the small protruding fibers present on some untreated braid can.

So it is an option worth considering if you have access to a fishing and aquaculture supply company.
 
hmmm, own 500 knives or 499 knives and some decent rope and a few pulleys.....

hmmm

;) :D
 
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You don't have to just check climbing stores, btw...

West Marine sells alll sorts of line like this.

Examples:

Spyderline 3.8mm is $23 for 50'... 2500 lb breaking strength.

Or you can get a Three-Strand Polyester 3/16" is .25 a foot, breaking strength of 1200lbs. The nice thing about this one is that it would be pretty easy to splice, so you could make up a few eyes or whatnot if you wanted.

4mm "Finish Line" 900lb strength, .29 a foot.

Or, of course, you can go CRAZY and get some 6mm (1/4") Dyneema core/polyester sheath line... sure, it's $2 a foot, but it has a 4000lb breaking strength. :D
 
mcjhrobinson said:
eat food, or eat rope....:p
Click to expand...

just razzing ya Mcj! :D

oh hey here are some pics!


everything (not the flashlight or knife though) tucks away in a 6" x 4" x 2" MOLLE pouch, slips into a cargo pocket or clips to pack
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4mm Mammut static kernmantle line, 50 feet
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oh i know! :) it did get put on my list though! i usually use the kelty line...or pcord...never really had to hang food....yet :)
 
I will agree it (paracord) works fine for some woods tasks, but it is simply NOT appropriate to use in other tasks.

I see first hand locally and i see forum sites PROMOTING the use of paracord for RAPPELLING, for block and tackle use, for hauling out your trucks etc. One discussion involved wrapping paracord around a carabiner a bunch of times and rappelling on it! never mind the loss of rope strength for every turn you wrap it around, never mind the friction that is created almost instantly the second you start moving, causing complete and utter rope failure, never mind the condition of the paracord - how old is it? is there dirt in the fibers? is there kinks, hockling, abraded areas, fibers sticking out? never mind the shock loads introduced into the setup, never mind the disregard for weight limits, never mind all that - lets go paracord rappelling!!!!! lets bomb down this steep embankment over a rocky LZ on paracord! Lets lift that 1000lb bear up with it adn stand underneath! lets haul that gear up that cliff! its ok to run the cord over a rock ledge! ,.

NO LIVE load should EVER be placed onto a hank of paracord. Paracord should never be used in a block and tackle system until one understands how a sheave can reduce the working load limit, and this includes the potential for complete cord failure. posibily with human injury occuring.

People are under the impression "well the military uses uses it so thats good enough for me". Not so!

use it for shelter rigging, use it for snares, use it for lashing gear to a pack, use it for lanyards, throwlines, food bag storage, gutted for fishing line or thread, use it for a tag line for hauling up thicker ropes, etc etc etc

DO NOT use it for live loads, block and tackles, rappelling, truck recovery etc.

its nice to be cheap, thrifty etc but a life is worth spending the few extra cents for the PROPER equipment dont ya think?

the title was ALTERNATIVES to paracord, to showcase that is other ropes out there that are SAFER, longer lasting, and that can do tasks better than paracord. Would i rappel on my 4mm KM line. NO! i have a dedicated 11mm rappel line for that. would i use my 4mm KM line in a mini block and tackle to position a small log into a shelter? yes. etc etc etc

YMMV.
 
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Well said, Bushman5.
It's nice for various utility purposes but not to be burdened with life.
I'm feeling similar thing for carabinar-like pretty links without UIAA testings.
 
Very informative thread, thanks for all the insight, folks. I carry both. The pics of your kit is especially helpful Bushman5:thumbup:

Mark
 
Good points on safety Bushman. If the working load of any rope is 1/6 of its breaking load, then we should accept that nothing heavier than around 90 pounds should be slung from one piece of paracord.

So should a 90 pound kid abseil using paracord? Nope ... in my opinion. Any jerking on the rope will increase the load on it beyond the weight of the object being suspended. (Accelaration due to gravity etc etc).

Besides, for climbing work you really want a rope you can grasp in your hands. So a thicker one is better from that point of view without even considering the strength issue.

The paracord I've seen seems to have quite a loose outer sleeve with several independent strands of cord within the sleeve. For a critical job you'd want to make sure that all the inside strands were taking an identical share of the load. If, for some reason, one strand was taking a tad more strain than the others maybe it would break sooner than you might think, then you have less strands trying to hold the load.

Personally, for the odd jobs that you might use paracord for, I would prefer to use a cord where every strand is braided together (like the stuff from the fishing supply store I posted about earlier).

Climbing rope, or ropes recommended for hoisting loads, will generally have a breaking strain many times higher than paracord.
 
I don't carry paracord either, but I don't carry "rope" either. I've been using a 1.5 mm spectra (braided dacron wrapped) cord- it has roughly a 200# strength- just right for bear bag hanging, tarp/tent guy lines, lashing and many, many other uses

it's smaller in diameter than paracord so I can carry more of it for the same volume- the stuff is very light too- 50' weighs ~ 0.9 oz

I think paracord is good stuff, this stuff simply suits my needs better
 
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