Emergency rope

If you want a cord length of only 25 feet, then the weight of the cord doesn't matter too much, so an ordinary 1/8" nylon parachute cord is plenty. Most of them have a strength of about 550 pounds, and that is a bit overkill. Cheap.

The old rule of thumb that I was taught was to estimate the length that you think you need, and then double that.

You could get a small 1.5mm Dyneema/Spectra cord with a strength of 200 pounds or so, and they weigh much less, so you could probably bring along 50 feet of it for an ounce. Of course, when the diameter gets that small, it gets a little harder to handle with bare hands. You can wrap it around something and let it slip around, so a stick or a boot work for that. If you have to let the cord slip around a rock, you ought to think about a much stronger and larger diameter cord.

I've been shopping around for a strong cord (250 pounds or more) in a 100-foot length, and I want to use it for a horizontal pendulum for solo stream crossing. In that situation, the boot or the stick are not practical, so I might have to move up to a larger diameter cord to be able to handle it.

–B.G.–

Elizabeth,

Check out Lawson's IronWire Cord. I use it on my bear bag. It's not quite 1/8" in diameter. It is 2mm versus 3.175mm which is equal to 1/8".

http://lawsonequipment.com/All-Products/Dyneema-IronWire-p514.html

Dyneema IronWire is a hi-viz orange 2.0mm single braid cord that's suitable for hauling applications …
…100% Dyneema fiber
… a break strength of 1,000 lbs and is vinyl coated to ensure great knot holding capability.

Specifications:
-Size: 2mm x 50'
-Weight Rating: 1,000lbs
-Material: Dyneema
-Colors: Hi Viz Orange
-Weight: 1.2oz per 50'
-Made In The USA

$14.95 per 50' with Free Shipping!

Party On,

Newton

This may be over-kill, but this is the rope we use on our backwoods SAR ops. it is light, floats, holds a knot well, and you can lower a person if needed. (also make a good river fording rope.

Link : http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=1849

Enjoy,

Dave

David, there is no weight specified for that rope. That suggests that it may be heavy, and the 2608 pound strength reinforces that concept.

–B.G.–

Hi Bob,

We mainly use it on winter treks to lower our sleds and to rope up to each other when it gets bad. We also use it for river crossings as it floats and does not absorb water. We also use it as our throw rope. I carry 70 feet and it weighs in at 10 ounces. (on a kitchen scale) It may be overkill for this application, but you wont slice your hands lowering a 30 lb pack.

Enjoy,

Dave

Lawson's glowire is a nice cord too, dacron outer, dyneema/spectra inner, quite a bit thicker than the zpacks 1.5 mm at 2mm and weighs a fair amount more.

Also can double as any other cord you'd want, bear bagging, just thick enough though I guess a bit thin still re harming bark on hanging tree, great for general cordage, packs, etc too.

If zpacks 1.5mm is 200 pound, then glowire has to be closer to 300 I'd guess, though of course only real testing would show that.

I'd guess that you could even haul up someone with it, as a pure emergency, ie, no slipping that puts acceleration then braking loads on the cord.

That's what I'm going to use, even though it's a bit heavier than zpacks excellent 1.5 mm stuff. It has the big advantage of also working in lineloc3s, which makes it about the most versatile size I can think of out there.

The dacron outer makes it hold knots very well too, which is nice.

If you want to go cheaper and thicker, without the dyneema/spectra core, diygearsupply.com has some good prices on 3/32 and 1/8" nylon cord, just make sure to get the kind with the innards intact, not removed.

Mason twine is handy. Comes in many colors and should be strong enough to handle 30lb (or less) pack. I keep about 25' of it for various uses.

It's light and compact. But will cut into your hand when lowering your pack and possibly your padded pack straps (if that's where you attach it). Not much to hold onto. Also, forget about ever untying a knot in it.

I use some orange woven dacron fishing line, rated at 150 pounds, for emergency and bear bag rope. Its so light I can take a lot of it. I mostly use it to hang packs in trees away from bears. It can take repeatedly raising and lowering packs over tree limbs and has never broken. I use a mini carabiner to attach a pack or two. As mentioned, small line is hard to pull with your hands. I wrap a few turns around a stick of say 2" diameter. It grips the stick, and I can comfortably pull the string using the stick. It would be fine for lowering packs, and weighs basically nothing. I would not trust it for lowering a person, but it works great for shoe laces, emergency shelter construction, pack repair, tent repair, clothes line, tieing stuff on a sled or in a canoe, and other tasks. Knots are easier to cut out than to untie.

I get it at Cabela's, but probably any fishing shop would have it.