Stupid Question about String- I’m desperate!

braided polyester (ie. Dacron) kite or fishing line absorbs very little water, is strong and relatively abrasion resistant, and holds knots well. It will hold a knot forever if you let a drop or two of superglue soak into the knot, and it won't fray if you melt the ends a little.

There are many sellers of this on Ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Troll-Queen-Braided-Dacron-Fish-Line-50-Yd-45-Test-/120523538087?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c0fc33ea7

And on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/30lb-500ft-Braided-Dacron-Kite/dp/B003WWS208/ref=sr_1_12?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1360031213&sr=1-12&keywords=braided+dacron+line

Most of it tends to be black or white, but you can find other colors if you do some searching.

Thank you Colin! MYOG forum never disappoints the amateurs!

Still a little lost. Since this is going on jackets that I wear around town as well as on the mountain, I really want black string. The link provided above goes to white string.

I found this product on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Woodstock-Dacron-Fishing-Yards-Black/dp/B0084ONITY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360032612&sr=8-1&keywords=black+dacron

I can choose Black as a color. However, what do the "# lb. test" numbers mean as far as diameter? I don't want to buy 12lb test string and find out it's as thin as thread, but I don't want to buy 30lb test string and find out I can't fit it through the hole in the zipper. What's a good number here for zipper pulls?

Yeah, try ice fishing line. I think thats what he was talking about.

The also make some fairly expensive stuff in spectra. Try this:
http://www.flyfishusa.com/lines/fly-line-backing.html

How about something like this?

Comes in bright orange (if that's your thing) or a stealth gray…

http://litetrail.com/shop/litetrail-gline-polyester-dyneema-guyline-cord-50-feet

Kite line is a great suggestion but I’ve had poor luck finding it in black.

The cord in the link below, however, comes in black and is more than adequate for what you are doing. I have multiple rolls of it and use it for everything.

Here

Max, for pure dacron, I think any strength between 50lbs and 250lbs will be just fine for zipper pulls. These weights are roughly the thickness of the spectrum of commonplace twines (like jute or sisal utility twines from the hardware store). Dacron line in 10lb test will be pretty thin (like heavy thread), and 350lb test will be closer to the thickness of round bootlaces.

Thanks! I edged under the 30lb mark because weight matters on some stuff like the down jacket, but I did not go down to 12lb per your suggestion. Hope 20lb isn't too-too light!

It may not be the cheapest, but quality and service can't be beat with the accessories section area of zpacks, http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/spectra_cord.shtml. The small z-line or 80 lb. polyester wound be good, both available in black.

Been flying kites for 20+ years now, I have lots of different kinds of "string". Boxes of it. Everything from kitesurfing line to manja for fighters kites.

And I LOVE the thin line (1.25mm) that Z-packs has. Use it for everything. Great size, stiffness, and strength (yikes, did I just say that??).

And it comes in black.

Steve

Any light guy line. I like Tripease because it is thick enough to grab with gloves and not slippery. At night I can see it in my headlight without my glasses. Make sure it is long enough.

Lateral, lateral …

Go to a standard fabric store and ask for satin ribbon. It comes in a huge range of widths. Look for something 1/4" or 3/16" wide, in YOUR colour.

Cut off a suitable length, melt the ends lightly with a Bic lighter, then thread through the zipper pull and tie a very basic thumb knot at the END. I say at the end because that makes a lump at the end of the loop which you can hold even with mitts on.

Works very well for us, and something similar (but usually with MUCH heavier webbing) is done by many, many gear manufacturers.

Cheers

+1 for Roger and the Satin ribbon, works great and weighs nothing. The North Face used that stuff for years.

Sterline Mini Cord. This stuff is great. Lightweight and strong. I always have a roll in my pack.

http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3667628

For night time use – tent zippers especially – I use a short length of 1/16 glow in the dark cord I got on eBay. With that thickness I don't make a loop but just put a thumb knot or figure of 8 at each end. The tent looks like a glowworm tunnel at night.

Two of my favorite small cords. They hold knots better that a lot of the slippery stuff.

http://rwrope.com/outdoors-sporting-goods/sportsmans-utility-cord/sportsman-utility-cord.html

This one glows for a very long time:
http://coolglowstuff.com/id12.html