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Thread: 550 paracord

  1. #1

    Talking 550 paracord

    My favorite survival item is 550 paracord. it's strong enough to hold you if you must repel or need to make a rope ladder. It's strong enough to string up a dear or hog, holds 550 pounds as the name suggest. It can be taken apart, there are many smaller strands inside of it which can be used to make nets. Nets can be used to make shelters, catch food, store stuff, carry gear, and make hammocks... (as another member pointed out.) 550 paracord is a little thicker then a shoelace and stores well. It also can be used to alert your camp of random strangers walking in (trip line). works great for lashing stuff together, tethering rafts, starting fires (bow method), you can make a weapon out of it by tying a rock to one end and using it kinda like a sling. I suppose if you made a net and weaved grasses through it you could make some clothes if you had to, or a sleeping bag, blanket, and so on. It can be used as a stringer also. It probably has a lot of other uses that i haven't figured out yet but if I could take only one item with me out into the wilderness I'd take that.


  2. #2

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    you can get it online or at most military type stores.

  3. #3

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    I think a strong cord is a very good thing to carry with you in the wilderness for many reasons.

  4. #4

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    Wow, I have never heard of this product. Sounds like it has a lot of uses. When I was reading your post it reminded me of duct tape only because you can do so much with duct tape.

  5. #5

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    I'm intrigued. I'm going to do some googling and see what I can find on cost, suppliers and what not.

  6. #6

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    I don't know if I would trust the stuff for repelling unless it was really and emergency. I'm sure you could get away with it but I wouldn't doubt you'd get hurt eventually. It's really not meant for climbing and has different properties than real climbing rope which is much more expensive.

  7. #7

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    yeah, it works, it is dynamic though. some people like using static line to repel with but in a pinch it would work. I've made a swing out of it before. As for cost... i think it's pretty cheep. I think i got 100 ft for about 10 bucks a while back

  8. #8

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    My husband has been a rope "nut" since he was a kid. He found some yarn or something when he was little, and proceeded to tie everything in the house together, from one end of the house to the other, all in the time it took my mil to hang out a load of clothes. LOL He just loves rope/string and it's an absolute necessity when we go camping!! I'll have to see if he knows about this stuff.

    This website has the paracord: http://www.georgia-outfitters.com/page65.shtml It also has a big red statement: Not to be used for reppelling
    Last edited by mamab; 02-26-2007 at 01:50 PM.

  9. #9

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    it's not ideal for repelling of course but it can indeed be used for it. Thats not what the cord was intended for though.

  10. #10

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    Thanks for the link. I hadn't heard of this particular type of rope and I want a look into it. Again, many thanks.

  11. #11

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    Thanks for the link. I was telling my husband about this product yesterday. It sounds like it would be great to have in an emergency.

  12. #12

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    Is this the same as parachute chord? If so I saw one of those survivor show guys using this stuff to repel down 60 feet of rock the other day.

  13. #13

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    Yes, it would be the same stuff. Many people use it to repel to demonstrate an emergency and in all likely hood you won't die but I wouldn't reccomend it. It's not rated for climbing which is why they have that warning. I wouldn't do it if I didn't have to since I value my life but most don't think it's a big deal and I don't either really but I don't take chances when dangling from a rockface. The army carries this same stuff with them since it's so versatile, they use it for everything.

  14. #14

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    I just got a 2100 ft spool of this stuff off EBAY for about 46bucks shipping included.

  15. #15
    Senior Member marberry's Avatar
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    iv actually been using it for a year or so without knowing it , the rope i buy has 3 cords of that stuf braided lol, i have used it for repelling and i can say it works (i hate repelling though id rather use a knot ladder and do it marine style lol)

  16. #16

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    Make sure it says 550-7 strand paracord or chute cord. Ace hardeware and a few camping stores I've been to carry what they call paracord but its not 7 strand. The one from Ace was 4 strand.

  17. #17
    Senior Member marberry's Avatar
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    yup its 3 x 550-7 paracord braided , the only bad thing is that its about a square cm thick , so its not practical to carry when hiking

  18. #18

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    Not practical to carry when hiking? are you kidding? It weighs next to nothing and a little bit goes a long way. it's a bout as thick as a shoelace and stores well. I wouldn't hike without it.

  19. #19

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    not to mention it would be a good idea to replace all your shoelaces with it, if you need to use it, you can use one of the inner strands to tie your shoes.
    i cant belive there are so many of you that havent heard of this! i never go into the bush without it, and many people even use 10' strands to make bracelets!
    also, $10 for 100' is a rip off, any surplus store should charge no more than $15 for a 300' spool.

  20. #20
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    I ventured into a surplus store today and was floored at the price. Fifteen bucks for 50".

    I'll wait for a yardsale.

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