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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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)

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.

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

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.

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.

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

I'll wait for a yardsale.

Paracord is extremely tough stuff that can be used for many things. My family actually makes Utility Bracelets, watch straps, and dog collars, using military issue paracord. Below is an example of what we make. The Utility bracelets contain 15 - 24 feet of paracord, and a stainless steel shackle. It is a very convenient way to carry a good bit of paracord with you at all times for emergency situations. You can email me at [email protected] if you would like more information.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...s/DSC04789.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...s/DSC04227.jpg

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...s/DSC04130.jpg

Cool :D

How much do you charge per purchase ?

Here is a link on some uses and info about 550 cord. Make sure you buy the Mil-C-5040 Type 3, 550 cord.

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Originally Posted by thinkfree3

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.

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I will have to agree with you thinkfree3. I would not be outdoors without it. I have got a hiking stick that I have had for years. It has a 20 ft. piece of para cord wrapped around it. This stuff is as valuable as duct tape. bear

You can never, never, never have enough 550 cord. You have to be sure it's the genuine article, and not the cheap crap a lot of places sell.

You can use it to rapel in an emergency, but other than that I wouldn't. If the mantle abraids and the kern starts to get cut, you'll be on the bottom in no time with a few broken bones and less chance of survival.

Paracord is like duct tape never leave home without it!

hi all im new

any one any one

great im all alone again

Try the introductions section!

as for the paracord, if I may quote (or at least paraphrase) the movie the Boondock Saints, "Ya never know what you'll need a rope for, you just always need it.....Charlie Bronson always had a rope!" LOL.

That paracord looks like my next purchase.

It's true that parachute cord is the best stuff to take... i always take a few coils. The price is expensive, but worth it. I once had to use it to climb down about 300 feet into a gorge, hoist down all my equipment, and then get out again. It is very strong, and very handy.

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Originally Posted by Strider

It's true that parachute cord is the best stuff to take... i always take a few coils. The price is expensive, but worth it. I once had to use it to climb down about 300 feet into a gorge, hoist down all my equipment, and then get out again. It is very strong, and very handy.

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I buy the real parachute cord in 1000' lengths from www.cheaperthandirt.com for $40 + S.& H.. You get a lot of it that way and I'm always using it for something.:cool:

Yeah, there is alot of fake stuff out there. Make sure it is official 550 Paracord and not some cheap stuff pretending to be.

I was so pissed today. I went to an Army Surplus Store and asked them to show me their 550 cord. They showed me what looked like 550 on a spool, and at the last moment I decided to look at the inside strands just to see what I was getting (even though I truly thought I didn't have to look). There we're four strands of internal cord inside the outer braid. I couldn't believe it...The ARMY SURPLUS STORE of all places was selling cheap immitation paracord. I'm going to www.cheaperthandirt.com to get my spool. They have 1000' for $40. I'm still floored about the whole event, but online they have a picture that shows honest to goodness 7 strand 550 cord.

Oh, and I found a link to a site that shows how to make a version of the paracord bracelet. It was actually very easy to figure out, and the directions we're simple. It's not as ornate as the above poster's version, but it will stash about 10-14 feet of paracord for you.

http://www.instructables.com/id/EL5S5IADTYEY95S32O/

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Originally Posted by survivalhike

Oh, and I found a link to a site that shows how to make a version of the paracord bracelet. It was actually very easy to figure out, and the directions we're simple. It's not as ornate as the above poster's version, but it will stash about 10-14 feet of paracord for you.

http://www.instructables.com/id/EL5S5IADTYEY95S32O/

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Cool! I'm going to try to figure out how to make a belt, or even a sher harness out of one, thanks SH!:cool:

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Originally Posted by survivalhike

I was so pissed today. I went to an Army Surplus Store and asked them to show me their 550 cord. They showed me what looked like 550 on a spool, and at the last moment I decided to look at the inside strands just to see what I was getting (even though I truly thought I didn't have to look). There we're four strands of internal cord inside the outer braid. I couldn't believe it...The ARMY SURPLUS STORE of all places was selling cheap immitation paracord. I'm going to www.cheaperthandirt.com to get my spool. They have 1000' for $40. I'm still floored about the whole event, but online they have a picture that shows honest to goodness 7 strand 550 cord.

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I've posted that site elsewhere on this very same page! I've bought a spool from them. The only problem was that had some cuts in the line so that it wasn't one continous line, but I didn't mind that!;)

I honestly never thought about making a belt out of that braid pattern...It would seem like a no brainer. I usually carry a .45 Long Colt single action revolver with me, and because it's a heavy item I need a strong belt. I would think that 2 lines of 550 with a combined strength of 1100 pounds would be quite sufficient.

Just so I'm correct, a sheer harness is a repeling harness? If it is, the 550 should work really well.

Like I said the braid pattern is super easy to figure out from the website, I had it in about five minutes.

There is a MAJOR difference between "paracord" and Parachute cord. Paracord is the cheaper stuff, and only tests at something like 200 lbs. Parachute cord is the real deal.

You can reppel with it, but if you're prone to get yourself in those type of situations, climbing rope is a better idea.

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Originally Posted by Sarge47

Cool! I'm going to try to figure out how to make a belt, or even a sher harness out of one, thanks SH!:cool:

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You could also crochet some cord.,leaving you with a continuous line, or macrame, but you'd end up with shorter fragments. I think the link actually was a form of macrame, but I could be wrong. I used to do macrame in the seventies, but I've forgotten the knots by now.