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Showing posts with label cordage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cordage. Show all posts

3/7/13

Cordage: Kevlar Survival Cord

Continuing with our cordage series, we have Kevlar Survival Cord; thin, 4 ply, 135 lb test line that's made from the same stuff as bullet proof vests.

Kevlar cord comes pre-wrapped in 20 foot spools, making it quite handy for tossing into a kit. Its compact size means that it can be wedged into even pocket sized survival kits. It weighs practically nothing too, so it's doubtful that it will weigh you down.

As cordage goes, kevlar cord probably will not be your very favorite. It has a plastic feel to it and is only so-so for knot tying. It's yellow. 135 lb test is strong enough for many survival tasks, including most primitive shelter building, but it's obviously not strong enough to support body weight or more.

But, if you need a lot of cordage in not a lot of space, Kevlar cord may be your best bet. The spool of 20 feet is roughly 1.5 inches by 1.5 inches wide and long, and about .4 inches thick. Size wise, the individual cordage strands are on par with a thick thread.

Due to the thinness and strength, the cord also makes for a pretty good improvised saw for cutting through plastics and similar materials.

The kit that the SEALs recently put an RFQ out for lists kevlar survival cord as its main cordage, though they require a higher 188 lb breaking strength. 

Vigilant Gear has spools for $4 a pop >

2/14/13

Cordage: Bankline

Photo courtesy Vigilant Gear.
I'm not sure if he's the person who brought it into the survivalist consciousness, but I first heard about bankline from Dave Canterbury.

Many of you probably have rolls of bankline floating around your retreats, but for those unfamiliar with the stuff, it's tarred line used for fishing - the tar helps prevent rot, and it's not meant for wee little fishies - it comes in test strengths like 160 lbs and 340 lbs.

It's not as strong as paracord, but it's also lighter and cheaper on a per foot basis, and there are many cordage jobs that just don't require 550 pounds of strength.

Because it's tarred, bank line holds up well to the elements and won't unravel when cut - there's no need to melt the ends as you do with paracord. It also ties knots quite well - the tackiness helps the knots hold - though untying those knots can be a little trickier than with other kinds of cordage.

One standout area for bankline is the ability to unravel the individual strands for finer tasks or tasks that don't require the given weight. Yes, you can do this with paracord, but the inner core strands of paracord can be difficult to work with. Individual bank line strands are quite a bit easier to work with and retain all the properties of the complete cordage.

Great for dummy cords, camp crafts, shelter building and a host of other uses - a 250 foot roll is an easy addition to a bag and should see plenty of use! It's become my go-to cordage to add to pocket kits, too.

I got my bankline from T-Blog sponsor, Vigilant Gear. Check 'em out!

1/11/13

Cordage: Technora Four Hundred Survival Cord

40 feet of 400 test cordage and a few playing cards for size comparison. 
We've looked at mil-spec paracord and the amazing 950 pound test Technora Nine Fifty, and now we're working our way down the tensile-strength ladder to the smaller but incredibly tough Technora Four Hundred Survival Cord.

Perfect for applications where you want lots of strength in the smallest size package, Technora Four Hundred comes close to the strength of good ol' 550 paracord at a fraction of the size and weight. A 40 foot length tips the scales at a mere .6 ounces and fits easily in a pocket.

Technora excels in tough conditions, too - hot temperatures? It maintains half is strength at 480 degrees! It laughs at acids, chemicals and salt water. Throw whatever you want at it - it'll handle it!

Its got a very slight tacky feel to it, and holds the knots I've tied with it very well. No worries about slippery cord here.

Why would you want cordage so small yet so strong? Well, if you have limited space, why not maximize the amount of strength you can get out of it? Technora Four Hundred is substantially thinner than more common lines, but still offers enough strength to do most anything you'd ask it to. Tie offs for traps? Shelter building? Weight supporting lashings? Setting up a tarp in high winds? Technora Four Hundred has the strength to do it all in a very small and air weight package. A 10 to 15 foot length will fit easily inside a pocket survival kit. A 40 foot hank would fit well within a small E&E kit or every day possibles bag, and take up negligible weight.

Vigilant Gear is your place to buy Technora Four Hundred - let 'em know T-Blog sent you. Thanks to Vigilant for providing the samples used in this series.

We've got a few more kinds of cordage to look at in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

11/1/12

Tip of the Week: Mil-Spec Paracord

This tip of the week comes courtesy of TEOTWAWKI Blog sponsor and purveyor of cool stuff, Vigilant Gear.

Did you know that not all paracord is created equal?

There are two main grades of paracord--mil-spec and commercial. Commercial cordage is quite a bit cheaper--often half the price--but it is not made to the same level of quality, control or testing standards as Type III paracord made to military specifications.

The military has established fairly comprehensive specifications for cordage that they purchase, documented in a nearly 20 page document - the MIL-C-5040H specification. This outlines the standards that contractors must meet when making paracord to sell to the military. It's really exacting, going over the minute details about construction of the cordage, components that go into it, manufacturing techniques and the level of performance it must meet.

Here are a few key points from the specification:
  • Cordage must be have a melt point of at least 244 degrees Celsius
  • Tensile strength must exceed 550 pounds - 550 is the minimum - and you can be sure they test that regularly
  • Length per pound - 225 feet of cordage to 1 pound
  • 7 inner strands, and they must be 3-ply; 2-ply is usually seen in commercial stuff
  • Strict color standards - only military colors, none of that electric pink stuff
  • Colors must meet retention criteria through a different tests - exposure to sunlight, laundering and dry cleaning
  • Specific criteria and testing for resistance to light/UVs and heat - for example, they bake it at 350 degrees for an hour, and after that, it must retain 85% of its original tensile strength
  • Made in the USA by Americans, not in a Cambodian sweat shop
That level of quality/control is going to cost a premium over stuff that doesn't have to meet those criteria, so you're going to see a premium for real mil-spec paracord. I'm uncertain (and doubtful) if companies do any kind of this testing & quality control with commercial paracord--there's nothing to say that it will even meet the specified 550-lb minimum strength.

For some applications - making paracord bracelets for friends - the difference is probably not going to matter. But in other cases, it may certainly be worth it to spend the few extra bucks to ensure you're getting the real-deal, best quality paracord.

Vigilant Gear has certified mil-spec paracord up for grabs on their website - and they were one of the main sponsors for our recent contest - so check it out.

1/17/12

DIY Paracord donut

While not the quickest to make, a paracord donut is a handy way to carry a large amount of paracord in a compact package. Nothing to get tangled, so these ride pretty well in a bag. If you need to use the paracord, just pull the end to undo the braid.

The pictured donut has about 40 feet worth of cordage in it. Took about an hour to weave, but it was my first time makin' one.

Making the paracord donut is fairly simple, once you get the basic braid down. Just repeat over and over again. Step-by-step after the jump, or do a YouTube search for a slew of how-to's.

7/20/11

Review: SERE Black Ops V Cutter

This video from SnakeDr666 does a pretty good job of showing you what the V Cutter is and how to use it. The little V Cutter is purpose-built to give you a cordage slicer in a discrete, compact package. Sort of a miniaturized version of a seat belt or shroud cutter. It's not a knife, so it's non-permissive environment friendly - places where you can't legally carry a knife. It's compact enough to stash most anywhere, including the small elastic/nylon sleeve on OscarDelta's awesome paracord bracelets.

6/1/11

Tip of the Day: Paracord bundle

This tutorial by self defense instructor Mercop walks you through the best when that I've found to carry paracord. It gives you a nice, organized bundle of cordage, which can be deployed be simply pulling the looped end. You can hook the loop around something and pull, or just use a hand. If done correctly, the paracord will spool out smoothly, knot free.

Here's the tutorial >

11/11/09

Adding Paracord to your EDC Bag

Paracord is pretty great stuff, and it's always good to have some extra on hand. I'm not much for the paracord/survival bracelets out there--don't get me wrong, they're cool, I'm just not a bracelet guy. I wanted to add about 15 or so feet to my EDC kit, and wasn't exactly how to do so.

I did some research and came across this video on tying a hojojustsu rope bundle. Try it out--it works. It's not the cleanest looking bundle of rope, but it pulls out quickly, with no tangles.