Page 20 - Patty Hahne "The Pocket Guide to Prepper Knots"

of the cover cut away revealing the inner twisted strands of
cordage. Note that the paracord in this photo is included to
give you a general idea of what paracord typically looks like.
The paracord shown in this photo may not actually meet
the MIL-C-5040H type III standard.
The main reason so many survivalists and preppers like
550 paracord is because of the unique way it is construct-
ed. In an emergency, this particular type of rope can be cut
and the inner strands can be removed to provide more use-
able cordage. Taking this a bit further, the strands that are
removed can be untwisted, which provides even more thin
cordage that can be used for things like snares or fishing line.
It’s a very versatile type of cordage that is hugely popu-
lar in the prepping community. Not only is it versatile, it’s
relatively inexpensive, which means you can purchase quite
a large quantity of it without having to dip into your kid’s
college fund.
Regardless of its advertised load rating of 550 pounds,
don’t ever make the mistake of thinking that because you weigh
less than 550 pounds that this type of cordage is safe for sup-
porting your weight in a life or death situation. Depending upon
how much you weigh, it may be adequate for hanging a ham-
mock between a couple of trees, but you should never put
too much trust in it or use it in activities that could result
in injury or property damage.

14 The Pocket Guide to Prepper Knots