Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Prudent Prepping: Parapocalypse Cord Review, pt 1

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.

The weather hasn't been cooperating with me in my attempts to record videos of the paracord I mentioned buying several weeks ago. You can see me, but not hear anything over the wind.

First Impressions
The cord itself is fairly stiff in comparison to standard paracord; twice as stiff, I would have to say, which makes sense considering the extra fibers in the core. I have reasonably sharp knives in my pockets and gear, and the cord cuts like something much thicker.

What surprised me when cutting was that the last two strands to cut were the fishing line and (I believe) the Dyna X. This was true for all three cuts I made in my sample. You will definitely need a sharp knife to cut this cord!

After cutting, the internal strands pulled out cleanly and were easy to separate.

from https://www.subatcina.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=58714

The Components
I had no problem getting the waxed jute to catch on fire, even after dunking the separated strand in water. I'm not sure how it will work if the entire original cord is wet for a long time, but I expect it will still light well.

There is a ban on fishing here (even though Social Distancing is the norm for the sport), so I don't have an actual "in use" test for the monofilament fishing line, but it does tie like I expected 10 lb test line to work.

I don't have an "in use" test for the nano aramid either, since no one here is close to 110 lbs; either we are way over or under that total. I'm hoping to borrow a kid later, if all home schooling and chores are done this week. I did however wind a strand around an equal amount of waxed jute, and after the jute burned off, there was some discoloration but no melting of the Aramid.

I'm not sure how to test the Dyna X either, but I want to also try and see what sort of weight might be supported by this.

The outer sheath and the nylon paracord all caught fire quickly and burned as I expected nylon to to do: hot, smoky, and making a sticky flaming mess I wouldn't want to get on me. Using it to possibly help start a fire with less than dry wood is where I think this will be helpful, along with tying smaller items.

The whole 25' long sample is going to be used up when I'm finished, so I will order another 25' hank and, I think, one of the longer lengths as well.

Recap and Takeaway
  •  I'm disappointed I don't have videos that work, but hopefully the weather cooperates when I get the next batch of cord.
  • This is very useful cordage that I'm adding to all my gear bags. It is going to be added, not replacing, the paracord I have now since it could be used up, leaving me with no high strength, longer length cordage if needed.
  • Nothing was purchased this week, and nothing is expected to be ordered next week either.
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If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.

1 comment:

  1. Yeah,I have videos of tests and my mouth moving but you only hear wind noise.

    ReplyDelete

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