# throwline vs parachute cord



## tinman44 (Dec 29, 2004)

anyone used both? parachute cord is so cheap its like 35 bucks for 1000' compared to 200' of rhino line for 35. so any thoughts on the two? i will say that just from my assumptions, the braided parachute cord will catch and drag more than the slick nylon twisted stuff


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## Tom Dunlap (Dec 29, 2004)

Your assumption is right.

Throwline is lighter too. That means you can throw higher.


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## Koa Man (Dec 30, 2004)

But parachute cord is a very handy thing to have around. From cord wrapping to tying up stuff, parachute cord is great and I use it a lot.


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## jamie (Dec 30, 2004)

*safe*

is it safe to use though? i would be worried about the safety of my throwbag. is parachute line that strong?  

jamie


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## jimmyq (Dec 30, 2004)

I like parachute cord for boot laces. great colors and durable as heck. slick line for thrwo line makes more sense though. I figure chute cord would get tangled and snagged more?


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## tinman44 (Dec 30, 2004)

i know its strong enough but i agree tangle factor probably makes it worthless. just curious if anyone uses it as cheap alternative


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## TheSurgeon (Dec 30, 2004)

I use it. It works great for parachutes!


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## Koa Man (Dec 30, 2004)

jamie said:


> is it safe to use though? i would be worried about the safety of my throwbag. is parachute line that strong?
> 
> jamie



Parachute cord is normally rated at 550 lbs. Far more than your standard throwbag line. I am currently using slick line for my throwbag. I'll tell you what parachute cord is really good for, starter cord. If your starter cord breaks, use parachute cord to replace it, lasts a really long time. I had my climbing saw starter cord break in the field once and the only thing I had to replace it was a piece of my slick line....didn't last very long, broke again before the end of the day. Replaced it with parachute cord after I got home, now going on 8 months.


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## treeman82 (Dec 30, 2004)

Do any of you guys ever use fishing line? The 1.75mm line is good, as is the 2.2mm. However the 8oz. bag has a hard time pulling that string to the ground. Fishing line would be much thinner, and lighter.


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## NickfromWI (Dec 30, 2004)

What kind of fishing line, treeman82?


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## treeman82 (Dec 30, 2004)

I don't know. I would have thought that with your background you would know better than I about that stuff.


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## JCSJC (Dec 30, 2004)

*I've been using 7/64 diamond braid*

That I picked up from...... eBay, of course.

Got a little over a half mile for about $20.  

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=11704&item=4347055138&rd=1

I'm sure it's gonna get snagged one day in a place I can't get it back, then I'll be kicking myself.


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## Stumper (Dec 30, 2004)

The NewTribe folks recommend 3mm accessory cord. Sounds reasonable to me. I'm still using slickline. I may have to buy a spool of diamond braid. 

P.S. Yes I have used fishing line. It is useful but adds a step-you need to pull up a heavier line to then pull up your rope-When I tried to use 28 lb Spiderwire Fusion to pull up my rope it worked sometimes but hung up and broke on other occasions. Worked fine to pull up the throw line on all attempts.


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## jamie (Dec 30, 2004)

sorry for anyone who never picked up on my sarcasm...


jamie


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## Jumper (Dec 30, 2004)

jamie said:


> is it safe to use though? i would be worried about the safety of my throwbag. is parachute line that strong?
> 
> jamie



We called it 550 cord for a reason-550 lbs tensile strength. There are others as well that are a lot thinner and almost as strong, microline comes to mind and it is very similar to throw line cord.


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## NickfromWI (Dec 30, 2004)

I don't know jack squat about fishing line. Not much of a fisherman. I am trying to find a tiny braided line to use with the big shot. Know of anything?

love
nick


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## Stumper (Dec 31, 2004)

Nick, If you want small but strong and are willing to spend a little then check out Johnson Worldwide's Spiderwire, Berkely Gorila braid, Stren Powerbraid (Dupont). And (a cheaper but hard to find alternative)-Powerline Plus(I'm not sure I got all the names right-esp the last one) These are all Spectra or Kevlar braids. They are available in very high breaking strengths. The average inland tackle shop/sporting goods dept. tends to only stock strengths up to 30-40lbs but they are available much higher. The 50lb breaking strength is only about .010 inch diameter. You can find the higher weights in coastal areas(should be easy for you now) or can order from a Marine Tackle supplier.


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## NickfromWI (Dec 31, 2004)

I was concerned about the tangling thing. Stumper, thanks for the info. I'll check some shops around here. I'll have to find a fishing store. All I've found around here are general sporting goods stores and they only had monofilament.

Maybe I need a reel for this stuff, huh? No flaking.

love
nick


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## NickfromWI (Dec 31, 2004)

Oh, and Leon, I knew about the tiny spectra line in sherrill. I'm a bit skeptical about buying a line I haven't seen before. Maybe I need to talk to sean...

love
nick


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## Tom Dunlap (Dec 31, 2004)

Nick,

You could talk to me about the line. But, if you want to, go ahead and talk w/Sean. 

I've got some of the dental floss spectra wound onto a fishing reel. That is in my line mug with an 8 oz. throwbag for in-tree tosses. It also goes along on big tree rec climbs. Jerry Beranek taught me to have a retrieval line along in case my fumblies leaves me without a climbing line. 

This stuff is super strong but really hard on the hands for pulling. Even with gloves on I make sure that I pad my pinky finger. 

Happy New Year!

Tom

PS I sent Keith an email to find out the lineage of the rope


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## Stumper (Dec 31, 2004)

Nick. I suggest buying a LARGE closed face spinning reel. You can find a cast off fishing pole to cut down for the handle-leaving perhaps one guide- or simply tape the reel to a piece of rake handle. That make respooling a breeze. Remember to ALWAYS open the bail and pull the line to make sure it is disengaged before shooting. I used to do the fishing line thing when setting lines with a bow. Now that I have a Big Shot I don't need it for the trees around here but if you are making high shots it will give you addedf height/distance.


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## Jumper (Jan 1, 2005)

Spectra/Microline is the cordage used for suspension lines on high performance canopies and is available by the roll through many parachute supply houses, 725 tensile strength and up.


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## NickfromWI (Jan 2, 2005)

Jumper- what diameters are these lines you're talking about?

love
nick


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## tinman44 (Jan 2, 2005)

Mike Maas said:


> The trouble with some lines is they tangle up like mad no matter how careful you are. If you compare 1.75mm and 2.2mm Zing it, you'll find the thicker line is much less prone to tangling, making you all mad and red in the face.
> To be honest, I don't do much fishing because nobody will go with me any more, *something about a little incident with a dropped stick of dynamite*, but I digress. Some of those thin lines might be tough to handle.


Pictures?


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## Jumper (Jan 2, 2005)

NickfromWI said:


> Jumper- what diameters are these lines you're talking about?
> 
> love
> nick



The 725 Spectra is 1/8". \\I have emailed you if you want the web site of the company that I have dealt with in the past. They are out of Chicago.


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## Tom Dunlap (Jan 3, 2005)

Jumper.

Is that the company that sells PARAchute GEAR?


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## Jumper (Jan 3, 2005)

Yup


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## tinman44 (Feb 5, 2005)

pictures of the fishing with the dynamite.......of course i feel my way is best but here is what i do. my father-in-law owns lots of cattle and they bale their own hay, so i got a spool of bale twine (9000ft) goes for about 8 bucks at supply store, and i use the pad lock off of my gear box for a weight. works great for me


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