Rope?

[Manveruon]

Hey all! I have a kind of obvious question, which I'm surprised hasn't come up around here before (or maybe it has, but it was before my time (or maybe it has, and during my time, but I've just clean forgotten about it (wow, that's a lot of parenthetical remarks))). That is: what do you guys use for rope?

With my first ever ranger overnighter coming up in early July, I want to procure myself some decent rope, with which I can tie up shelters, or even hang up a hammock for myself if I so choose. What would you guys recommend for this task? I'm honestly not sure where to look. Yeah, I could use paracord or something of that nature, but I'd really like it to at least appear "period accurate," or "close enough" even.

Thoughts?

[Ursus]

Making your cordage is always the best way to go if possible. You can also go to Home Depot and get hemp rope of various thickness's cut to what ever length you want.

[Elleth]

For anything but elven, I'd use hemp:

http://www.hemptraders.com/Hemp-Rope-s/1513.htm

A while back I was doing a 19th century nautical bag for fun, and was pointed to these guys - it'd work perfectly for Middle Earth I think.
I'll see if I can dig out my box of rope this evening and double check.

Also, I believe I've heard this craftsman makes EXCELLENT stuff (less "scratchy" / better feel ) - though I've not ordered from him.
I have a very nice sample that I BELIEVE is his and is considerably better than the hemptraders stuff.

William Wasson
Ropemaker
207 354 6520
seaducks at roadrunner dawt com


For elven, I've a vague sense that the Japanese make a silk rope - but um.. that is not a work-safe Google search. I have learned. *eek*

[Elleth]

Found the rope box:



The darker stuff in the middle connected to the sail hook is from Bill Wasson - everything else is from HempTraders.

The custom stuff feels more... I don't know how to put it other than "real" - somehow. Like something a body would count on. I'm afraid I don't know the material.
The hemp is okay - it feels sort of like a rougher version of a plain old laundry rope.

Either would do fine for Rangering I think.

[RikJohnson]

there are lots of Period rope and cord, sisal comes to mind.
You can also make a lucet to convert your cord to rope.

I've made some rope but save for tieing tents and things to my pack, I'd never trust my own rope to support my life<g>

[ineffableone]

The usual suspects of Hemp, Jute, Sisal, and one I did not see mentioned here yet Manila. Are all typical historical natural fiber ropes. Each have their pros and cons. There is also Flax and Coir rope as well as cotton and Hessen.

As for making your own rope from natural materials, you can use anything you find in nature with long strong string like fibers. Stinging nettles were used for cordage making. The fibers in the stalks making great cordage. Milkweed stalks, and even cattail leaves have great fibers for cordage. Some plants you want to look at stalks for fibers, others you look at their leaves. Many tree barks have a good inner layer that is great for cordage also. Cedar is a very common tree bark rope due to it's natural rot resistance. Willow bark and basswood are also common tree fibers used for rope making. Cedar and other trees also commonly the root is used for a cordage. Typically splitting the root in two for use. Root cordage however tends to be less load bearing but great for binding objects. Especially objects that will get wet regularly. Such as boats and rafts. But also shelter roofs, and tripods can be bound with root lashings.

[ineffableone]

want to procure myself some decent rope, with which I can tie up shelters, or even hang up a hammock for myself if I so choose. What would you guys recommend for this task? I'm honestly not sure where to look. Yeah, I could use paracord or something of that nature, but I'd really like it to at least appear "period accurate," or "close enough" even.

Something to note. Paracord is not a good cordage to hang a hammock. Your butt will be on the ground in the morning. Paracord is stretchy.

This is something you need to consider when looking at cordage. Do you want stretch or not. Sometimes it is a good thing others not so much.

Something to note, be prepared to have to carry heavier thicker cordage when going with natural fibers. There is a reason synthetics took over, and that is weight and bulk reduction mainly.

[MasterStrong]

I'm with RikJohnson on this one. Using natural rope for binding a pack roll and various other things is great, and I love the aesthetic, but I won't go out in the wild without something I know can carry my weight in an emergency.

[Manveruon]

Wow, seriously great info, guys! Thank you so much! Ineffableone: you're like a bloody encyclopedia for this stuff, haha. I'd love to make my own rope, but at the moment I'm willing to just make the purchase, because I'm in a little bit of a time-crunch.

Found the rope box:



The darker stuff in the middle connected to the sail hook is from Bill Wasson - everything else is from HempTraders.

The custom stuff feels more... I don't know how to put it other than "real" - somehow. Like something a body would count on. I'm afraid I don't know the material.
The hemp is okay - it feels sort of like a rougher version of a plain old laundry rope.

Either would do fine for Rangering I think.

Elleth: That's fantastic, thanks for sharing that! I think I will definitely be going with Hemp Traders, provided that what I need is in-stock and can get here within about two weeks or so.

A few more questions for everyone: What length would you guys recommend? How much do you carry, yourselves? Does anyone have any recommended lengths for something like rigging a hammock? And lastly, if I'm going through Hemp Traders, which size/diameter would you recommend I purchase?

I need to place the order ASAP, so quick feedback is appreciated, thanks!

[ineffableone]

Ineffableone: you're like a bloody encyclopedia for this stuff, haha. I'd love to make my own rope, but at the moment I'm willing to just make the purchase, because I'm in a little bit of a time-crunch.

It helps that my brother makes rope, so I pick up a lot of info from him. As well I do a lot of bushcraft natural cordage. Making my own cordage from materials in the woods is a great way to chill out and relax next to a fire and stay productive. I would not say I am all that good yet at making my own cordage. But I keep practicing so hope to eventually get to a point where I feel I am quite capible of making what ever cordage needs I have from natural materials.

[ineffableone]

A few more questions for everyone: What length would you guys recommend? How much do you carry, yourselves? Does anyone have any recommended lengths for something like rigging a hammock? And lastly, if I'm going through Hemp Traders, which size/diameter would you recommend I purchase?

I need to place the order ASAP, so quick feedback is appreciated, thanks!

10 mm should be good for aprox 250 lbs, which should be sufficient for a hammock (if you want extra safety opt for the 12mm rope). As for lengths. That is a difficult one, since there are a lot of variables. Such as typical tree diameter, tree spacing, etc...

Something I would suggest is to precut your hammock lengths, and attach them to the hammock ahead of time to aid in hammock set up. You can also then whip stitch your rope ends so they don't fray.

As for rope to carry outside of for your hammock, I wouldn't carry more than 50'. It gets bulky pretty quick, and 25' would likely be much easier to carry if you don't have any planned uses for it. If it is just for tying shelters and other less load bearing things, I would suggest you opt for the 6mm hemp rope. This will reduce the bulk and weight, and if the rope doesn't need to handle a heavy load, then reducing the diameter is wise. Or even opt for the hemp twine, to further reduce weight and bulk, I wouldn't go under 3mm though for this.

[Manveruon]

This is absolutely great, thank you!

[Taurinor]

If it gives you an idea as to bulk, the rope in my hard kit pictures I posted a while back is around 20-25 feet (I forget exactly which) of 1/2 inch rope, which I think is 12 mm.

[Manveruon]

That's great, just the info I was looking for, thanks!

I ended up grabbing 10 yards of the 10 mm. I figure that gives me some extra to work with, and the 10 mm should be more than plenty to hold my weight, based on what I'm seeing.

[Greg]

FYI, 13mm is 1/2".