1.  A rope is a bundle of flexible fibers twisted or braided together to increase its overall length and flexible strength. The use of ropes for hunting, carrying, lifting, and climbing dates back to prehistoric times. Ropes were originally made by hand using natural fibers. Modern ropes are made by machines and utilize many newer synthetic materials to give them improved strength, lighter weight, and better resistance to rotting. More than half of the rope manufactured today is used in the fishing and maritime industries.. The History of Rope

2.  Although the origin of rope is unknown, the Egyptians were the first people to develop special tools to make rope. Egyptian rope dates back to 4000 to 3500 B.C. and was generally made of water reed fibers. Other Egyptian rope was made from the fibers of date palms, flax, grass, papyrus, leather, or camel hair. The use of such ropes pulled by thousands of slaves allowed the Egyptians to move the heavy stones required to build the pyramids. By about 2800 B.C., rope made of hemp fibers was in use in China. Rope and the craft of rope making spread throughout Asia, India, and Europe over the next several thousand years. The History of Rope

3.  By the fourth century, rope making in India had become so specialized that some makers produced rope intended only for use with elephants. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) drew sketches of a concept for a rope making machine, and by the late 1700s several working machines had been built and patented. The History of Rope Rope continued to be made from natural fibers until the 1950s when synthetic materials such as nylon became popular. Despite the changes in materials and technology, rope making today remains little changed since the time of the ancient Egyptians

4.   Rope is sometimes generally referred to as cordage  Rope construction involves twisting fibers together to form yarn. For twisted rope, the yarn is then twisted into strands, and the strands twisted into rope.  Three-strand twisted rope is the most common construction.  For braided rope, the yarn is braided rather than being twisted into strands.  Double-braided rope has a braided core with a braided cover.  Plaited rope is made by braiding twisted strands.  Other rope construction includes combinations of these three techniques such as a three-strand twisted core with a braided cover.  The concept of forming fibers or filaments into yarn and yarn into strands or braids is fundamental to the rope-making process. Rope Construction

5.   Twisted rope aka laid rope looks like a spiral and it’s usually made of three strands (polypropylene wire most of the time) twisted together, hence the name.  This is not the strongest nor the best rope design out there but nevertheless, it has its uses – it’s resistant to water and it also sinks, unlike many others types of rope – and it’s cheap.  Definitely not a good choice for a survival rope, though. It rots quickly and isn’t agile.  Also, it’s bulky and the individual strands aren’t that useful alone. In this case, you get what you pay for but it’s better than nothing in a pinch. Common Types of Rope

6.   Braided ropes are built by weaving fiber strands and come in 2 types: hollow and double braided.  This kind of rope is very popular in marine applications. Braided ropes rot quickly, they stretch and they don’t unbraid well. They are fairly strong when new, though. Common Types of Rope

7.   Climbing ropes (the modern versions) feature a cool design, just like parachute cord, called the kernmantle design.  This fancy word comes from the German word kern which means core and mantel which translates into jacket.  Basically, you have an inner core made of separate strands (this means strength beyond strength) and an outer jacket that’s resistant to scratches, making the rope durable and tear resistant.  This kind of rope stretches very little under stress and it’s capable of supporting heavy loads without breaking. It can, however, be quite bulky. Common Types of Rope

8.   Sisal is a natural fiber and it’s basically a plant (Agave sisal Ana, hence the name), which is very popular for its stiff fibers that are used for making rope, cordage, rugs and similar items.  There are people who actually use sisal rope for all sorts of things because it costs next to nothing and it copes well with salt water. However, it is typically coarse and relatively bulky. Common Types of Rope

9.   Baling twine is a thinner type of the previous sisal rope, as it comes in a smaller diameter and it’s widely used for tying up hay bales and what not.  It has 350 pounds of breaking strength and it is a cheap rope.  Even if it’s fairly cheap and strong, this is definitely not a valid choice when it comes to survival.  It’s not particularly flexible, and it has a fairly limited usage.  You can’t use the fibers separately and it’s bulky. Common Types of Rope

10.   The Paracord is all-inclusive. Paracord is basically a fancy name for parachute cord, because that’s what paracord really is. It’s the latest and the greatest in rope technology.  It makes a great survival rope.  The 550 Paracord is the rope that the military has been using since World War 2. It has since it proved itself in battle and in emergency situations many times over. It became largely used by both military and civilians in the 21st century.  Paracord is made of lightweight nylon using the kernmantle technology (a strong inner core and a tear resistant cover)  It offers high strength, resilience and flexibility  Authentic 550 paracord has a core built of 7-9 strands intertwined in pairs of 2=3which makes for fourteen (or 21/27) strands in total. The outer sheet (or the mantle) is built of braided nylon.  One of paracord’s main attributes besides its awesome strength is that it weighs next to nothing and that’s huge factor when you have to carry lots of gear with you.  Also, it dries quickly and doesn’t rot/mildew when wet. Common Types of Rope

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