Paracord

Paracord is often called the duct tape of the cordage world, and for good reason. Genuine 550 paracord has a minimum breaking strength of 250kg, yet weighs just grams per metre and packs down to almost nothing. In UK survival situations, you'll use it constantly — rigging a tarpaulin shelter against driving rain, creating a washing line to dry sodden clothes, fashioning a tourniquet or splint binding in a first aid emergency, or replacing a snapped bootlace on a remote Munro. The inner strands can be separated for finer tasks like fishing line or suture thread. No survival kit is complete without at least 15 metres.

Paracord is a reach-for-daily item in any outdoor scenario. Use it to pitch tarps and hammocks in UK woodlands, secure gear to the outside of your rucksack, hang a bear bag (or simply keep food away from foxes and badgers at camp), create a ridgeline for a shelter, or lash together a makeshift stretcher. In urban emergency situations, paracord can serve as a tow line, a bundle tie, or a securing strap for loose items in high winds.