Max Knives PARA15D — 4 mm paracord, 15 metre length, desert tan

Overview

Fifteen metres is the amount of paracord you carry rather than the amount you keep in reserve. This 4 mm length in desert tan belongs in a hiking pack, a camp bag or a survival pouch, and gets cut down as needs arise: shelter guy lines, tarp tensioners, setting a trap, makeshift fishing line, an improvised splint, the poles of a rescue stretcher. The sandy tone suits pale ground, whether sand, rock or dry grass.

The pack length

Between the single metre that settles one job and the long workshop coil, fifteen metres holds the useful middle: enough to rig a full bivouac, little enough to sit coiled in a side pocket. In practice you cut two or three guy lines from it, a drying line, a compression strap, and there is still some left. It is also the reserve kept untouched in a survival kit, where cord is one of the few items that stands in for several tools at once.

Technical specifications

Paracord, parachute cord, in a 4 mm diameter, supplied as a 15 metre length in desert tan. That gauge is the standard for outdoor cordage and for braiding; it knots readily, cuts to whatever length is wanted and accepts the beads and buckles made for paracord. Total length supplied: 15 metres in one piece.

Care

Cord that has spent the night outside comes back damp: unwind it and let it dry before coiling it again, otherwise the whole hank holds the moisture. Sand and soil rinse off under clean water. Coil the length in even loops rather than a heap, which saves you from knots when it next comes out. Storing it in the shade spares the desert shade any needless fading.