Upcoming trip to Grand Canyon. Read a number of sources which mention needing to hang packs from "pack poles" in Bright Angel Campground.

Is paracord a good option for this application? Not familiar with sizing. REI lists 2-4mm paracord as "general utility". Recommendations?

Also, assume I should use the haul loop on my ULA Catalyst to hang the pack?

Thanks!

Edited by mfxdmx on 10/24/2009 12:16:17 MDT.

Parachord is pleanty strong enough for what you need. There are several producers of 'parachord' however the military grade can be stripped to reveal the kern which is made of seven 2 - 3 ply yarns. Thse yarns themselves are quite strong also so in reality 30 ft. of parachors can be divided into 210 ft. of smaller diameter rope if you need. I tend to prefer parachord over the newer super ropes as it holds easier with standard knots so you don't need to be a knot expert to tie it and have it hold. Add to this the larger diameter and it makes working with it when gloved much easier than smaller diameter ropes. Oh, and it's cheap too so when you take everything into consideration, the little extra weight is worth it. Just my 2c.

P.

Looking in the shop, I ran across this:

AirCore Pro URSA Dyneema Bear Bag Hanging Rope (50 feet)

Looks like that would have no problem hanging a pack. Read the info on preferred knots - no problem there.

Obviously not cheap. Do you guys keep the 50 piece intact, and just use whatever length is necessary for the task at hand (like bear bag/pack hanging, or other temporary applications)?

Didn't see a weight/foot measurement on REIs website for Paracord. Is this significantly lighter?

Granted that the bear rope is exactly what you need then def spend the cash. However, in the scheme of multi purpose applications I believe this rope is not as versatile as paracord and if it frays it seems like of would be hard to fix in the backcountry without the right things . So its really up 2 you but personally ill take some braided paracord with me. IMO

Paracord weighs 2-3x what the BPL bear bagging cord does. That's 2-3 oz more for 30 feet. The paracord is certainly easier to throw and handle; you decide if the weight and cost is worth it.

FWIW, another lighter/cheaper alternative is to get some of the braided nylon mason's cord from home depot or lowe's. It's thin but reasonably strong stuff that costs about the same as paracord. If nothing else you can try it out and see if you can work with lighter line without investing in dyneema line.

Thanks Paul, Michael, and James.

I'll pick up some of that mason's line at Lowe's. Seems like a good place to start.