I've been looking at the various bear bagging cords avail and talking to manufacturers, seeking to source the ideal bear hanging cordage for loads less than 25 lbs to sell in our LiteTrail Shop. Also, the cordage needs to weigh less than 1.5oz for 50 feet.

We have a great one now, same as the BPL one below, but I'm always looking to improve.

The most common used around here is a 3/32-1/8" or 2.4-3mm spectra/dyneema coated with urethane. Which is pretty well proven and tested, like this:
BPL Ursalite

Some past threads indicated a tape or flat construction was better, such as Muletape which is an aramid (the kevlar variety). Like this:
1/4" Flat Aramid Tape

However, kevlar is highly abrasive, and the manufacturers all say polyester is the least abrasive even over dyneema/spectra. The issue with polyester is that it wears out faster and it stretches up to 30%, whereas aramids are about 3-5% stretch.

So would a 3/16-1/4" tape with a 900-1250# tensile strength be the ideal choice for ultralight backpackers? How about the material? Polyester, kevlar or dyneema/spectra material? And why?

Cordage experts please chime in :-)

Edited by jhaura on 05/17/2012 13:41:48 MDT.

this is what I use, 1 oz for 40' (40' has always been sufficient for me)- it's very slippery- this is one of the most important attributes of a bear line IMO, it's also plenty strong @ ~ 1000#, being orange is a plus as well

this particular line is a flat weave Spectra w/ a urethane coating (assuming it's what makes it slick???)

mine has been used for close to 50 hangs and shows no adverse wear

http://www.ultralightdesigns.com/products/packing/bearBagLine.html

Personally I like Zing-It. This little video shows some other types as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA0MrLgGWlQ

http://lawsonequipment.com/All-Products/Dyneema-IronWire-p514.html

@Don
Zing-It = BPL Ursalite = LiteTrail HLine. (All made by same manufacturer, same specs, ours is just gray in color). The Zing-It specs are one of the best options out there right now. Thank you for the video too!

While links to other products is fine, this thread is seeking SPECS. What SPECS do you or would you ultimately like in a bear line?

You need to know a little bit about where you will be operating, what kinds of trees are there, and how tall they are. Or, rather, how tall their limbs are.

As a general rule, at low elevation like 6000 feet, pine trees can grow pretty tall, and their first usable limbs might be 15 feet up. That varies a lot. As you get up closer to timber line (maybe 10,000 feet in Yosemite), the trees are shorter and their usable limbs are closer to the ground and a lot less usable.

In Alaska, the grizzly bears will simply eat the tree trunk.

--B.G.--

"this particular line is a flat weave Spectra w/ a urethane coating (assuming it's what makes it slick???)

mine has been used for close to 50 hangs and shows no adverse wear"

Checked it out and ordered it.


Thanks, Mike.