How to Make a Fast Rope for Climbing Using Paracord
In this video presented by ITS Tactical you will learn how to make a fast rope for climbing using paracord. ITS Tactical will show you how to make a fast rope for climbing using the four-strand round braid. You can practice the four-strand round braid using paracord before going on to make a fast rope for climbing using the larger and more expensive static line.
Rope climbing is fun, exciting, great for kids, and is an awesome full body workout. To get sufficient grip you’re going to need a pretty large rope, and climbing ropes can be pricey costing over $100 for less than twenty feet. Why not save yourself some money by making your fast rope for climbing. Practicing the four-strand round braid using paracord will save you a lot of time and frustration when it comes to braiding with the larger static lines. This article will focus on how to make the four-strand round braid.
To make a twenty-five foot rope, you will need eight sections of paracord that are thirty-five feet in length. Melt the ends to keep the inner strands from working their way out and prevent fraying. Separate the strands into four groups of two. Each group will be treated as one during the braiding process. Tightly tape each group together at one end using electrical tape. Once all of the groups are taped together, combine them by placing the taped ends on top of each other in two sets, one on top and one on bottom. Then tightly tape all the ends together using electrical tape.
To start the braid, separate the strands out into their separate groups. Take the right outer group and go under the two inner groups, working towards the left. Then go over the left inner group, pulling the right inner group to the outside. The right outer group has now become the left inner group and the left inner group is now the right outer group.
Do the same thing starting on the left this time. Make sure to pay attention to what groups are going where, you want the braid to feel like it is flowing naturally, and look smooth and uniform. It is recommended to complete this project in one sitting. This may be a challenge for your grip, but your rope will turn out tight and uniform. It is also hard to start from the correct position after leaving it for some time. This is where having someone untangling the groups as you braid comes in. It is very hard to maintain tension, untangle the lines, and remember what groups are supposed to be going where.
You will need to create an eye splice on the working end for securing the rope during climbing, and fuse the starting end to keep it from coming undone. Those are projects in themselves and should be practiced before trying on static line, but are a subject for another article. ITS tactical has a three video series on making the fast rope from start to finish, so when you’re ready to make the finishing touches on your fast rope, check out their videos. Try creating your Fast Climbing Rope with TITAN Paracord. It's perfect for all of your paracord projects.
