I'm assessing lightweight rope alternatives for things like my tarp CRL, tie-outs, etc. I've noticed when reading through these forums that a lot of folks are using 1.75mm/2.2mm Zing-it/Lash-it or similar rope commonly sold as Arborist throw line. Has anyone used hollow core braided UHMWPE fishing line like this: Amazon link ? It's extremely lightweight, comes in a variety of diameters and tensile strengths, has dozens of color options, offered by a large variety of vendors, and it's much less expensive than Zing-it. I ran a search for "fishing line" here on the forum and turned up nothing.
I bought some 1.4mm/400lb line to see what it would be like to splice. (That was the smallest I felt comfortable attempting.) It was thin, but I was able to make some CLs for prusiks, a couple of locked brummel eyes, and even a button knot shackle without much difficulty. I found it more pliable than Zing-it and easier to work with despite the smaller diameter. It doesn't have that stiff, waxy urethane coating. The prusiks held my tarp well on my current Zing-it CRL, even during some significant wind and rain.
The line is strong enough for tarp use, bear bags, and similar applications and it seems to hold knots fairly well, although to be fair, I've only been messing with it for a short time. I could see the pliability being a potential tangle problem, but I haven't had any problems when I 'infinity-loop' it.
So ... if it's easier to work with, strong enough, readily available, and cheaper, why haven't I read anything here on the forum about folks using braided fishing line? You'd think more experienced hammock gurus than me would be all over this stuff, particularly the UL crowd. I can't help but think that there's something I'm missing here.
Has anyone used this type of fishing line and can give me your opinion of the pros and cons compared to ... say ... Zing-it?
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