Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Tarred twine, is lighter, more compact, and less expensive than 550 paracord. As for strength, 340-pound-test #36 bank line is PLENTY strong, but can't support the 550 pounds of static tension GENUINE 550 paracord can. Unfortunately, the commercial, fancy-colored "550 paracord" readily available on Amazon and elsewhere (typically sold for $8-$10 per 100-foot hank) is NOT genuine military-spec paracord; just study the paracord article on Wikipedia. I have no idea how close to 550 pounds of breaking strength cheap -- I'll call it fake -- paracord can support. For more details on the pros and cons of both, I recommend you watch "Bank Line VS Paracord Shootout" on YouTube. If you're like me, you will come to the following conclusions: (1) For dependable strength, compactness, light weight, and low cost, choose bank line. (2) For color (e.g., for high visibility guy lines, bracelets) and the ability to make and undo knots, choose GENUINE 550 paracord.