Soda Bottle Rope?
I, like most other people, hate seeing plastic bottles littered around the outdoors while I’m fishing, camping, and hiking. And, even though it's become a common sight in cities & towns, I don't like seeing littered bottles there either.
But, what if these bottles were a survival resource that were just waiting to be turned into something useful? You could successfully kill 2 birds with one stone...Clean up litter and create a survival resource.
Make Homemade String from a Plastic Bottle
Awhile back, soda bottles were something that I looked at as trash. I would’ve picked them up and thrown them away at the next garbage can on a trail. But now, they are indispensable resources for creating strong cordage and DIY String. In fact, I get excited when I see a "good" plastic bottle laying around now.
You probably already know what I mean when I say “a good plastic bottle” if you use our cordage cards. But, if you haven’t used them yet, I’ll describe some good plastic bottles versus bottles that aren't the best for making cordage a little later in this article…
See our Plastic Bottle Cutters here
Pictured above is our Cordage Making Card while I'm making some thin diameter line for fishing.
Plastic Bottle Rope Uses
Our Plastic Bottle Rope Makers can turn ordinary soda or water bottles into useful rope in a matter of minutes. This rope can be used for just about everything that normal nylon-types of cordage can be used for:
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Camping & Survival:
Creating ridge-lines for shelters, securing items onto a pack frame, lashing spears onto sticks, etc. -
Fishing:
With our Expansion & Reducer Kit, that works with our largest Cordage Making Card, you can create some very thin rope. This rope is perfect for using with an improvised fishing kit as you can see from the photo above. -
Pulling a tractor:
Yeah we’re not joking…plastic bottle cord is that strong. Watch the video about it later in this article. - Your imagination and individual needs really are the limit for plastic bottle rope.
Best Plastic Bottles for Making Rope
Not all bottles are created equal when you’re trying to turn them into usable rope. We’ve found that non-ridged 2 Liter Bottles (like the ones in the right of the photo above) are the easiest and strongest to turn into plastic rope. Some water bottles (ie: “SmartWater” bottles) are fantastic. But, cheaper “bulk” water bottles with lots of ridges are pretty difficult to work with. They’re thin, hard to pass through our Cordage Cards and they break pretty easily when put under stress.
CHALLENGE TIME: Whenever you purchase your cordage making tools, we encourage you to scavenge around local stores, BBQ’s, or party’s for some great looking bottles to turn into cordage (using the image above as your guide)!
Tag us on Instagram with what you’ve found and what made the best cordage.
Plastic Bottle Rope Strength
As we mentioned above, we have pulled a tractor with cordage made from a 2 liter bottle! That is some pretty solid in-field-proof that plastic cordage has some insane strength. Plastic rope will be more than strong enough for any camping, survival, or recreational use.
Why would I need this?
Sometimes, a kit is just not conducive to carrying bulky cordage along (such as paracord). Take for instance an “EDC Kit” that you carry on your person, or a small sling bag like the one shown above. It is near impossible to carry a good amount of bulky cordage there. But now, you can create your own, when you need it, with our cordage making tools.
Our cordage making tools come in 3 Sizes: Credit Card Size, Dog Tag Size, and Micro Size.
These tools solve the problem of having to carry bulky or cumbersome cordage, especially when you’re using a small bag or no bag at all. This in my opinion is the coolest thing about these tools…Creating something out of what seems like nothing.
See our Cordage Making Tools Here
About The Author
Based in the Appalachian Mountains, Anthony is a commercial photographer and avid outdoorsman. Whether he's setting up a scene for a photograph or getting things ready to camp, Anthony feels most at home with mud on his boots and a warm campfire burning nearby. Learn more at AnthonyAwaken.com
