What cordage would be the best for making a sling? Plastic rope did'nt work for me. I hear paracord could work. Can someone help?

paracord works awesome for weaving if you gut it.

I prefer hemp and can get several sizes in local craft stores   (I really like hemp), followed by braided seine/masons twine (nylon)  and the ever present 550 knock off cord.

The material I choose is closely coupled with the style of sling I'm making ... and the phase of the moon.

The next time I'm close to my favorite kite store; I'll see if I can get a spool of un-waxed linen.  I'd like to try linen.

Welcome, sjvanbrs;
    Ask twenty different slingers that question and get twenty different answers.  It's very much a matter of personal preference, as is everything else related to slinging.  I have made very good slings with all of the following materials.  I'll try to list them in order of preference:
Jute, hemp, paracord, polypropylene, cotton, nylon, sisal, and synthetic yarn.  I'm sure I'm foregetting something.  I've yet to try flax and silk but I'm told they make excellent slings also.  Sisal is rough, scratchy, and hard on your hands plus it has a lot of "memory" but some people like it.  It's OK.  I find synthetic yarn is good for making ornametal slings for children.  It comes in many bright colors.  I guess they're somewhat functional, but I find synthetic yarn just isn't tough enough.  Many of the guys here have made slings from wool.  One was sent to me as a gift.  They're a bit stretchy but nice.

Many of the members here prefer paracord.  It certainly has its advantages.  It's pliable, easy to work with, and with a 550 lb breaking strength it's almost indestructible.  Also it's very difficult (but not impossible) to make a bad looking sling from paracord. Though I prefer some of the natural materials like jute, cotton, and hemp for their feel, there's certainly nothing wrong with paracord as far as I'm concerned.

timann wrote on Jun 7^th, 2011 at 2:10pm:


yep, i think this is the best answer so far. braiding a sling from paracord (too heavy) is like making a seatbelt sling with cords from a single strand of sisal (tangles). it takes a while, but eventually you get the hang of it.

I use "camping rope" from walmart, It's basically the same rope you can find on a boat that's tied to the dock. It's green, and you don't have to worry  about it twisting (I used to have that problem, but then i got this) because it doesn't twist at all. That can be a good or bad thing though If you like a woven pouch, then it's a terrible cord to use, too hard to work with. I prefer the regular 2 strips of leather crossed and tied for a pouch.

Sometimes it might have a rip, and only having this new cordage on my sling for a week now, I can't get into details. Anyway, at $6 for 50' (and the fact that I use only 18" to 24" cords for more accuracy over power) it's a good enough deal.

The best way I can test anything on a sling is to put the sling together, and carry it in my pocket everywhere I go whether I plan on slinging or not (cause you never know, okay?!) and just try a couple shot to see if it would withstand regular use and transportation.

mossdog, there's nylon and there's nylon.  I have some nylon that I absolutely can't make a sling from and some that as good as anything else I've tried. Paracord is a type of nylon.  So is the mason line that I lot of the guys like.  I just bought my first batch of mason line for my recovery.  I bought a multicolored varitey pack and a few spools.  I'll let you all know how it works out.