braided mason twine love it or hate it

[neo]

i just picked a roll of braided nylon mason twine at home depot.
i will be adding it to the corners of my tarp.what is the good the bad and the ugly of this as a tarp lineneo

[BullFrog]

Good: cheap, readily available

Bad: An affinity for tangling that defies physics.

I use it for my tarp corner tie-outs too, but only because I'm too cheap to buy more zing-it

[neo]

Good: cheap, readily available

Bad: An affinity for tangling that defies physics.

I use it for my tarp corner tie-outs too, but only because I'm too cheap to buy more zing-it

i roll my tarp then slide my skins over it,hopefully that will reduce the tangleneo

[zukiguy]

I swear I've seen almost this exact thread before but I can't seem to find it. Maybe someone else has better "google-fu"??

I bought probably the same roll and used it for a few things. I noticed the tangle factor was beyond belief. The cord is really soft and if you happen to pull it across some rough bark it fuzzes up like piece of yarn. From then on it grabs on every leaf and twig it comes in contact with. For the money, you can't really go wrong with that reflective line from Lawson's. Money talks though....

[bayoubomber]

Like mine and I think it's lighter than zing it.

[adam.skinner]

Bought a roll and used it in an ill-begotten attempt to set up a continuous ridge line this weekend. ~30ft of it; was very prone to tangling. Is able to hold lashings well enough (unlike it's twisted cousin).

Too troublesome to be trail worthy in the capacity I tried to use it in.

[DemostiX]

OP is sure it is nylon? Every bit of cheap string gets called "mason line." Whatever it is labeled, who confirms that is what it says?

When people praise it or otherwise, who knows from reading what the stuff is?

Tell me it's authentic Marshalltown and promise that's what we're talking about, and the conversation is meaningful.

[flatline]

i find that "masons twine" (even marshalltown) snags very easily on twigs and rough surfaces and also holds moisture more than zing-it.
it works well, but my preference is zing-it attached to a #0 s-biner.

[timabababaluka]

I like it--spliceable, light, and as previously mentioned CHEAP.

That doesn't mean it's perfect. It offers very little resistence, and that limpness makes it more difficult to tie knots in cold weather when fingers are less responsive. The limpness makes tangling an issue as well if you don't use caution or preventative storage methods.

My take is this: it's easy to get, light weight, and cheap. For the applications in which I use it (mainly tarp guylines), I've yet to experience the stretching that some folks complain about, but I do use an adjustable grip hitch just in case. I'm pretty good about wrapping and storing ANY cordage that I use, so tangles have not been an issue for me (although I can see how it could be). For me the price, availability, and general usefulness around the home have outweighed the negative aspects of using braided mason's line for guylines.

As always, priorities differ--mine has been 'make it do, or do without.' Were it otherwise, I would probably give zing it or spectra line a go. So to answer the question, I suppose I can say I love braided mason's line--even with all its flaws.

I imagine the Missus says the same thing about me .

[FLRider]

Pros: easily available, cheap, light, a good "firebreak" in tarp design (the guylines will give before the tarp does; something that is desirable to me), holds knots well.

Cons: tangles like...well, I'm not allowed to use that kind of language in family-friendly settings. It tangles. A. Lot. It also unravels at cuts if you don't fuse the ends, and it stretches more than poly, polypro, or UHMWPE lines do.

Pointers: use tensioners on your guylines (worth doing anyway, if you've got a nylon tarp), melt the line and pull to cut it rather than using a knife or scissors, use a figure-8 wrap around your thumb and pinkie when hanking the line to prevent tangling, and don't try to use it for bear bagging line (trust me on this one).

Hope it helps!