Chupacabra Canoe

As we move through Spring, I am changing up my usual Wednesday explorations. I will focus more on topics that relate to life as a canoe and camping enthusiast. I hope you enjoy!

Starting off is the topic of twine. My reflections on twine span my lifetime and while I can’t speak for Rock Hound, I believe twine could have a prominent place is his personal coat of arms. He digs some twine!

There different kinds of twine with great names like: jute, sisal, flax, hemp, nylon, cotton, etc. Those all sound like some great nicknames!

I recently tried to wrangle some cardboard with a roll of twine. After a few instances with it snapping, I gave up and used blue painter’s tape. There are times where twine was used inappropriately. Maybe to tie down a canoe on the roof of a car, for instance. I didn’t witness this, but I have it on good authority that this happened. I bet it was jute twine; that stuff is weak! It didn’t go well.

At best, twine is a temporary fix and not a great one at that. Best reserved for the garden or maybe bundling up papers or cardboard. Nothing significant for sure. Perhaps twine has use as a low cost way to tie down or rope off things at camp. I wouldn’t use it though.

Frankly, I rate twine pretty low. It always comes in those strange little cones or balls that are supposed to make it easy to take a piece, but it always ends up a rats nest of a mess.

My recommendation, grab some braided rope and some elastic tie-downs. they are reusable and create a more trusting secure connection than twine.

Maybe the key to twine is being able to make a killer knot. I don’t know how, but rather than learn, I will badmouth twine! That’s how it is.

So anyway, not that great of post on twine, but twine’s not that great either, so it fits.

Thanks for reading!

Paddles up!

JStroke