One of the most critical pieces of survival gear to have is rope, which you should have in your Bug Out Bag for wilderness survival.
Some of the top plants for making cordage include: – Stinging nettle – Yucca – Milkweed – Dogbane – Western red cedar
To make rope, you need to separate the fiber from the plant. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a lot of starches in your rope. Those starches will weaken the rope. The moment it rains on your rope, you can count on it to dissolve!
Buffing is a step that softens the fibers so they are more flexible. It also helps to remove any remaining woody bark.
Just roll the fibers back and forth in your hands to buff them. Or, I prefer to put the fiber strands on my thigh and rub my hand back and forth over them. You should see the fibers becoming fluffier and stringier.
Now, it is time to wrap your plant fibers into rope!
This is a great survival skill to know and could save your life. You might even start trading the rope you made for supplies. But keeping some strong rope in your Bug Out Bag is still a good idea.