My friend Tom Blakey, aka @prepared_pathfinder has shared some photos of the new Loop Line he received from TRC Outdoors. TRC Outdoors refers to theirs as a Jungle Loop Line but we just called it a Loop Line. I hadn’t seen one of these in years, it’s great that someone is still making them. When I was in the Army in the late 80s and early 90s a Loop Line was an essential bit of kit.
For some time, guys ran around with a 12′ hank of GI climbing rope to do some of the things you could do with a Loop Line. Before that the British Toggle Ropes were all the rage.
It’s a piece of 1” tubular nylon with a loop sewn at either end. Many were remanufactured from lowering lines. Although often, guys would just throw a length of tubular nylon in their butt pack and tie off loops at the end if needed. Oddly enough, Natick made a run of them in-house and I somehow got ahold of it and carried it on my kit until I went into the Air Force.
It could be used anytime you needed a line, either alone or in conjunction with other Loop Lines. You combined them by tying a girth hitch in the loops and could make a line as long as needed for something like a river crossing. This way, each member of a patrol could contribute to a longer line without burning one guy with a whole coil. It could also be used to make an individual rappelling Swiss seat and is more comfortable than using US GI rope. Other uses include lashing down tarps, securing poncho shelters, etc. A Loop Line is one of those multi-purpose items you get a lot of use of on a long patrol.
Here’s an older video by Prepared Pathfinder.
The TRC Outdoor model comes with a DMM Carabiner and a laser cut laminate, PALS compatible carrier, Tom’s is in Tigerstripe and I am jealous. The ones on offer come in either Multicamo or Ranger Green.
trcoutdoors.com/product/jungle-loop-line
