Review: McNett - Gruntline

The Gruntline - braided rubber goodness

As first seen on BreachBangClear. Inexpensive and useful they say, just like me!

Here's an unusual bit of kit that I've recently added to my regular load. I've covered a number of uses for paracord previously, and it's pretty ubiquitous in the preparedness world, but it lacks in some areas. It has very little give, over short lengths, but has a minimum 30% elasticity over long lengths

Usually for smaller elastic jobs
you could use shock-cord
but it's usually not up to big tasks in small diameter cords seen on gear. The usual alternative is to use the metal hook-ended bungee ocky-straps but these have a long history of being flying eye-ball gouging flails of doom.

The Gruntline - Boots, blades and baggies

The good folks at McNett have come up with a solution, the GruntLine. Consisting of braided natural dry rubber tubing, with cords affixed at either end which in turn end with plastic clip hooks. The line is 1.10m (43") long, all told but when stretched out, it will reach up to 2.15m (7'), when all played out.

The braiding gives you as many no-peg points where you can feed and bind up whatever you are wanting to hang. It's just a matter of feeding a part through the braid, and it will bind it up and hold it pretty tight.

The Gruntline - MOLLE storable

The Gruntline is rated for up to 9kg (20lbs) of gear, although the braid-feeding of any single items wont come near to bearing that load, (but when taut they hold tighter). It will hold as many items as you can fit it with, up to that weight limit. I don't know how well the cords are attached to the webbing, as they are secured under loops of rubber, so might be a potential weak point.

As well as acting as a clothesline, and a gear suspender the Gruntline could be put to any number of other uses. McNett also suggest it can be used as a lanyard, and gear retention, but also as a tie-down strap, pack strap. I have been keeping mine fed through three loops of PALS/MOLLE on the side of my pack, so I can have it on-hand wherever I go. They also suggest it could work as an emergency medical tool, for use as an arm sling, I.V. support and even as a tourniquet.

The Gruntline - wrap that hat and conceal your melon

You could also use it as a slingshot elastic, an animal snare and as a natural camouflage holder, much like the netting on a helmet or as part of a ghillie suit.

Those same braids that can be used to secure foliage and other materials to break up your silhouette and conceal yourself. It loops nicely around a hat, so should serve this use well. Even crisscrossed over a pack, or the like, it would give good purchase to attach your foliage coverage. The downsides of the GruntLine are only few; the plastic clips on the ends are pretty narrow, and don't open wide enough to clip over some of the points I tried to use, and there is always the worry that it might give out, or the cord used might give out. However, I've had no such trouble so far, and kept both my eyes, so there is that.