Wintertime Tips on Twines

Not to sound too “Game of Thrones-ish,” but winter is still coming. It’s only January. You lucky souls in Arizona notwithstanding, there are plenty of you in the Southeast with wet and icy conditions to come, and you folks hunkered down in Oregon or Utah, hauling blanketed horses on solid ice to the local indoor facility? It’s a little trickier to shake out a loop that feels good.

Here’s your guide.

MATERIAL MAYHEM

Ropes now come in every dye and nylon-polyester blend known to man. But when temperatures drop, the philosophy has always been that pure nylon is more reliable. That’s because poly fibers soften and relax in the cold while nylon remains stiffer.

It’s not quite that simple, though. According to Fast Back’s general manager, Coy Upchurch, you can talk to 10 people and get 10 different ideas on what a rope is doing in the cold. The only comfort as you try to savvy the ins and outs of materials? Rope-makers are on top of things.

“The construction of ropes now offers so much consistency,”