Many urban legends abound in off-roading.
One is about the military-type kinetic rope with magical elastic properties that simply recovers stuck vehicles all day without needing to rest! At the same time the debate rages around the use of kinetic straps or ropes, as opposed to the use of the humble pull strap.
Well, simply put, the pull strap is your first line of defence and, after the spade, one of the first items you buy. Made of low elongation, high tenacity polyester, with limited stretch, it is used to pull or tow stuck vehicles through or over obstacles with a degree of control.
Your last line of defence will be your kinetic strap or rope. Made of high elongation, high tenacity polyamide, most kinetic straps stretch 20% to 25% of their length.
This short sharp elastic rebound is used to recover an extremely bogged down vehicle from sand or mud. Sufficient practice will allow a good driver, after pulling off, to stop before the strap stops him, thereby allowing full utilisation of the kinetic capability - and not straining the strap or recovery points on the vehicles.
The kinetic energy recovery rope is used in a similar fashion to recover severely stuck vehicles, possibly after use of a kinetic strap. It should be loosely gathered to recover its kinetic ability - not immediately packed away.
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