Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Rope and cordage are two essential skills that are so important in primitive survival. They are necessary for building most shelters, making traps and nets, mats, sandals, clothing, fishing lines, and for making many tools. But making rope and cordage is quite time consuming. I've made thousands of feet of rope and cordage over the years and I've gotten quite good at it. My favorite materials to use are yucca and agave.
In this video I gather both dried and fresh yucca leaves from the Hesperoyucca whipplei plant. I pound and strip the fresh leaves and then soak them in a pot with water and urine. I will let this soak for a few weeks. The contents will ferment during this time and consume most of the leaf pulp which I will then easily remove.
I process the dry leaves differently. I soak them in water for half a day or more then peel off thin strips of the leaves. Instead of removing the dry pulp I just use the entire strips of leaves as they are and twist and roll them into strong rope. This technique is faster than the fermentation method. I always have projects that require rope and cordage but the rope in this video will be used to make a comfortable mat to sleep on. You will see that in the next video.
Join the Tribe!
Signup for the Primal Tendencies newsletter:
eepurl.com/jfZxG-
My social media links:
Instagram @chadzuberofficial
Facebook @ChadZAdventure
Drums of the Deep by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Rope and cordage are two essential skills that are so important in primitive survival. They are necessary for building most shelters, making traps and nets, mats, sandals, clothing, fishing lines, and for making many tools. But making rope and cordage is quite time consuming. I've made thousands of feet of rope and cordage over the years and I've gotten quite good at it. My favorite materials to use are yucca and agave.
In this video I gather both dried and fresh yucca leaves from the Hesperoyucca whipplei plant. I pound and strip the fresh leaves and then soak them in a pot with water and urine. I will let this soak for a few weeks. The contents will ferment during this time and consume most of the leaf pulp which I will then easily remove.
I process the dry leaves differently. I soak them in water for half a day or more then peel off thin strips of the leaves. Instead of removing the dry pulp I just use the entire strips of leaves as they are and twist and roll them into strong rope. This technique is faster than the fermentation method. I always have projects that require rope and cordage but the rope in this video will be used to make a comfortable mat to sleep on. You will see that in the next video.
Join the Tribe!
Signup for the Primal Tendencies newsletter:
eepurl.com/jfZxG-
My social media links:
Instagram @chadzuberofficial
Facebook @ChadZAdventure
Drums of the Deep by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
