This skill can come in handy if you need something tied up or you're caught in a bind!

Just about any strong, flexible fiber can be used to produce good cordage. The dried inner bark of most trees will supply you with workable raw material. It's best to look for trees with dead bark, and strip off long sections of the fibrous cambium layer between the wood and the outer bark.

If you're in a true survival situation, you can even strip sections of the inner bark from living trees and dry them. Be sure, though, to take only a few thin strips from any one trunk (don't cut all the way around it... doing so can kill the tree). Should you have trouble separating the inner from the outer bark, just soak the strips in warm or boiling water until the fibers come apart easily.

The dried inner skin of the stalks of fibrous plants will also serve your purpose. When working with pithy plants, such as dogbane and milkweed, you may be able to strip the material you need from the stalk in long ribbons. If the plant is dry, though, you'd be better advised to crush and open up the stalk … then break off short sections of the woody core, leaving a long ribbon of fibers in your hand, If you come across a supply of non-pithy plants, such as nettles and rushes, the best way to remove the fibers is by placing a dried stalk on a piece of wood and pounding it with a rounded rock. (Don't use a sharp one, as it could cut the fibers.)

Once you have a supply of raw material, you'll have to decide how thick and long your finished cordage will have to be. If all you need is dental floss or a trap trigger, you might get by with only a few fibers. In most cases, though, you'll want something stronger... and strength is primarily the result of wrapping fibers together. This will likely require that you break down the original material a little more than you have to this point.

If you're working with a ribbon of bark or leaf material, roll it between your palms (for better friction, dampen your skin) or against the leg of your pants to separate the fibers. Work along the entire length of the strip until you've gotten rid of any nonfibrous matter and have a long, thin bundle of "threads."