Webbing Webbing is a strong fabric woven as a flat strip or tube of varying width and fibre s often used in place of rope . The name webbing comes from the mesh ed material frequently used in its construction , which resembles a web . It is a versatile component used in climbing , slacklining , furniture manufacturing , automobile safety , auto racing , towing , parachuting , military apparel , load securing , and many other fields . Originally made of cotton or flax , most modern webbing is made of synthetic fibers such as nylon , polypropylene or polyester . Webbing is also made from exceptionally high - strength material , such as Dyneema , and Kevlar . Webbing is both light and strong , with breaking strengths readily available in excess of 10 , 000 lb ( 44 . 4 k N ) There are two basic constructions of webbing . Flat webbing is a solid weave , with seatbelts and most backpack straps being common examples . Tubular webbing consists of a flattened tube , and is commonly used in climbing and industrial applications . Sporting goods . In rock climbing , nylon webbing is used in slings , runners , harnesses , anchor extensions and quickdraw s . Webbing is used in many ways in hiking and camping gear including backpacks , straps , load adjusters and tent adjusters . There are two types of webbing : tubular and flat . The most popular webbing is one inch but it is available in two and three inch widths which in earlier days were often used in lieu of climbing harnesses . Wrapped around the waist several times , they were less bulky and more comfortable than the old school method of tying the rope around the waist . More elaborate configurations would include leg loops , which were essential to hold a climber who had fallen or otherwise found themselves dangling . If left supported only by rope or webbing wrapped around the waist , the diaphragm could be constricted and many climbers died as a result of asphyxiation . Narrower webbing is frequently looped through chockstones which are typically metal in shapes such as hexagonal , square , tubular , T , etc . , and which are jammed into cracks as safety anchors . In other cases , webbing is looped over rock outcroppings . Unlike tubular rope , webbing is less likely to inch its way off the rock . Note that webbing construction is either utterly flat or flat - tubular ; the latter tends to handle better but knots are more likely to jam . The most popular knots in webbing are the water knot and the grapevine knot . The latter is stronger , but uses more webbing for the knot . It is customary to leave a couple inches extending from the knot , and in many cases climbers tape the ends down onto the main loops . Webbing is also less expensive than rope of similar size particularly kernmantle rope which requires elaborate and expensive manufacturing . Unlike rope , which has manufacturers seeking brand identification and customer loyalty , webbing manufacture is typically generic . Climbing shops sell it off of a spool on a per yard or per foot basis . It is cut with a hot wire as is nylon rope , which prevents fraying and unravelling . However , when webbing does fray and unravel , the result is less disastrous than with rope , which is another albeit minimal advantage . Webbing suffers the drawback of less elasticity than perlon rope , and it may be more difficult to handle with gloves or mittens on . Slacklines often use flat or tubular 1 - inch ( 2 . 5 cm ) webbing , or flat 2 - inch ( 5 cm ) webbing . Other widths are used , but are less common . White water rafting boats use tubular webbing for bow lines , stern lines , " chicken lines " ( around the exterior perimeter of the boat ) , equipment tie down , or floor lacing for self - bailing rafts . Rafters call tubular webbing " hoopie " or " hoopi " . Rafters also use camstraps with flat webbing for equipment tie down . Automotive and racing safety . Seat belt s are an obvious example of webbings used in auto safety but there are myriad other uses . Nylon and polyester webbing are used a great deal in auto racing safety for a large variety of items . Racing harnesses restraining the driver have used nylon webbing for years , but since the death of Dale Earnhardt Polyester webbing is becoming more popular due to its increased strength , and lower rate of elongation under load . The nylon commercial type 9 webbing generally used in racing harnesses stretches approximately 20 to 30 percent of its initial length at 2500 lb ( 11 . 1 K n ) while Polyester only stretches 5 to 15 percent . Window nets to prevent objects from entering the driver compartment are constructed of polypropylene webbing , as are helmet nets used to reduce side loads to the head in Sprint cars . The HANS device uses webbing tethers to attach the helmet to the collar , and the Hutchens device is made almost entirely of webbing . Furniture . Webbing is used in couches and chairs as a base for the seating areas that is both strong and flexible . Webbing used as a support is often rubberised to improve resilience and add elasticity . Many types of outdoor furniture use little more than thin light webbing for the seating areas . Webbing is also used to reinforce joints and areas that tend to flex . Military . Webbing is used to make military belts , packs and pouches , and by extension also refers to the items themselves . The British Army adopted cotton webbing to replace leather after the Second Boer War although leather belts are still worn in more formal dress . The term is still used for a soldier ' s combat equipment , although cotton webbing has since been replaced with more advanced materials . The webbing system used by the British Army today is known as Personal Load Carrying Equipment and is informally called " webbing " . In the British Army , this webbing system is designed to be light enough to carry the vital things needed in battle and for outdoor survival . It is made so that if the backpack or bergen is lost or abandoned , the soldier can survive on emergency rations carried in the " webbing " for up to 24 hours , although this can be extended if supplies are rationed . Typical contents of webbing include cooking equipment , 24 hours worth of rations , ammunition , first aid or survival supplies and sheltering equipment . Most webbing systems incorporate a degree of modular construction consisting of a yoke ( a type of shoulder harness ) , a belt and a variety of pouches specific to different tasks , for example pouches designed to carry ammunition magazines may have dividers or special waterproofing . Different combinations of pouches can be used to customise webbing to better suit the mission it is needed for . Generally it is unusual for western armies to fight with a cumbersome , complete backpack or bergen and so prior to an anticipated battle the main backpack is usually stowed away from the forward edge of the battle area and " webbing " ( a day pack , ) is used as the immediate load bearing equipment instead . Webbing belts are also used frequently by modern cadet and scout groups , as well as police and security forces . Transportation . Tie downs , tie straps , cargo straps , E - track straps , cargo hoist straps , tow ropes , winch straps , cargo nets , and dozens of other items are used by thousands of shipping and trucking companies every day . The transportation industry is perhaps the largest user of high strength webbing in the world . Apparel . Belts , suspenders , sandal s and purses are woven from various forms of webbing . Corset style back brace s and other medical braces often incorporate straps made from webbing . Pet Collars and Leashes . Dog collar s , Leash es , and Dog Harnesses frequently utilize webbing to make collars and leashes . While Nylon and Polyester are most common , Polypropylene can also be used . These pet products are often sewn together with decorative ribbon or cotton fabric . Hardware . Webbing is often outfitted with various forms of tie down hardware to extend its range of abilities ( and create tie down straps ) . This hardware can take the form of : There is also hardware associated with the various end fittings to attach them to a surface , such as footman ’ s loops , brackets and E - track fittings .