Outdoors & Fitness · Head-to-head
Lawson Equipment Reflective Glowire Cord vs Zpacks Z-Line Reflective Cord, 1.3mm
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Guy Lines: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The Glowire wins because 2mm is the diameter that suits most shelters, it is sold by the hank so you cut what you need, and the reflective tracers are braided into the jacket instead of printed on. The Z-Line is the one to take if every gram counts and your guylines are short.
Lawson Equipment Reflective Glowire Cord
Buy itTwo millimetre kernmantle cord with retroreflective tracers braided into the jacket, sold by the hank so you rig it to your own shelter.
- 2mm diameter, which is the usual size for tent and tarp guy-outs on anything larger than an ultralight shelter.
- 3M Scotchlite reflective tracers work like a road sign, throwing light straight back at a headlamp, so the brighter the beam the more the line shows up.
- Lawson states it now uses the UltraFuzion jacket, the same jacket it has used on its Ironwire cord for years.
- Sold in 50 foot and 100 foot hanks, a 300 foot spool (500 feet in black), in six colours, with a stated 225 lb average break strength at 2mm.
- You supply the adjusters and tie the knots, so the finished cost is higher than the cord price suggests.
- At 2mm it is heavier than the ultralight cords, which matters if you are guying out a tarp for a thru-hike.
- No weight per length on the product page.
Zpacks Z-Line Reflective Cord, 1.3mm
Buy itFifty feet for a stated 23 grams, with 3M Scotchlite tracers, and a maker that tells you what the diameter is not good for.
- Zpacks lists 50 feet at 23 grams in the 1.3mm size (21 grams for the cord in its spec table), with a 187 lb breaking strength.
- Reflective tracers are 3M Scotchlite, named rather than described generically, as Lawson also does.
- Abrasion and UV resistant polyester jacket over a high-tenacity polyester core, so it resists both sun and stretch.
- Zpacks says it is tangle resistant, which is a real property of a stiff thin cord and a genuine annoyance in the ones that are not.
- Zpacks states outright that 1.3mm suits shorter fixed-length guylines, so it is the wrong choice for long tarp guy-outs.
- Thin cord is harder on the hands when you are tensioning in the cold.
- One diameter and one length per listing, with no hank or spool option.
Side by side
The 9 criteria below are the ones our full comparison judged every product on, narrowed to these two.
| Lawson Equipment Reflective Glowire Cord Our pick | Zpacks Z-Line Reflective Cord, 1.3mm | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Anyone rigging their own shelter who wants one cord that suits tents, tarps and awnings alike. | Ultralight shelters with short fixed guylines where 23 grams per 50 feet is worth the handling penalty. |
| Price tier | $$ · mid-range | $$ · mid-range |
| Raw cord or finished set | Raw cord, sold by the hank | Raw cord, sold by the length |
| Stated diameter | 2mm | 1.3mm |
| Stated weight | Not published | 23g per 50 feet |
| Lengths offered | 50ft and 100ft hanks, 500ft spool | 50 feet |
| Reflective element | 3M Scotchlite tracers braided into the jacket | 3M Scotchlite tracers |
| Construction stated | Kernmantle, UltraFuzion jacket | Polyester jacket over high-tenacity polyester core |
| Adjuster included | No, you add your own | No, sold alongside Micro Linelocs |
| Knots needed | Yes | Yes |
| Maker's own caveat | None stated | Suits shorter fixed-length guylines |
Which one is right for you?
Pick the Lawson Equipment Reflective Glowire Cord if
anyone rigging their own shelter who wants one cord that suits tents, tarps and awnings alike.
Know before buying: you supply the adjusters and tie the knots, so the finished cost is higher than the cord price suggests.
Pick the Zpacks Z-Line Reflective Cord, 1.3mm if
ultralight shelters with short fixed guylines where 23 grams per 50 feet is worth the handling penalty.
Know before buying: zpacks states outright that 1.3mm suits shorter fixed-length guylines, so it is the wrong choice for long tarp guy-outs.
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Lawson Equipment Reflective Glowire Cord - Two millimetre kernmantle cord with retroreflective tracers braided into the jacket, sold by the hank so you rig it to your own shelter. Choose the Zpacks Z-Line Reflective Cord, 1.3mm instead if ultralight shelters with short fixed guylines where 23 grams per 50 feet is worth the handling penalty.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Guy Lines: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).