Abstract: A synthetic plastic rope includes a selected number of first components having a relatively high elongation characteristic and second components whose elongation characteristic is considerably lower. In one form of the invention, the rope has a central core in which the first components are located, and a plurality of surrounding strands principally constituted of second components. In other forms, the rope does not have a core and there are a plurality of strands braided (plaited) or laid (twisted) together primarily consisting of the low elongation components, but having high elongation components distributed substantially symmetrically and which in the aggregate have substantially less mass than the low elongation components.