A soft shackle is ideal for attaching a snubber line to anchor chain—unlike a chain hook, it will never fall off. Soft shackles can be used in place of metal hanks to attach a sail to a stay—especially useful if you have a Dyneema storm jib stay.

Are soft shackles worth it?

PROS: Soft shackles are lightweight, easy to handle, and easy to use. Plus, there's no screw pin to worry about. They can be stowed in glove boxes, bags, and don't take up much space. Plus, they don't store as much potential energy as a metal shackle.

How strong are soft shackles?

Soft shackles are very strong. I have said they are as strong as the line they are made of. But that strength is giving away a lot of the raw strength of the line and assumes a knot that is only 25% efficient. The geometry of a soft shackle has a theoretical strength of 400% of the line strength.