[Mickey_D]

There are advantages and disadvantages to both (or all three if you count steel rope/cable).

Chains and steel rope are great for pulling a stuck vehicle out. That is if the towing vehicle has the balls and ballast to do it at little more than idle in 1st. Just take up the tension then let the clutch out and let the torque do the rest. This is generally reserved for tractors or earth moving equipment. Or some HUGE ASS oil burner dually 4X4 1 ton pickup. As said above, NEVER EVER "yank" on a chain.

Straps are great for when you have a relatively small towing vehicle or the tower has limited traction. You can use the elasticity of the strap to get a little running start, get to the end of the strap / traction ability then plant the brakes. Especially good when the stuck vehicle is in mud. The constant tension on the strap will let air get down under the stuck vehicle and let it "slurp" out of the mud. Straps are also beneficial when there's a chance the stuck vehicle will act unpredictably (like when extracting a car from a ditch) as straps are MUCH more forgiving to jerks and sudden changes in tension that would put too much stress on a chain or cable. The best type of strap to get is the ones that have a "tattletail" woven into them. It's a short section of non-elastic rope that is an indicator of when you've approached or exceeded the maximum stretch of the strap. When the tattletail goes straight, you're at maximum pull. When the tattletail snaps, you better let off.

As said before, an old Jeep rock climber's trick is to put an old sweatshirt or jacket (heavy is good here) over the center of the strap / chain / cable. If the towing implement snaps, the jacket / sweatshirt will create drag on it (and assist gravity), generally preventing the "rubber band" effect.