Why not just a short length of single-braid Dyneema? It's as strong as steel (for a given diameter) and would be kinder to toes or shins, and cheaper. No need for expensive shackles or fittings, you can splice it into a loop or make a soft shackle any length you want (reference my recent post about soft shackles). The splice is easy (let me know if you're interested, I can direct you to some online directions).