Aliphatic polyamides containing pendent allyl groups were prepared by anionic ring-opening copolymerization of e-caprolactam with monomer 1, the substituted lactam 3-(3-propenyl)-2-azepanone. Copolymerization experiments revealed that up to 11 mol % of 1 was integrated successfully into these novel polyamides, which ranged in molecular weight from 27 to 72 kDa. Relative to the well-known commercial polyamide-6 (PA-6), the degree of crystallinity of the copolymers decreased with incorporation of functional monomer. Moreover, the pendent allyl groups afforded rapid access to numerous functional aliphatic polyamides, using photoinitiated thiol-ene chemistry, providing a pathway to cross-linked polyamide films and gels.