A Fist Full of Cord

Can one of these spell the difference between coming home after an unplanned outdoor activity or being found a year later by someone's dog?

It’s hard to think of survival gear and not think of a knife.  No matter if we are thinking of late night in a dead-end-alley survival or where-the-hell-are-we lost, one of the tools we would like is a knife.

Certainly there are other items we might want.  It's way too easy to compile a most wanted list: handgun, compass, matches/flint, ‘space’ blanket, button light, cell phone, warm clothes, water, food.  The list seems endless.  Even intrepid TV survival experts would not survive for long in most environments without some equipment.

It is with some curiosity I see paracord survival bracelets 

being hawked at gun shows, websites and worn about town.  In agreement with my policy on true transparency I’ve got to say, I make ‘em, too.  I wear them as well.  It’s sort of a fashion statement that the wearer is committed to staying alive and has the rope to prove it.

Let’s take a look at this.

I put long brightly colored lanyards on tools like Leatherman, axes and some fixed blade knives.  To me that makes a certain amount of sense.  

Yeah, the tool is purple, because the diamond file only came in purple handles.  Still, put your thumb over the tool and see if you can find it.  I bet you can.

I drop something in the snow, mud, leaves or just put it down next to me and the cord helps me locate it.  In a water environment I could undo the cord and re-use it to tie the tool to my belt.  Any survival tool you lose when you use it has limited value.

A lanyard loop assures the knife will hang from my wrist when I need my fingers and will give me that little bit of extra security when I’m holding something by the very end to get a little more leverage out of it.

Lanyards, like the bracelets, also contain useable cord just in case.  In case of what you should ask?

My bracelets use about 6 feet of cord.  Much of it isn’t the classic 550paracord  containing 7 small lines with a breaking strength of 78 pounds each. (The kermantal adds to the strength too.)  Frankly, I think that breaking strength is urban legend.  Much of it looks like paracord but is filled with a one irregular, fluffy mass of fibers.  There’s no reason not to use this material if you just want to look cool or need a clothesline.  Just know what you have.

With 6 feet you could make a snare.  With your knife you could use a foot here and a foot there to secure the ends of an impromptu shelter.  Of course you could use it to tie someone’s hands and feet if you had to, but they better be unconscious while you unweave your bracelet. 

You could cut off about 3 feet and pull the inner core strings.  With 550 cord you would have 7 three foot long strings to tie into fishing line or to sew with if you have a stout needle or sharp thorn.  I’m not sure what you could use the kermantal for.  If you went with 750 cord, you’d have 11 strands! 

Using the entire cord you could tie several large branches together to make personal floatation aid or you could make a fire bow.  That’s a good tool to warm yourself twice with the same wood, once starting the fire and the second time burning the wood.

Still six feet isn’t a lot of cord.  So if you were to make/buy a belt 40 inches long you might have 24ft.  You’re not going to climb down much of anything with that unless you leave it behind.  A big log raft would still be out of the question, but you could make several personal rafts with more buoyancy.

What you need to remember is all knots degrade the strength of rope as does exposure to sun, moisture, dirt, and salt.  And what is a paracord bracelet, but knotted rope exposed to salty perspiration, water, sun, soap, dirt and other chemicals?  Maybe a survival bracelet isn’t the answer.

If you’re heading off the pavement pack a coil of 50

feet of 550 paracord

The bright metal strip is a 6 inch ruler in front of 50 odd feet.  You can rebundle 50 feet of cord in any shape you want.  Long to fit in your game or forager pocket, a ball to fill that empty spot in your day pack.  You could even run it back and forth like a yoke to fit in your jacket.

along with your knife, compass, handgun, and other accoutrements. The right tool for the job is always easier than makin’ do.

And take your survival bracelet.  I once used half of mine to replace a broken shoe lace.

Be Prepared!

Living on the knife edge isn’t about doing crazy things or throwing yourself into the unknown willy-nilly.  It’s about taking manageable risks and experiencing everything life can offer.  The key phrase is manageable risk.  It’s different for everyone. 

Take Daniel Samuelsen.

ABC news reports he fell into a tunnel, near the mouth of Parleys Canyon and broke his leg during a hike on Wednesday morning and spent four days and three nights trapped in a drainage tunnel.

His cell phone died or was broken in the fall so no 911 call ("Excuse me operator, but I fell in a tunnel and broke a leg.  Could you send someone to rescue me?") to get the troops moving. 

He wasn’t able to attract the attention of any of the passers-by, but the acoustics of banging a rock inside a buried pipe can be daunting.

After four days without any food or water, he decided he would have to self-rescue if he wanted to survive.  The news media has confusing reports at this point in the saga.  He either made a splint and crawled out of the tunnel or got out and then splinted his leg.

Once he got out he was able to find someone who could help him.

Daniel made some mistakes and he may still lose his leg over them.  He didn’t apparently tell anyone who cared enough where he was going so they could look for him when he didn’t come home or into work.  His biggest mistake may have been to delay self-rescue!

He didn’t take any useful survival equipment, not a pack of crackers, not even the Yuppie Canteen, the plastic water bottle.

Okay, I don’t think you need to gear up with three days of rations and a three-season sleeping bag to walk through the local metro park, but depending on your cell phone to save your butt following an accident is stupid. 

Telling anyone you’d be back in three hours should have them thinking about what happened to you after a day has gone by.  Even leaving a note in the front windshield of your car about your hike could make a difference.  Surely, packing a shoulder bag, or stuffing a pocket with a mini-thermo blanket, carrying a button light and a power bar isn’t too much of anchor to Dullsville?  

I bet Daniel wishes he’d taken a whistle.  

I am reminded of what my co-worker Stan once said:  “Maybe your purpose on earth is to show someone what not to do.”

Don’t be that person.