Make Your Own Survival Bracelet

If you haven`t thought about getting a survival bracelet yet, it`s high time you did. And not only for yourself, but for every member of your family. And your pet, if you have one.The paracord bracelet has become more than a “survivalist thing”. It`s become a trend. It`s fashion.

Now I know this may be superficial, but here`s the upside: the recent fuss on the Internet has grabbed the attention to a few very talented and creative people who`ve started making tens of variants for this bracelet. Now you can make a paracord belt, keychain, dog leash, knife lanyard and even a paracord purse, if you want to. Also, you can choose different colors, patterns and styles, according to your needs and preferences.

source: Naturalistick,www.etsy.com

You can also choose whether to buy a ready-made bracelets, for prices ranging from $9 to $29, or to make your own from scratch. If you want to make it yourself, you`ve got two options: You can either follow an online tutorial to learn how to weave it or you can use one of the three survival bracelet machines from Spirit Bracelets 101 (prices range from 18 to $29 a piece).

source: www.spiritbracelets101.com

If you want to make your own bracelet without any help from the i-Tie! Bracelet Maker, then you`ll need a couple of simple tutorials to get you started. Don`t worry, you don`t need to be an ex-scout to manage this. All you need to do is follow a few instructions and then repeat them until your bracelet is lengthy enough. It may take you a little more time at first, but after your first bracelet, you`ll be doing this while watching TV.

So here are two tutorials that I really liked. Choose the one that`s more comfortable for you or try both of them. Just have fun weaving.

#1: The Simple Weave from Geekation

I named it The Simple Weave because it`s extremely easy to follow this visual tutorial. You`ve got it all in the picture below:

source: www.geekation.com

#2: The Cobra Stitch

This one`s not as simple as the one above, but it`s very well explained on Homemade Gifts Made Easy, so it`s pretty much impossible not to get it right.

Here are the instructions:

1. Mark the Center of the Paracord

“Fold the paracord in half. Mark the center by tying the rubber band around it like this:”

2. Tie a Lanyard Knot

First, you need to watch this video:

Then, follow the instructions and tie a laynard knot on your paracord. It should look like this:

“You’ll probably need to adjust its position a bit once you’ve tied it. Make it so that the loop on the end is about 2″ (5cm) long. Also, you want the center of the paracord (marked by the rubber band) to be right on the end of the loop.

Once you’ve got the loop sized & positioned correctly, you can get rid of the rubber band.’

3. Measure Lanyard Length

“Poke the two loose ends of paracord through the loop on the metal clip. Pull them through until the distance between the lanyard knot and the metal clip is 5″ (about 12.5cm).”

3. Cobra Stitch

Here`s a great tutorial on tying a cobra stitch:

If you want to make a paracord key chain, you can stop at 11 “bumps” on each side. If you want a bracelet or a belt, keep making knots until you reach the length you want.

4. King Cobra Stitch

“Double back and do another set of cobra stitches on top of the set you just made. This is called the king cobra stitch.”

This is what it should look like when you`re in the middle of the process::

And this is how you do it:

5. Tidy Up Loose Ends

“It’s time to snip off the loose ends from the king cobra stitch. Pick one loose end to start with. Cut it short, to leave about 1/4″ (5 mm) poking out of the bracelet.

Melt this end with a lighter, and press on the molten end with a wet finger (or the flat edge of a knife). This stops it fraying. Also, by pressing on the end, you squash it into a sort of mushroom shape (like the head of a nail), which stops it working loose. Just be careful not to burn your fingers!Repeat for the other loose end.”

And now you`ve got a beautiful bracelet that goes with pretty much everything and that can save your life in any survival situation. Don`t forget to send me pics of the result, ok?

In the meantime, here are some more ideas on how to wear paracord accessories:

source: www.beadinggem.com

source: www.cutoutandkeep.net

source: stormdrane.blogspot.ro

source:www.knifeup.com

By Alec Deacon