Last month, GunDiva posted about attending a local gun show and observing the reaction of people as they passed by the paracord items for sale. I believe she referred to them as "magic talismans", and wondered if a poll of passers by would know what to DO with a cord item should they need to utilize the cord.
Which got me thinking- how many people out there can take apart and use a bracelet (or other item) should the need arise? What would you use the cordage for?
Thinking this over caused me to change the way I make things a bit. I went to reverse engineer a bracelet (to reuse the cord for another item,) and let me tell you what. It was A. Huge. Pain. In. The. Rump. It took me a substantial amount of time to get the glue to release and I wound up cutting bits of cord to release it. The trouble I had - from something I made mind you- caused me to reconsider how we make things and completely change things. No longer will we be gluing ends-- oooh no. Now, I thread all ends back through, making it easy to use a pair of needlenose pliers (like those found on pocket multi-tools,) to pull the end free and begin reversing the braid to use the cord. Your goal can be accomplished in less than half the time on the glued items. (Don't even tell me you don't carry a multi-tool!! Those things are darn near priceless. I don't leave home without mine.)
Now- another bit of info- most bracelet braids use one foot of cord per inch of bracelet. For example, if you wear a 7" bracelet, you should have roughly 7 feet of cord to use. Most of the rifle slings we produce contain 80' to 150' of cord. If you have an item with more than one color in the braid, be aware that you will have a splice about midway, so you'd have roughly 3 1/2' of each color (once again using the 7" bracelet example). Which is not a bad thing- you can securely knot the two ends together to assure a solid connection and carry on.
What the heck do you DO with the cord, once you've undone your bracelet/ sling/ thong?
Cord has a vast multitude of uses. From holding a tarp shelter roof up, to helping bind bandages over a wound, the ways to use cord in an emergency situation are countless. The best bet? Buy a couple of items (or make them yourself, they are quite easy to do,) and practice. Take them apart, study how the braid unravels, and look hard around you to see where you could use a bit of cordage in your life. For me, being a horse and dog owner, cord has endless uses around the animals. Right now, there is some snazzy red and white cord holding up our mater plants in the garden. I have used cord to do an emergency catch on a horse who busted out and ran off from his owner. The Locust Brothers use cord to go "fishing". I used cord last Spring to tie a mattress down when my tie down strap went missing from the truck for a few days.
As GunDiva said- your brain is your primary survival tool. Always has been, always will be. When it comes to survival, you HAVE to think outside the box. A good multi-tool, keen observation skills, and an ability to stay calm and think will cover your butt amazingly well.
Think it over and get creative!
~Mrs Mom
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3 comments:
Oooo...the multi-tool. We haven't touched on that subject until you posted today.
I can't say that I carry one ON me at all times, but I do have one in my fanny pack for riding AND in my range bag. You never know when you'll need them. I've used mine to pull rocks out of hooves and clear stubborn misfeeds from guns. Like guns and paracord, you can never have too many multi-tools.
I was traveling with Barkley and realized I'd forgotten the harness that goes around him. The seat belt attachment locks into it above the shoulder so in the event of a sudden stop his neck is not broken. I didn't want him loose in the back in case of accident so I used cord to make a harness with a few simple knots that would fit around his front legs and chest. Of course, when coworkers got in my truck later after he was home and saw it in the back seat they said "Sure, it's for the DOG. . ."
Oh wow, there is so much more chord in my thong than I ever would have guessed. I’m probably set for life now. Now there will be another item I won’t leave home without, the other being my Leatherman. ;-)
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