In the late 80’s I attended a jump school to become Airborne. I actually was not in the Army but earned the coveted “Airborne” tab. While there I met a Master Sergeant who was in charge of the guys that packed our parachutes. I got to know him pretty well. We both grew up in the same part of Arizona and we talked a lot about that area and the things we did there. He gave me my first paracord bracelet. He was a Viet Nam combat veteran and he told me of the significance of the bracelet. He asked if I knew anyone who fought or was lost in a war? I told him my Father and Grandfather. He told me that this was to remember them or fallen comrades. I wore it for years before these became “survival bracelets.”
Before WWII started a man named Wallace Carothers of DuPont invented a “synthetic silk”, a polyamide they named Nylon. Its invention made a new kind of large-scale, mobile airborne warfare possible, and the paratroopers were born. Previously, parachutes were made from silk, something that was in very short supply due to the natural method of its production, the silkworm. This new, synthetic silk transformed warfare by making it possible to mass produce parachutes and its companion product, parachute cord.
After World War II, the U.S. military adopted paracord for use throughout the Army as a multi-use tool with numerous applications. Today, it is still part of the U.S. military’s standard equipment and is used in many practical applications, like securing gear to backpacks and trucks, shelter building and various other improvised solutions.
Paracord 550, so named because it has a breaking strength of 550 pounds, was used in the suspension lines of military parachutes. Service members would cut strands of the paracord off their parachutes to take with them for a variety of emergency survival and combat uses. What better place to keep these extra strands than neatly tied on the wrist?
After 9/11/01, members deployed to the middle-east would, and still do, wear a military paracord bracelet as a symbol of remembrance for colleagues who were taken prisoner of war or missing in action. In 1997, astronauts on the space shuttle Discovery also used this type of paracord to repair parts of the Hubble Space Telescope.
A standard military paracord bracelet is made by weaving a 10 – 12 foot single strand and using a uniform button for a clasp. The idea is that each service member wears a bracelet that has been made by someone else, and the bracelets are only removed when everyone is safely back to base.
550 cord has 7 inner strands rated a 50 lbs. each so they equal 350 lb. inner core, with the casing rated at 200 lbs. But don’t let this rating deceive you. The only way I would trust my life to paracord is when there was no other alternative, and it was a true emergency. Don’t use it to mountain or rock climb. It’s strong but it does have limits.
There are 4 types of Paracord:
Type 1
Type 1 is rated at 95 pounds and has 1 core strand. It is very cheap, both in terms of cost and quality. It is usually used for dummy cording or decorative uses, lacing, and other light duty tasks.
Type 2 is rated at 400 pounds and has 4 to 7 core strands. I have never seen it sold anywhere. I wouldn’t bother looking either: simply skip it and go straight to type 3/550 cord. Type 3/550 is both cheaper (because it’s more common and available) and stronger.
Type 3 is rated at 550 pounds and has 7 to 9 core strands. Middle of the road in terms of both strength and quality. Usable for the vast majority of survival applications. Highly affordable and available.
Type 4 is rated at 750 pounds and has 11 core strands. This type is very strong, though expensive. Significantly more expensive than type 3 paracord. Over 50-100% price increase over the type 3 alternative. It’s not impossible to find but is not as abundant as type 3 or 1.
This cord is really amazing for its size and weight. Remember that paracord does have limitations and to not get close to exceeding them. Paracord has so many uses I could not even attempt to list them here. I love the stuff but I don’t normally stake my life on it. Be careful not to be overconfident with paracord. On the other hand I love its versatility. I carry some in my knife case that is with me every day. Don’t over estimate paracord but don’t under estimate it either.
Here are 5 reasons to carry paracord:
Emergency preparedness
The most common reason people carry paracord is for its use in emergency situations. Build a shelter by tying branches together when there’s nowhere else to sleep. Cut the cord, pull out the inner threads, attach a hook and you have a makeshift fishing line. Break a bone while out in the bush? Use the cord and a stiff branch to fashion a splint until you can seek further medical help. Simple sprain? It’s easy to make a sling to keep weight off the hurt appendage. If the situation is really serious, use the cord as a tourniquet to stop bleeding. Emergency preparedness has no end to paracord use.
It Gives a Good Grip
If it’s not an emergency situation, paracord can still come in handy. The material is slightly elastic. This allows for easy and snug wrapping around gear. Some small fixed blade knives employ a skeleton frame handle. Wrapping a length of paracord around it not only provides grip, but keeps an unbroken length of the material at hand.
It Personalizes Your Carry in a Practical Way
Paracord is available in a huge range of colors and patterns, allowing you to accessorize and personalize your gear. It can be used to set off a certain color theme or let you carry your own DIY handiwork. At its core, it still provides the functionality of paracord.
It Makes Retrieving Gear from Your Pocket Easier
Most knives have a lanyard hole, and paracord is the perfect match for it. A paracord lanyard is great if you’d prefer to carry a pocket knife without a clip. It’s as easy as slipping some through the hole and tying it off. With some knot-tying skills, you can make lanyards of different shapes and patterns to carry more cordage or fine tune extra material for grip on your tool. Pulling on this extra length can produce gear from your pocket more conveniently than digging around for it, while still keeping a low profile carry.
It Adds Visibility to Your Essentials
Bright colored paracord increases visibility, making your essentials easier to find and harder to lose. This is especially useful in bags, pouches, and organizers with interiors that don’t contrast your gear.
These are really just a few ideas out of thousands. See how you can use paracord best. When I put it on something I can then immediately call it “tactical”.
Semper Paratus
Check 6
Burn
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