Uses for Paracord

There are many paracord uses in survival situations, or any other time. Paracord is strong handy stuff when you know how to use it.

Here are 10 great uses for paracord:

1. First aid tourniquet.

2. First aid splint ties.

3. First aid stitching with inside strings.

4. Emergency boot laces

5. Survival bow string and arrow lashing (tying below arrow feathers)

6. Use the inside strings to make a fishing net

7. Snare traps

8. Use the inside strings to make a fishing line

9. Use the inside strings as thread for clothing repairs

10. Rope handle for makeshift gear sled.

Of course the ideas for paracord uses are limitless, needless to say, paracord should be part of everyone's survival kit. Wear it, pack it, throw it in the glove box of your car or truck. It better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

As always, your input and ideas are welcome...

 

Do NOT use paracord as a tourniquet.

 

Don't use it as suture material either.

 

The twisted fiber makes it a superhighway for pathogens into the wound, evev if you sterilize it first. This is the same problem we had with the old IUDs with braided removal strings that were giving women PID in the 70s and 80s. One would be better off using monofiliament fishing line. BTW, don't do anything medical based on what you read on the internet, especially if it is written by me.

 

As Broker said, excellent boot laces.
In fact, every pair of shoes /boots I own have typical laces replaced with paracord.
Just too may uses to be stuck with simple shoe laces!

 

My goodness--we are forgetting the most useful one of all--------clotheslines--lol.

 

Prussick cuffs

 

Dummy cord. Use it to retain any gear you might drop, or as a secondary attachment for stuff that clips onto your gear.

Also makes a nice saw for plastic and nylon webbing.

As a release cord for a trap machine. PULL!

HD

 

#11: Sturdy cat toy

 

Make a Fire Bow
Paracord is slippery, so a single strand on the fire bow is more frustrating than functional. Instead, braid or twist your cord, then string your bow. The best bows are slightly curved, arm-length, and an inch thick. Knot the woven paracord to one end, then tie an adjustable knot (like the taut-line hitch) on the other to dial in tension. Use dead, dry softwoods (like pine and cedar) for your board and drill, and carve a notch in your board to receive the hot dust. Wrap the cord around your bow, then saw vigorously to create a glowing, red ember. –Tim MacWelch, Prepare for Anything: 338 Essential Survival Skills (weldonowen.com; $27)
(another option is to carve a square section on your round spindle (drill), but, this may damage your cordage if the edges are sharp).
Starting a Fire With Friction | The Art of Manliness


Collect water
Found a tiny seep in a rock? Lay one end of your paracord in it and arrange it so the other end is lower. Fill your water bottle or vessel drip by drip. –Mykel Hawke, Lost Survivors

Fish and Sew
Cut the paracord, exposing its silky innards, and carefully separate out a few strands. Use them for emergency pack repairs (with a sewing needle) or as fishing line with a hook improvised from a thorny branch or carved out of wood. –Tim Smith, Jack Mountain Bushcraft School

Make Snowshoes
Gather two pine boughs, 3 feet long by 16 inches wide with lots of little branches off the main shoot. Lay them down, stems facing back. Put a foot on each, and wrap the paracord under the branch and through your boots’ eyelets. Lift each foot completely when you walk and use a wide stance to avoid stepping on your own feet. –Tim Smith

Make a Spear
Find a straight, green stick about an inch thick. Use your blade to flatten an area the size of your knife’s handle. Cut shallow notches near the top and bottom of the flat area. Tie the knife to your stick (go around the guard) and wrap downward, finishing in the second notch at the base. –Jason Schwartz, Rocky Mountain Bushcraft

Find North
Make an Ottomani sun compass out of paracord and a squared-off piece of wood, and calibrate it using the sun. –Mykel Hawke (Hmmmm . . . never heard of it? See vid below)

Clean your drinking hose
Tie a knot in your paracord, thread it into your water bladder’s hose, and pull it through to scrub the inside clean. – Jason Schwartz