After watching a Man Vs. Wild marathon, I noticed in his later seasons, one thing he always relies on is his para-cord. I’ve seen some para-cord bracelets on the web and thought it would be an awesome/ man-crafting experience and a cool thing to do with my girlfriend as we prep for a  Denali backpacking trip. She is far craftier than I, and quickly outdid me by making herself a belt using this technique.

I’ve seen many websites for survival bracelets that leave out the pesky details. I am also not a fan of paying for instructions that leave out important details; Instructables guides- I’m talking about you, especially when there are free and better videos on the web. To give them credit- here is the instructables link to a paracord bracelet with side buckle. Here is a link to some of the best Instructable guides Torrent file- Why? Because they stole the information from the web anyway! Please don’t click the link if you don’t know what a torrent file is. On with the post.

I like the looks of bracelets found on the survival straps website and wanted to mimic them. If you want to spend $22, you can purchase one well made paracord survival strap from their website. I found I could make better straps and take personal pride in my work and for the same price, make several bracelets for friends and relatives. I plan on making quite a few of these and carrying them with me, if for nothing else than to use for barter and trade with fellow travelers and passers by.

Materials

Clasps

1/4″ Stainless Steel Marine Grade Shackle-$2.50 Home Depot This is used as the clasp or fastener. You can also purchase small plastic buckles on Ebay but I prefer something stronger with more utility.

You can also use these Nite Ize S-Biner Size #0 Clips that come in a package of 2 at REI for $1.49 Here is a link

*Note- if you use the S-Biner- be sure to cut off the tooth in the gate, so you can easily take on and off the bracelet.

Cord

Paracord 550 military spec. You only need 12-24 feet of this depending on the type of bracelet and the size. You can purchase it in many colors for $4.39 per 50 feet from this Ebay seller

Scissors- or a knife- I bought some scissors from Dollar Tree that did the job, and guess how much they cost?

Fireplace Lighter- for melting and fusing cord. You’ll see youtube videos of guys using Zippos but I find it easier to work with these and I am less likely to burn the rest of the cord.

A quarter

Tweezers/toothpick/paper clip- come in handy at the final stages.

You can buy also buy one from survival straps or other websites for $22- or make one for $3.00-$6.00 and have plenty of cord left over to make more for family and friends.

Here are some video tutorials

My variations:

I used a clasp and at the end of the knot- I wove a little excess back through the knot work- about 3 notches from the last knot and then fused the ends with the lighter. This ensures that the bracelet won’t fall apart until I need to use it.

*When tucking the excess back into the knot, t after weaving it back through the 3rd to the last knot, cut any excess and bend the bracelet, burn the edges and use a quarter to flatten them against the bracelet. This will ensure that you have a secure bracelet that is comfortable to wear.

Cobra Knot

Awesome Video of how a father used the bracelet technique to send money to his son who was on deployment. What an awesome dad!