Little known fact about paracord

Most people that know about paracord and survival bracelets, know the basics about paracord. They know that is is made of 7 inner strands of nylon with a tensile strength of 75 pounds each and the sheath has 25 pounds of strength. They know they can unravel their bracelet to gain a length of useful rope to use in whichever kind of situation they see fit.  And I think everyone knows paracord gets it name from parachute cord, which is where this craze all started in the first place!

What you may not know is that paracord can (and probably will) shrink when it gets wet and dries. Just like clothing. So that bracelet you have that seems to have mysteriously gotten smaller, and you were thinking that you had indulged a bit too much this summer and that is why it fits more snug? It wasn't the beer and brats that did it, it probably just got wet, and you let it air dry. That's ok.

What I would do if your bracelet fit perfectly before you forgot to take it off before jumping in the pool, is find some type of cylindrical shape about the same size as your wrist or the same size as the inner diameter of your bracelet. Slip it over the object (soda/beer can, water bottle, folded and rolled up newspaper? Whatever you can find) Then let it dry completely before removing it and wearing it again.

You can do the same process to stretch it if it's too small. It will stretch naturally with regular use and wear, so be patient if it's a new bracelet. Same deal if it's too big. Get it wet, and let it air dry on a newspaper or something similar so the water won't ruin the surface you placed it on.

Hopefully this helps if you've run into this dilemma. 

Be safe and be prepared out there, friends!