Paracord as the most versatile survival tool

Is it just me, or is paracord just about the most versatile survival tool there is? There are just SO many incredible ways to weave it to suite your taste, and situation. If you're an avid hiker/camper, you might wear a belt made out of paracord that has 100 feet of cord that you could use for just about anything, hanging wet clothes, fishing line, fishing lures, tie your food up in a tree out of reach of forest critters, replace a broken shoe lace, floss, make a snare trap, etc..



If you're an urban explorer, and come across a free bookshelf that you have to put in the trunk of your car, but now the trunk doesn't close...use your bracelet that contains about 7 feet of cord to tie it shut!  If you're home is on a good amount of acreage and the nearest hospital is an hour away and you slice your leg open on some barbed wire, use your bracelet to tie a tourniquet so you can make it to the hospital!

My point is that no matter what kind of person you are, and no matter where you live or what your lifestyle is, you could benefit from owning and wearing a survival bracelet.

Be safe and be prepared out there, friends!

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!

Happy Independence Day! (Tomorrow)

The celebration of our nations independence is just about upon us! One last day to scramble gathering food to grill, drinks to cool you and your friends, side dishes to whip up, and decorate with anything and everything you can find that is red, white and blue. It's a day to remember where we came from as a nation, reflect on how we have progressed (or regressed, depending on your viewpoint) and show our pride as Americans.
Unfortunately, as with most holidays, it is a day to drink excessively, blast music, be rowdy and scorch/blow up the pavement in front of our houses, (I don't know about you, but I've heard fireworks on Christmas day in the past.) This seem to be a perfect concoction for real, painful, life-altering disaster. As most of you know, I like to focus on safety and preparedness, but today, I want to loosen the reins (just a little) and talk about common sense. But before I do, just one more thing: THIS IS IN NO WAY INTENDED TO BE A COMPLETE LIST OF SAFETY REGULATIONS! USE COMMON SENSE AND CONTACT EMERGENCY PROFESSIONALS IN CASE OF EMERGENCY!  Duh!

Prepare to light fireworks:
Keep a large bucket 3/4 of the way full of water to put spent fireworks into so they don't smolder and catch your lawn or someone's car on fire.
Have an oven mit handy or tongs (or something similar to protect your hands from the heat), or metal shovel to pick up the still hot fireworks to quench in the bucket of water.
I'd keep my garden hose hooked up with a sprayer attachment just in case too.
You know what else I'd have on me incase of an accident? A paracord bracelet! They always come in handy!

Lighting the fireworks:
Use a barbecue lighter to light the fireworks. It will put some distance between your fingers and the flame and from the firework.
Don't hold the dang thing unless it is a sparkler!
Don't be a show-off and stand two feet from it. Give yourself 10 or more feet between you and the firework.

These guidelines are assuming you are lighting fireworks that don't leave the ground. If you've made the decision to purchase fireworks that launch into the air, then be prepared to call the fire department if it lands on your roof and catches your house on fire. They're going to be extra busy this week and weekend, so keep that in mind also.

Got pets? Keep them safely shut inside with all doors and windows securely shut. Make sure their tags are current, with your current contact info on them and keep a current picture of them on your cell phone. If they are sensitive to the noise of the fireworks, keep the TV on, turn on a fan or a radio to help drown out the noise. Don't coddle a scared dog. It will tell them that their fears of the noise are well founded and only make the fear worse AND a scared dog may become aggressive. Just act like it doesn't bother you and they will start to become more relaxed as well. Putting your dog in a kennel or crate may not be the safest place either. A frightened dog may try to claw or chew his way out and cut his paws or gums and/or tear nails. My personal recommendation is to give him something to chew on that will last the night so he has something to distract himself.

Here is a link for fireworks displays in the Seattle, Washington area if you prefer to leave the controlled explosion (firework!) displays to the professionals.

Use common sense when celebrating. Don't drink and drive, don't pick up, hold or throw fireworks, be respectful of your neighbors and last but not least...
Be safe and be prepared out there friends!

Survival Bracelet or Fashion Bracelet? Know what you are buying.

As I peruse the internet, I see a LOT of purely decorative paracord weaves out there. Ones that would be extremely difficult to take apart to use in an emergency, and ones that aren't structurally sound.  I don't think a lot of people understand that while these weaves look really cool, they shouldn't be used in an emergency situation. But how can you tell the difference between a structurally sound bracelet and one that is more reliable? How do you know if you are buying a decorative bracelet, or one that has the potential of saving your life, without directly asking the person that made them? 

I have a rule that I follow when I am researching or creating new weaves: NEVER EVER SPLICE! Or more technically, "join".  Joining is when you take one end of cord, and stuff it into the shell or casing of another cord, and burn them together and or stitch or glue them. (See picture below)

Well, why not join? Because once a cord has been joined, say with another color to achieve a neat effect or because you ran out of cord, it becomes extremely weak at that junction. A weak spot like that could wind up killing someone who is relying on it for it's strength. Not that I'm saying it WILL, just that the potential is there.

So when you see an item that has multiple colors, examine it closely to see if you can spot a "join".

Keep in mind that if you see a two tone bracelet, it may not necessarily be joined. There ARE weaves out there that will allow a two tone effect without joining. 

I wish I could tell you an easy way to know for sure if a weave contains a join or a splice, but I can't. You will just have to look for it or simply ASK.

The other thing to be aware of when choosing a paracord bracelet is, how easy can this come apart if I need to tie a tourniquet or secure a load? You really don't want to be unknotting a series of complicated intricate knots while someone's (or your own) life depends on it. I'm a fan of "quick release" weaves. Because they come apart with a pull on one end of the cord (usually), which is much more efficient when you need some cord in a hurry.

The ever popular Cobra weave is NOT a quick release weave! Neither are any of the variations such as the King Cobra, or the Solomon Bar. The Slatt's weave, however, IS a quick release. It also allows a lot of cord to be packed into a tight space.

My point is, know what you are buying. Ask questions. Think about what you want it for: survival or fashion? Keep these questions in mind while shopping!

Be safe and be prepared out there friends!

What IS paracord?

We realize that not everyone knows what paracord is. Maybe some of you have and idea of what it is or have heard the term "paracord" or even "550 cord". "Paracord is short for parachute cord. "550 cord" is the same thing by another name. It is called these things because it is the rope that is used for the suspension lines when parachuting, and has a breaking strength of 550lbs. It was available for civilian use after WWII. This versatile cord was even used by astronauts during STS-82, the second Space Shuttle mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. 

It's most common civilian use today is in the making of "survival" or "paracord" bracelets. When woven in a number of different ways, these bracelets can come apart so that the wearer has a length of cord ranging from a few feet to dozens of feet available for use during an emergency or any situation where one may need rope.

Some of the uses for paracord are attaching equipment to harnesses, as dummy cords to avoid losing small or important items, tying rucksacks to vehicle racks, securing camoflage nets to trees or vehicles, and so forth. When threaded with beads, paracord may be used as a pace counter to estimate ground covered by foot. The yarns of the core (commonly referred to as "the guts") can also be removed when finer string is needed, for instance as sewing thread to repair gear, or to be used as fishing line in a survival situation. The nylon sheath is often used alone, the yarn in the core removed, when a thinner or less elastic cord is needed such as when used as a boot lace,  assisting with water rescues, controlling bleeding with a tourniquet, etc.. Ends of the cord are almost always melted and crimped to prevent fraying.

So if this sounds like something that you really should have stashed in your vehicle, emergency kit, or backpack or even just to wear around everyday "just in case" please feel free to email us to purchase one or a few of these great innovations!


The sheath of this commercial parachute cord 
is braided from 32 strands and the core made
 up of seven two-ply yarns. The scale is in inches.







*References and picture taken from wikipedia

HEAT WAVE!

Up here in western Washington, we are experiencing a heat wave. It is supposed to be in the low 90's today and with most of the homes built without air conditioning, it prompted me to look up some "beat the heat" tips. Having to look something up such as this, is not normal for this Colorado native who grew up in air-conditioned-everything. And with a newly adopted long haired pooch, I wanted to make sure I was doing everything possible to keep the both of us cool and I thought I'd share some tips with my outdoors-y followers, because I care about you too!! So here are a few tips from the Seattle Times along with a few of my own:

-- Wear light-colored, loose-fitting cotton or linen clothing. A straw hat works great in the sun.

-- Keep a water bottle handy and use it often, to sip or drizzle over the neck, face and arms. Drinking water is better than sugary beverages, which can dehydrate you.

-- Close windows on the side of the building where outside air is warmer than inside air or where the sun is shining. Open windows and doors on the cooler side.

-- Create breezes by opening opposing windows and doors.

-- Place electric fans in open windows to draw cool air into the house or drive hot air out.

-- Place a fan behind a pan of ice water to blow cool air.

-- Sprinkle or wash down windows, lawn, deck or pavement on the hot side of the building.

-- Line-dry laundry instead of using the dryer, and microwave or grill food outside to avoid heat in the house. Don't use the dishwasher.

-- Turn off lights. Ninety-five percent of the energy consumed by incandescent bulbs is given off as heat.

-- Eat lightly, favoring fruit and vegetables. Protein and fat create extra body heat.

--If all else fails, shag over to your food store's freezer section. You always can feign extended interest in pineapple Popsicles.

One of my new favorite ways to beat the heat is to take a cold shower first thing in the morning, then let my hair air dry. The evaporation keeps me cooler as long as there is a fan near by, otherwise, you just end up feeling muggy if the air is stale.

I also just made some mixed berry and watermelon Popsicles that turned out pretty awesome and didn't need a trip to the store in the blazing sun to do so!

If you have any tips you'd like to share with your fellow outdoors enthusiast, please feel free to post a comment! We look forward to hearing from you!

--Keep cool my friends!

Fish Tales

We would like to hear your tale of how you've had to use your survival bracelet! Have you had to use it to tie the canoe to the roof of your car? Tied your food in a tree? Used it in a snare trap? Or even saved a life with it? Let us know! It's fun to share adventure tales!

New pictures coming!

Tomorrow we will be posting all new pictures of all new colors and styles of our high quality bracelets! These will also be added to our products page. Please email me with any questions you may have about our products!
Happy Hunting!
Nature's Traditions

Paracord of the day

Classic bracelet in Desert Camo knot closeure. Contains approximately 7-9 feet of cord 

Wide "quick deployment" bracelet in black, no clasp. Contains  approximately  16-18 feet of cord.  

Key chains in black, olive drab, desert camo and reflective camo.  Contains  approximately  2 feet of cord, each.

Welcome

Welcome to Nature's Traditions Paracord Accessories Blog! Today is our first day blogging and we are super excited to finally be out on the web!
What we offer: Classic paracord survival bracelets in two styles (with and without buckle), wide quick deployment paracord bracelets, necklaces in two styles (with and without buckle), key chains and even quick deployment belts!
Colors we currently have available: Black, desert camo, olive drab and mil. spec. (which is a slightly more brownish color than the olive drab.)
We will have more colors and styles coming soon!  Check back often for updates! Please comment with any and all questions, including how to do your OWN bracelets!

Paracord Bracelets

Paracord bracelet with buckle

Paracord bracelet with knot clasp

Both of these are classic survival bracelets. They are on sale email me at naturestraditions83@gmail.com for more details.