60 brilliant paracord survival uses everyone ought to know

The word paracord is actually a blend of “parachute” and “cord”, and it was originally used in the suspension lines of US parachutes during WWII. However, both the military and civilians alike have found hundreds of other uses for paracord that make life easier.

Let’s explore some of these interesting uses.

1. Tool Belt

Use paracord to tie tools to your belt so you don’t need to hold them all the time.

2. Secure A Tent

Use paracord to make sure your tent won’t be going anywhere due to the wind. Really useful when camping.

3. Around Your Backpack

Tie your tools around your backpack using paracord if you don’t have enough room in the backpack or want to have them all on hand.

4. Use As Tourniquet

Paracord can also be used as a tourniquet in emergencies. It’s easy to tie and long enough to fit all sizes.

5. Paracord Belt

This kind of belt can prove useful if you find yourself in a survival situation. During such times, people usually lose weight, so having an adjustable belt might come in handy.

6. Sling

You can make a sling out of paracord to support injured limbs. Cobra weave or macrame it for extra strong hold.

7. Splints

If someone suffers an injury, you can use a stick to make a splint and paracord to hold it in place.

8. Suspenders

You can use paracord to make suspenders as an alternative to the paracord belt we saw earlier.

9. Bra straps

Paracord can also be used to make bra straps. They’re easy to put together and look quite edgy.

10. Pulley System

In order to make sure you’ll carry as few heavy stuff as possible, you can make a pulley system out of paracord to help you.

11. On The Wall

Use paracord to put up pictures on the wall- why not try it?

12. Toys

If you have pets you know they tend to shred stuff, so why not make cute toys for them to paw at and chew on instead?

13. Towline

You can use paracord as towline, but sometimes rope might be a better option- choose wisely.

14. Clothesline

You can use paracord as clothesline. Just make sure you tie the ends into tight knots on something sturdy- and you’re good to go.

15. Neck Lanyard

You can make neck lanyards out of paracord, attaching your keys or ID at work.

16. Zipper Pull

We all know how annoying it is to have a broken zipper pull. So why not fix it using paracord?

17. Shoelaces

Make fancy shoelaces out of paracord. Just make sure you use a lighter to melt the cut ends to prevent them from unraveling.

18. Traps

If you find yourself in a survival situation, chances are you may need to start hunting to eat. Paracord traps could help you with that- just watch your step afterward.

19. Drawstring Bags

Another use for paracord is to use it as a substitute for drawstrings on bags- smart and neat.

20. Roll Up

Sometimes rolling up stuff, especially paper, and storing it is a great idea; bad thing is, they tend to unroll easily. And that’s when paracord comes into play to tie the roll up.

21. Fishing Net

You could also make fishing nets using paracord, but you should make sure you turn it into a webbed network, spaces varying according to the kind of fish you’re trying for.

22. Hammock

Make your own hammock using fabric and paracord. Just make sure you tie the ends tight and you’ll be fine. Otherwise you can make a whole hammock out of paracord, but this would take lots of time and skill.

23. Tie Plants To Stakes

Tying plants to stakes is useful to support the plants. Jute and other garden twines can be used as well, but, unlike paracord, those tend to rot.

24. Bundle Herbs To Dry

If you happen to grow herbs in your yard, then you can use paracord to bundle and dry them so you can use them later on in your recipes.

25. Leashes

Another use for paracord is making leashes for pets and livestock, especially for the stronger and heavier ones.

26. Pet Collars

Or you can make collars for your pets and livestock. Consider adding cute adornments too.

27. Handcuffs

Hopefully you won’t need those, but just in case, it’s good to know that you can also make handcuffs using paracord.

28. Water-proof

Protect yourself from the rain by wearing a garbage bag or rain gear and using paracord to secure it so that you remain dry.

29. Chain Of People

Use paracord to keep people together on trails, especially when fog or snowstorms don’t allow for high visibility.

30. Woven Seats

Repair chairs featuring woven seats by following the weaving pattern and using paracord instead.

31. Dental Floss

Although when facing survival situations the last thing you have in mind is dental hygiene, you can floss if you want by using the inner strands of paracord.

32. Bow Drill

You can use paracord to make a bow drill and start a fire if you’re not used to starting one using your hands.

33. Knife Handle

You can use paracord to make a knife handle that won’t wear and break. You can also make a loop at the end of the handle so you can hold it easily.

34. Repair Sails

You can repair broken sails while at sea, using paracord. It can come in really handy.

35. Hang A Kettle

When camping or in a survival situation, you’ll need some paracord to hang a kettle over fire so that the water inside boils.

36. Sewing Thread

When in an emergency situation, you might need to sew something and chances are you won’t have brought sewing thread with you. Guess what! Paracord can help you again- just use the inner strands.

37. Trip Wire

Use paracord and empty cans- or anything that makes noise if moved really- and create a trip wire when you camp outside.

38. Watch Strap

In case your watch strap gets torn and you can’t replace it at that moment, you can use paracord instead.

39. Clean Hoses

Hoses tend to get dirty over time, not only on the outside but also on the inside. Tie granny knots in paracord and pull it through the hose to clean it.

40. Tie Keys

Make sure you or your kids won’t lose the house keys again by tying them in paracord on jackets or backpacks.

41. Stropping Tool

Use paracord to strop razors or blades so that they maintain their sharp edges and last longer.

42. Skipping Rope

Another use for paracord is to make a skipping rope out of it for kids to play or just for exercise.

43. Bears

Keep bears away from your foob by hanging your lunch bag up high using paracord.

44. Basic Swing

You can make a rudimentary swing using paracord so that kids can have some extra fun while camping.

45. Hair Tie

When resources are limited, you can use paracord to make hairbands and hair ties.

46. Bundle Firewood

When camping you’ll need firewood for your campfire, so you can bundle it and use paracord to hold them together.

47. Pull Sleds

In snowy places, you can use paracord to pull sleds and carry things and people on them- or just have fun.

48. Fuse Alternative

Since paracord burns easily, you can replace burnt up fuse in an oil lamp with it.

49. Horse Halter

When you need to ride a horse but don’t have a halter, you can improvise and use paracord instead.

50. Whistle Strap

It goes without saying that when camping you take your whistle with you for various reasons. Paracord can come in handy as a whistle strap too.

51. Pull Cord

If you find yourself at sea and need to repair your boat, just use some paracord as pull cord.

52. Makeshift Shelter

When you’ve run out of resources, you can make a tube tent by tying paracords between two trees.

53. Secure Your Rucksack

In case the buvkles of your rucksack break, then you can replace them with paracord for extra security.

54. Monkey Fist

For reasons of self-defense, you can make a monkey fist out of paracord- and just hope you’ll never need to use it.

55. Paracord Stretcher

In case of emergency, you can make a stretcher out of paracord and transfer injured people or animals.

56. Lowering Stuff Down Cliffs

When camping in the mountains, you may need to lower staff down cliffs, and going all the way down only to then climb back up doesn’t sound like a good idea. So paracord could come in handy there. Just tie stuff to it and lower down the cliff then pull back up.

57. Ladder

In survival situations you may need to climb sometimes, but no ladders are available and you’re most probably not a monkey. So in that case you can make a ladder out of paracord.

58. Water Ski Rope

Not that much of an emergency, but still a bummer, is going water skiing and realizing the rope is worn/torn. Just replace it with paracord and you’re good to go.

59. Learn To Tie Knots

Learning how to tie knots might prove life-saving some time. You can start practicing with these.

60. Make Snowshoes

In case your survival adventure happens to involve snow, it might be a good idea to know how to make snowshoes using paracord.

Although we all hope we don’t find ourselves in a survival situation, it’s never a bad idea to be prepared for everything. And knowing how to use paracord looks like a good start.

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Article Sources:

Backdoor survival

American Gun Asssociation

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