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In this short article I touch on the issue of making quality survival gear.
We all like to be prepared. It is a part of human nature to prepare for various situations. We stock up food for the winter days. We gather money to use it when we require it. And we make survival gear to help us survive. There are certain principles that in my opinion should be followed in order to get the most out of your survival gear. Let’s see what these principles of making survival gear are.
Quick deployment
In the process of researching various survival gear I stumbled upon various tutorials that showed how to make survival bracelets and other items made out of paracord. I was surprised to find that many of these tutorials do not feature quick deploy methods. For example, the survival bracelet most often featured is the regular solomon bar. Indeed, many of the so called survival items are not made for quick use. I find this to be fairly misleading and at the least not optimal.
I think that the principle of quick deployment is vital for differentiating regular gear from survival one.
One cord to rule them all
While many decorative items are made by the use of multiple cords, this is not advisable for survival purposes. If possible, it is best to make your projects out of single piece of cord. You can always cut the cord to make it smaller. Fusing paracord together on the other hand, is nigh impossible.
Integration
Integrating various useful items is what it is all about. A survival item is in most cases a system. By that I am implying that it is complex, made from various components and serves multiple uses. The concept of integration is actually very modern. Every time you wrap a piece of gear with paracord, you are making something more complex. Something that serves more than one use. Proper survival bracelets include this principle by integrating items you will need. And that brings me to my next observation.
Customizability
Survival gear is made to help you in various situations. As such it not only integrates items that are useful. A big part of making your own survival gear is that you can customize it. Not only the look, but also the functionality.
As such you can produce gear that fits the situation you are predicting. You can have a fishing set integrated into your bracelet if you are in an area where fishing is possible (a fishing kit is almost always a good bet).
Quality above quantity
If you are making bracelets for decorative purposes you can get away with using lower quality of paracord. But when making proper, survival gear, you should by all means go the extra length and buy the best materials available. That means quality cord and quality items to integrate into your gear. Never go cheap when your life depends on it!
The whole point of preparation is to be prepared. Do not take the easy way now, because when you will need your gear, that easy way will turn into a problem.
My paracord grenade follows many of these principles. It is quick deployment, made from a single cord, customized and integrates many different items.
