Unfortunate events can happen anytime and to anyone, but what if they happen to you?
With all the crazy stuff that’s been happening around the world, you can never be too complacent when stepping out of your home.
You’re gonna need a trusty and useful piece of prepper gear for your everyday carry (EDC). Something like…oh, we don’t know…a survival bracelet, perhaps?
Here’s everything you need to know about this life-saving gear:
But First…What Is Everyday Carry?
We preppers always need to be ready because an ordinary day might turn out to be our worst. A situation like this is where everyday carry (EDC) comes to play.
An EDC kit is simply a collection of useful items you carry on you every day. You’re not a true prepper if you don’t have some sort of survival gear ready to take out of your pockets when you need to overcome simple everyday problems or get out of sticky situations.
When it comes to EDC packing, it’s best to narrow your choices down and carry only must-have items with you. These items should fit in your everyday clothing pockets or a small compact bag.
If you’re wondering what prepper gear passes the description, these are some of the most common EDC items:
- Pocket knives
- Smartphones
- Wallets
- Multitools
- Tactical flashlights
- Pens
But one prepper gear that stands out is a survival bracelet. It’s easily one of the most useful items you can bring with you every day. Here’s why:
Why Is a Survival Paracord Bracelet Valuable?
Their load-bearing strength is impressive
Paracords are made entirely from nylon, making them the best and strongest prepper gear for everyday tasks and survival situations like sewing, securing things, fishing for food, and navigating the terrain.
Their nylon braided sheath with multiple interwoven strands inside gives them superior strength. What’s even more badass is that this all-nylon construction makes paracords somewhat elastic. As you may know, elasticity helps absorb shock, which means they’re less prone to breakage.
And their minimum breaking strength of 550 pounds or about 250 kilograms just proves that. Even if you turn paracords into the more compact survival bracelets, wearing gear this tough still gives you an advantage in survival situations. Just unravel your bracelet if you need a DIY harness that can carry your weight or when you need to clear and drag heavy debris out of the way.
They’re light as a feather
You might assume paracord, in general, is heavy because of its impressive strength performance, but it’s actually lightweight because of its nylon material. Although long lengths of paracords aren’t THAT heavy, their survival bracelet versions are still lighter and easier to carry around.
They’re wearable.
Aside from bracelets, you can turn paracord into other wearable projects like watch bands and belts. You can even wear them with other EDC gear like watches, compasses, whistles, fire starters, and survival knives.
They’re pretty lowkey.
Survival bracelets are sometimes considered accessories. They can literally hide in plain sight because they’re stylish. They come in different colors, too. What’s also great about them, aside from being discreet, is that they’re very easy to deploy when the need arises.
Imagine yourself in a bind, and all you have on you is a survival bracelet. We know for a fact you won’t have to worry about a damn thing because this stuff can be made into anything.
It’s safe to say that a survival bracelet is the most versatile piece of prepper gear out there.
7 Uses of a Survival Bracelet for EDC
We’ve been saying paracords can be utilized for many things, but what exactly can these strong, elastic, and lightweight cords do? There is no wonder why so many survival blogs talk about paracord.
Here are some uses of a survival bracelet for EDC:
Survival Knots
Your knot-tying skills might be put to the test here, but if you’re a prepper who knows his survival knots, then you’re at an advantage. If you’re a newbie, you better get on with the program.
Your survival bracelet can be made ten times more useful if you know how to tie knots with it. Learning the basics, like the half-hitch, fisherman’s knot, prusik knot, trucker’s hitch, and classic clove, is a start. And once you get the hang of knot-tying, you’ll be surprised how different survival knots can help you get out of sticky situations or even save a life.
Fire Starter
You can be camping with friends on a weekend when your matches end up drenched, or your fire starters get lost along the trail. Here’s what you can do when you meet a situation like this: undo your survival bracelet to build a fire from scratch using the bow drill method.
If you need a little help, check out the video above for a comprehensive tutorial on constructing an effective bow drill.
Boot Laces
In the woods, it’s possible for your boot laces to get caught by some pointy stick or branch. Walking around with a broken boot lace causes discomfort and may lead to delays, especially when trying to head back to camp before dark.
Good thing your reliable survival bracelet can serve as a quick replacement. You can use the inner strands of your paracord and lace them like you would with a normal boot lace.
Fishing Lure
If you’re ever stuck in the wild and have difficulty catching live bait, you can make a pretty effective fishing lure out of a short strand of your paracord strap. For an alternative method, you can remove the yarns of your bracelet to create a net.
Improvised Tourniquet
Your survival bracelet can be used for medical purposes, and one of them is improvising a tourniquet. When someone is excessively bleeding, an improvised tourniquet can slow down blood loss until help arrives.
Other medical uses for paracords are sutures and creating a splint, sling, or stretcher for the injured to prevent further damage.
Self-Defense
Paracord straps can also be utilized as self-defense in threatening situations. When you need to defend yourself at home or in a public place, you can use a paracord to restrain perpetrators in the form of handcuffs when you have the upper hand over your assailants.
If that’s not possible, you can always turn to your paracord bracelet with a whistle to signal for help. This type of wearable paracord doesn’t only save you from dangerous situations. It can also save you during the aftermath of a disaster.
Building Shelters
Paracords are extremely useful when you’re forced to spend the night out in nature and need protection. Building a shelter like an A-frame or a basic lean-to with paracords is possible by lashing pieces of wood and tarp together and securing them with a knot.
What You Should Look for in a Survival Paracord Bracelet
Not all paracord bracelets are created equal, so be careful with what you buy or make them with. Here’s what you need to know to find the right cordage:
First things first, make sure your cord of choice has a braided sheath with multiple twisted strands or yarns inside. A legit paracord is made up of a quality nylon outer layer and an inner layer of 7 to 9 strands consisting of 3 yarns each.
Next is the kind of weave you want your survival bracelet to have. You can’t go wrong with the classic cobra weave because it packs a lot of length. Who knows? You might need a longer paracord in some survival situations.
It may not seem like it, but color also matters. If you go for 2 colors, you get 2 pieces of shorter paracord. If you go for a single color, you get a longer piece. So, before you go out to buy one, your survival bracelet’s color might be something you need to put more thought into.
If you wanna take it to the next level, add your other favorite EDC gear with your bracelet. A pocket knife, a lighter, a flashlight, or a flint and steel are just a few examples.
Final Thoughts
You can’t argue with us when we say a paracord bracelet is a must-have item in your EDC kit. Its versatility isn’t up for debate, too, because the list of its everyday and survival uses is endless.
If you’re still in the process of building your kit, don’t hesitate to add a survival bracelet in there, or better yet, wear it every day with you. You won’t regret it.
Do you have other ideas on how to use a survival paracord bracelet? Sound off below!
