Posts Categorised: Survival Skills
There are number of valid reasons why it is important to know some emergency uses for paracord. You are going to find those reasons a little further on in this article. One reason, however, stands out head-and-shoulders above the rest. Having knowledge of emergency uses for paracord can save your life.
What Is Paracord?
You may ask yourself this question. What is paracord and why should I even care? Well, paracord (paracute cord) is a nylon kernmantle rope used in the suspension lines of parachutes since WW2. It has also been found to be very useful for many other applications and is used extensively in the military.
Naturally, it found its way into civilian life and has proved to be very popular for use in do-it-yourself projects, outdoor adventures and even as fashion accessories. The low-down is that paracord has many practical uses. Knowing emergency uses for paracord in the outdoors (especially for making knots) can be an extremely useful skill.
Paracord
7 Reasons Why To Know Emergency Uses For Paracord
Here are 7 good reasons why you should know emergency uses for paracord. Each and every one of these emergency uses can save your life, depending on the circumstances.
1. Trap Small Game
Make a snare to trap small game on the ground. You will need the following:
- paracord
- small piece of wood with a sizeable notch carved out of it (top end)
- bigger piece of wood with a similar notch carved into it (for the smaller piece of wood to fit loosely into it). The other end must be sharpened in order to be shoved into the ground like a peg
- some “bait” to attract the animal’s attention
- a bent over sapling
Cut open and remove the “guts” of the paracord. Use the thinner string to make a noose. The size of the noose will depend on what it is you have in mind to trap. Tie one end of the noose string to the small piece of wood. Shove the bigger piece of wood into the ground like a peg.
Use more string to tie the opposite end of the small piece of wood (the one with the noose tied to one end) to the bent over sapling. Add the “bait” to the end where the noose is tied. Now fit the two pieces of wood together. You are now ready to trap food for the table.
Source: Creek Stewart
2. Fishing
In case you are not successful in trapping a small game, you can modify the snare trap slight to use it for fishing. You will have set the trap up next to the water. Instead of making a noose, you just tie a long string with a sharp hook on the end of the small piece of wood to serve as your fishing line.
Source: Creek Stewart
Alternatively, you can do the following:
- Find yourself a “rod” or use a walking stick
- Tie a long piece of paracord to the rod
- Use some thin “gut” string as a lead line with a hook
- Tie this lead line to the end of the paracord line
- Forget about the “rod” and just use the paracord and lead line (with the hook) and fish with a handline.
3. Make A Survival Tourniquet
Accidents happen and medical care is not always close by. Use the paracord or thinner string from the “guts” of the paracord to tie down injured areas to limit blood loss.
Source: My Medic
4. Use Paracord As A Trail Marker
Maintaining direction while hiking in dense woods during the day or night can be problematic. It is relatively easy to get lost if you don’t concentrate on where you are walking. Paracord, especially brightly colored cord, can come in very handy in such situations.
When you leave your camp to hike or hunt, just tie a piece of paracord around various trees along your route. The paracord will act as markers to help you find your way back to your camp.
Source: CommonSenseOutdoors
5. Build A Survival Shelter
There is no reason to sleep under stars and risk getting wet or even worse … being harassed by unwelcome late-night visitors. Use your paracord to build a shelter for the night.
The Survival Outpost will show you how to go about building a survival shelter using your paracord.
6. Start A Fire
Finding yourself in a emergency situation without matches can be discouraging. In such circumstances you don’t have any other option but to try your hand at the age-old “bow drill” method (friction-based fire making).
It is definitely not an easy task, especially if it is your first ever attempt. Fortunately you have your roll of paracord with you and it is going make your task (a bit) easier.
The bow drill is probably the most effective friction based method to use because it’s easier to maintain the speed and pressure you need to create enough friction to start a fire. In addition to the spindle and fireboard, you’ll also need a socket and a bow.
Get a socket. The socket is used to put pressure on the other end of the spindle as you’re rotating it with the bow. The socket can be a stone or another piece of wood. If you use another piece of wood, try to find a harder piece than what you’re using for the spindle. Wood with sap and oil are good as it creates a lubricant between the spindle and the socket.
Make your bow. The bow should be about as long as your arm. Use a flexible piece of wood that has a slight curve. The string of the bow can be anything. A shoelace, rope, or strip of rawhide works great. Just find something that won’t break. String up your bow and you’re ready to go.
Prepare the fireboard. Cut a v-shaped notch and create a depression adjacent to it in the fireboard. Underneath the notch, place your tinder.
String up the spindle. Catch the spindle in a loop of the bow string. Place one end of the spindle in the fireboard and apply pressure on the other end with your socket.
Start sawing. Using your bow, start sawing back and forth. You’ve basically created a rudimentary mechanical drill. The spindle should be rotating quickly. Keep sawing until you create an ember.
Make you fire. Drop the ember into the tinder nest and blow on it gently. You got yourself a fire.
Source: Brett & Kate McKay
7. Make Paracord Handcuffs
You never know when you will be faced with an emergency situation where you are forced to tie someone or something down. It can be a situation where you are being attacked with the intent of bodily harm or where you have to make a citizen’s arrest.
Either way, you can use your available paracord to make a pair of handcuffs (also known as “Boatswain’s handcuffs”).
Here’s how to make paracord handcuffs …
You start of by simply tying a prusik knot around your finger. You take the ends of the cord and slide them in place of your finger. This will form the loops you need to put the wrists in. After that, just pull the ends until the cuffs are very tight (if you seriously want to restrain someone there is no need to be gentle. Blood flow is overrated).
Tie off the ends at least two times (as shown in the image) and you have yourself a nice little restraint. The prusik knot is chosen for a reason. It resist pulling by itself and tying off the end will make a very effective restraint.
Source: Paracord Guild
Paracord are readily available and should be one of the first items to go into your survival bag, regardless of what kind of outdoor activity you engage in. Just make sure you have it – be it in the form of a cord roll or a survival bracelet.
AND last but not least … make a point of getting to know the various emergency uses of paracord.
Thinking about rope hand restraint escape techniques, is probably not something the average person does every day. If ever, to be honest.
However, it is something that just might need some more consideration. Especially in the times we are living in. These days the media is full of kidnapping stories – almost daily in fact.
Stories of holiday makers being taken for ransom while traveling exotic destinations, aid-and-relief workers being kidnapped in certain “hot-spot” areas of the world, journalists being being kidnapped in war-torn areas, and so the list goes on.
One of the first things kidnappers would do is to tie your hands together with rope or cord so that you cannot use your hands and arms to defend yourself. Next, they would possibly tie your ankles together – immobilizing you completely.
After the initial shock has worn off, you find your yourself in a bind, so to speak – completely at the mercy of your kidnappers. Can you escape from these kind of situations? The answer is YES … you can.
That is providing you know what do, and how to go about implementing rope hand restraint escape techniques.
Images Source: DailyMail.com
Former CIA Agent Demonstrates Rope Restraint Escape Techniques
SurvivalTab found this very informative article about an ex-CIA agent which shows you two very effective rope hand restraint escape techniques. Here’s what the article has to say:
If you ever worry about the possibility of a kidnapping a former CIA agent has revealed techniques used to escape even the tightest of hand restraints.
Jason Hanson, who worked for the CIA for six years before starting his own security business, showed DailyMail.com two methods of escaping should you find yourself tied up.
The two tactics used include creating space to slip your hands out of a rope restraint or preparing yourself to cut yourself free.
Read More Here and Watch the Video: DailyMail.com
Rope Escape Advice From A Former Navy SEAL
In addition to the rope hand restraint escape secrets demonstrated by Jason Hanson, SurvivalTab has also researched the next video. Here, a former navy SEAL explains how to escape if you’ve been tied up. The video is well worth watching.
Source: Youtube
By just memorizing and practicing these demonstrated rope hand restraint escape techniques until they become second nature, you will have equipped yourself with a skill that could save your life one day, if not tomorrow.
Hey there SurvivalTab readers. Let’s talk a little about a long burning fire. Making a fire is an essential part of camping. It can make or break your camping trip. Having said that, let’s face it – about 7 out of every ten campfires are failures.
They just never get going properly or they burn out too quickly. Sadly, a fire that burns out too quickly equals a failed camping adventure. It just generally puts a damper on proceedings.
It goes with saying that your campfire is vital for your cooking, warmth and comfort. To achieve all this, you really need to get the most out of your fire – you want it to be a long burning fire. HOW do you do it? It’s actually pretty easy if you know WHAT to do.
Here’s How The Long Burning Fire Is Done
We found an interesting video and it may just change your take on a campfire. Here’s what the owner of the video have to say:
I am going to teach you something different here, I’m going to re-visit it actually. I made this video a long long time ago and it’s called the upside down fire. So, we’re going to take what you’ve learned, and we’re going to turn it upside down. We’re going to start with the biggest stuff first, and then, we’re going to go to the smaller stuff.
Video and Image Source: CrOcket20 on YouTube
So basically what we’ve learned from the video explanation is that making a long burning fire is a process of placing the bigger pieces of wood (that we would normally think of placing on top of the smaller pieces and dry grass) first, and then the smaller pieces of wood and dry grass last (on top of the stack).
It almost looks like a pyramid of sorts.
The theory behind this is that you light the stack at the top (dry grass and dry branch pieces) and then it burns down. This minimizes your fire management efforts and leaves you with more time to attend to other important stuff around your camp.
It shouldn’t take that much longer to build your stack since you are just doing it the other way round from what you might be used to. A good campfire should never be a rush job anyway.
Just remember to always keep safety in mind. You don’t want to be the person who made the headlines for setting the woods or camping area on fire. When you are out camping, check if there is a designated fire making area. If it’s there, use it. If you are out in the woods, make a small clearing away from your shelter, any bushes, dry leaves or wood.
Finally, make sure you have a long burning fire starter the works in all kinds of weather conditions.
Happy camping – don’t forget to practice making your long burning campfire BEFORE you go!
Has the thought of crafting a survival coffee maker ever crossed your mind? Well … if you’re an ardent coffee drinker and find it challenging to start your day without your cup of coffee, then you should take note.
Imagine this …
You open your eyes. You realize it’s morning. You lie there for a little while. You are trying to get your mind to focus. With a thud, a sickening feeling hits you right in your empty, growling stomach. The coffee pot is gone! How are you going survive without your coffee?
Reality starts to set in … slowly … you are out in the wilderness somewhere and … yesterday was a ROUGH day. Disaster struck late afternoon while you were trying to cross the river. You lost a lot of your gear and supplies while attempting the crossing.
You look around – at least you still have your tent, some coffee beans, other odds and ends, and a few canned items lying around. Okay, time to roll out of the sack and figure this out.
First things first! A cup of hot steaming comfort coffee will give you some much needed warmth and a clear head, but … how are you going to make coffee with only a handful of coffee beans? You have come up with a way to craft a survival coffee maker.
Easy Steps To Craft Your Own Survival Coffee Maker
Wait! Suddenly you remember something you once read …
That’s right. You read this article somewhere …. ah yes, 101WaystoSurvive took you (step by step) through the process of making a rudimentary coffee maker. Now’s the time to put those acquired skills to the test. Just in case you forgot, here’s what they had to say …
Have you ever wanted to learn how to make an improvised coffee maker that could be used out in the field? Here’s one example of a simple project that only requires a few tin cans, a survival knife and a little bit of ingenuity. Follow the steps below, and you can almost duplicate what you are accustomed to brewing up at home.
Okay, it sounds easy. It only requires …
- A few tin cans
- A survival knife
- A little bit of ingenuity
- AND maybe a little bit of practice!
Source: Go to 101WaysToSurvive and learn the different steps
Easy enough, don’t you think? What’s your opinion? We think that the most important thing to remember here is … DON’T lose your coffee beans and filters. Oh yes, AND make sure you have some cans handy.
Enjoy making your own survival coffee maker – its a skill that will serve you well in the future.
SurvivalTab found this interesting video which is certainly worthwhile watching. The host, Nick and his father (a professional hunter), show us how to make a short bow using an umbrella (of all things).
We are of the opinion that you can definitely call it a survival bow, since the only reason you’ll ever want to make such a bow is when you’re in a survival situation and you need to hunt for food or defend yourself against an attack or bodily harm.
Making A Survival Bow Is A Skill Worth Aquiring
Making a survival bow by using an umbrella, is a skill well worth acquiring. Simply because you never know when you might find yourself out in the wild, in the kind of situation where your have mouths to feed with no supplies at hand.
Not only that, you could also be in a dangerous situation where you have defend yourself against attackers of any kind without a weapon to do so.
The kind of dangerous situation we are talking about could very well happen in your home or on your property, and not necessarily only out in the woods somewhere. We all know what dangers you could face during an out-of-control riot or a law and order meltdown.
Having said all that, let’s watch Nick and his father show us how it’s done …
Source: Youtube – HF Survival School
Traditional Short Bow Hunting
After watching the video, we commented to ourselves that Nick’s survival bow doesn’t appear to be very strong and capable of inflicting much damage, but we decided that it must be seen in context of the circumstances that you’ll need it.
First of all, something is better than nothing and you’ll need to adapt your strategy to complement the tool/weapon at your disposal. The kind of strategy that the San people of Southern Africa (commonly known as the Bushmen) have been using for centuries.
Namely, to use a short bow for close range hunting (also referred to as persistence hunting).
Source: Getty Images
Secondly, in terms of defending yourself, you’ll have to make peace with the fact that the only way you’ll neutralise your attacker is if the survival bow is used in close proximity to your attacker, regardless if it’s a man or a beast.
Why don’t you get hold of a tired-looking umbrella and give it a go! Your kids can always use it as a toy, but just make sure you give them blunt-tip plastic arrows to play around with.
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