What Are Paracord Bracelets Used For? [10 Best Uses]

Whether you’re planning to go camping or are preparing an emergency bag, just in case, you want to make sure you have a paracord bracelet inside. The uses of paracord bracelets range from first aid, to making a fire, helping you fish or making a bow. I’m giving you the best 10 ways to use them.

The paracord bracelets is one of the most helpful tools, because is small, can fit anywhere in your bag, or you can wear it on your wrist. Knowing all the paracord bracelet uses could make a huge difference in your camping experience.

So, to make sure you will be prepared in any circumstances, I’m giving you the best 10 uses of paracord bracelets.

10 Best Paracord Bracelet Uses You Need To Know

You can buy pre-made paracord bracelets, or make your own. And you can find many knots used for paracord bracelets in our article about them.

There are many uses for paracord bracelets, and I will cover the best 10. Even so, many of these are simple enough and come in handy in certain situations.

For first aid

When you’re out camping, accidents do happen. The terrain is in most cases difficult and bones break more often than I want to admit. If that happens to someone you’re with, you can create a makeshift gurney with just some paracord from your bracelet, and a tarp.

Just place the injured person on the gurney and create a toe loop that runs through both corners of the gurney. This way, the rope won’t favor one side over the other, causing the person to roll off.

Now, all you have to do is pull them back to your campsite. It would be best if you had some kind of padding on the paracord where you’re going to do the pulling, or else your hands are going to get the raw end of the deal after carrying your friend back.

Building a bow

A bow and arrows is a great way to take out small game when traps just aren’t working, and it can be used over and over again in a pinch.

When building your bow from scratch, you should use dry hardwood to create your stave and use some paracord from your bracelet to serve as your bow string. You can also use a cut piece of paracord to fletch your arrows and help them fly straight.

Paracord can also be used if your existing bow string broke and you need a quick way to replace it.

Building traps

Paracord bracelets can be used in making snare nooses and triggers, while the inner cords can be used for smaller parts on deadfall traps. You’ll never have to worry about your snares breaking, even after it’s rained, as paracord was built to last regardless of the weather.

In building a snare noose, first look for signs of animals being in the area (remnants of their meal, tracks in the dirt, droppings). Look for a small sapling nearby that is bendy, or you can also use a large tree and a rock.

Using two sticks, carve a notch in the middle of one, and a hook in the other (roughly like the end of a crochet hook. These pieces should fit together easily, like shown below in the video:

Using your paracord, tie it to the end of a branch on the bendy sapling, and the other end to the hooked stick. Drive the stick with the wedge into the ground, and then afix the hook to the base stick so that the hook fits into the notch.

The branch should be roughly at a 90-degree angle when bent. Then use another piece of paracord to create a noose and use some bait to attract an animal. Sufficient contact with the noose should jostle the hooked stick loose and catch your animal unaware.

Making a fire

When you need to make a fire, but your matches are wet, or your lighter broken, paracord can help you start a fire the old-fashion way, with two sticks. It can be used as a bow in the bow-and-drill friction method of building a fire.

Use two strands from the core of your paracord, and wrap it around a length of dead softwood, such as cedar or willow. Your board should also be dead softwood, and you can use dry moss as kindling. If you’re not familiar with the bow-and-drill method, then here’s a helpful video that teaches you how to make it:

It takes a lot of energy and practice to get a fire started in this method, so it’s essential that you practice in the comfort of your backyard beforehand. You’ll know exactly what you’re doing once you’re out in the field.

Creating a tourniquet

In the event that you’ve accidentally cut yourself and you’re bleeding heavily, you can use your paracord from your bracelet as a tourniquet, to stop bleeding. Its elasticity is very beneficial in this situation, as it won’t slip or go slack after you’ve tied your knots.

To create a tourniquet, determine where your wound is and wrap the paracord higher up on the limb, closer to where your heart is. By doing this, you’re keeping more of your blood trapped in your body so that you can stay conscious longer and find help.

Making a splint

Whether you sprained your ankle or broken a bone, paracord can be used to make an easy split that will help you get back to camp and seek medical assistance.

Using a large stick or branch, you can place it to the side of the broken bone using your paracord to keep the broken bones straight.

Shoelaces, belts, or suspenders

Outside of medical accidents, clothing accidents can happen as well, and paracord bracelets can offer some support in this situation. Boot laces can break, after a lot of wear and tear, and paracord is what you need to help your shoe last throughout your journey.

Alternatively, it can be tied through the loops of your pants as a belt or serve as suspenders in order to keep your pants up.

Fishing line

The inner cords are best to use when you want to improvise a fishing rod, especially in murky water where fish can’t see the line too well. Hook some fresh bait to a sharp hook, and drop in the line.

Simply remove the outer colored covering of your paracord and take out one of the inner cords. Remove as many threads as you need to serve as your fishing lines, and you’re good to go. And if it happens to break, you have plenty more to use as replacement, allowing you to fish for as long as you need to.

Building shelter

If you don’t have the resources or the energy to take a tent with you, you can make your own easily with some paracord from your bracelet, and a tarp. Using the inner cords will provide you with enough length to tie up each of the corners so that you won’t have to endure the bad weather.

Most tarps already have reinforced holes in each corner, so all you need is to tie the paracord through the holes and to some nearby trees in order to shelter you from the rain. Check out a step-by-step tutorial to make a tent out of a tarp.

Repairing your gear

If the strap on your backpack breaks or a buckle gives out, the paracord from your bracelet can easily fix anything like that. It might involve tying a few knots, or using the inner cords to stitch things back up together.

As you can see, paracord is close to a multi-purpose tool, but these are only the best 10 uses. Other handy uses for this wonderful material include:

  • hanging tools from your belt
  • securing your kayak/canoe to a tree
  • stringing up a clothesline
  • rigging a pulley system
  • securing rolled-up items to maximize space
  • tie objects together for easier transport
  • tying up a hammock
  • emergency pet leash/collar
  • tying a garbage-bag poncho to your person
  • makeshift handcuffs
  • emergency dental floss
  • suturing material for serious wounds

Reasons Why You Should Carry Paracord Bracelets With You

Other than the helpful benefits listed above, there are many other reasons you should consider these handy bracelets when you’re planning a camping trip or are going on a long road trip away from home.

Emergency situations

They’re absolutely invaluable to have because of their versatility in the field. Need to make a split or string up a shelter? Paracord can take care of those needs very easily.

Need to suspend your bag of food above the ground in a tree? Paracord can do that too, and without breaking. Having a paracord bracelet on your side will grant you usually about twelve feet of rope, and that’s more than enough for anyone to work with.

For easy instructions on how to make a DIY survival belt, check our earlier article for more information.

Texture

Paracord has a good grip that you can hold onto without chafing your palms to the point of blisters. It does have some elasticity to it as well, allowing you to use as much as you need to wrap around your gear to keep it in place.

The way the threads are woven provides a smooth enough texture to the hand that you won’t have to suffer from rope burns.

Personalization

As mentioned above, paracord comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns that allows you to personalize your gear and identify yours from the rest if you’re traveling in groups.

Easy carry

Many of the tools that you’ll be bringing on your camping trip include lanyard holes, and paracord is the best thing that you can use to fashion a lanyard. It’s flexible, bright, light, and won’t break easily, so you can always have your tools on hand for when you need them.

With a bit of knot-work, you can create a multitude of different lanyards in various shapes and patterns so that you can have even more paracord with you while still reducing the bulk of the weight you’re carrying.

Increased visibility

You can make your important accessories and tools easier to find with a bright and colorful paracord bracelet. You’ll have a hard time losing your stuff with one of these clipped on around a handle.

Many experienced hiker have come to rely on the various paracord bracelet uses and there are always more and more being developed and created.

Wrapping up

Now that you’ve read for yourself what a paracord bracelet is capable of, it’s easy to see why more and more people are interested in keeping one on their person at all times.

They serve so many different functions that it can be difficult to think of camping without imagining one of these handy tools on your wrist. So, tell us how you are using your paracord bracelet.

Advertisements

4 thoughts on “What Are Paracord Bracelets Used For? [10 Best Uses]”

  1. I heard that paracord should hold a force ten times the weight of your body. (it has a rating of around 250kg,?) So, my question is – is it a good idea to put your weight on it in a risky situation?

    Reply
  2. Paracords do have a breaking point of 550 pounds as I’ve written above and they are very versatile. They can be used in a number of emergency situation but do remember that paracords are not for climbing – you need specialized ropes for that.

    Reply
  3. My wife can make a paracord bracelet in under 5 minutes now so I’ve got an endless supply. She likes making them too – she finds it therapeutic – so it’s a win-win for me! Because they’re so easy to come by for me, I end up using them for tons of tasks. Snapped shoe laces, hanging photo frames and pranks –would you believe it – are just a few of the things I’ve used paracords for, along with more outdoorsy tasks too!

    Reply
  4. I think these paracord projects are great ideas! I make a couple of these and give extras to family and friends. Even my Mom has a use for it already. She swears it’s a good hack to tie those bulky cable cords with a paracord bracelet, so I’ve already adjusted the diameters of these to fit all her cables. I say, “good one, Mom!”

    Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.