Easy Paracord Survival Key Fob

Here I will show you how to make an easy paracord key fob. It is used for survival because when unraveled, you get 4 feet of paracord that has been tested to hold 450 lb.!!!!!!

Step 1: Stuff

What you need:
Ruler
Paracord (about 3.5 feet)
Keyring
Lighter
Scissors/Pocketknife
About 5 mintues

If this was made into a kit, it would include 4 feet of paracord, a keyring, mini-scissors, a cheap plastic ruler, and possibly a cheapo lighter.

Step 2: Attaching to the keyring

To attach to the keyring:

1. Fold the paracord piece in half
2. Pull the folded paracord through the keyring
3. Bring the bottom pieces up around the keyring and through the loop at the top
4. Tighten

Step 3: Weaving the fob

The easiest way for me to explain this is with pictures, so just look at the pics and read all the captions.

Step 4: Finishing

Continue weaving until you have squeezed in as many knots as possible in front of the keyring. Make sure the last knot is tight and then cut the excess cord off and melt it down to prevent unraveling.

Step 5: Go use it!

Attach it to your keys! Now when you reach in your pocket to get your keys you can just grab the fob! And if you get into an emergency situation, you can unravel this for 4 feet of extra-strong paracord!

Thanks for looking! If you make this, post a pic in the comments so I can see how you did!

Comments

[mark_well]

A decent design, bases on the survival bracelet snake knot pattern.
You can find a few more paracord keychain instructions on my site.

[hburkett]

Thank you for posting this. This is exactly what I was needing.

[must_ache]

Thanks for the great guide, somehow I've been unable to get this simple weave through my head after a few videos and other guides.

I modified it by using an alpine butterfly loop at the end rather than a keyring, if you make the loop about 1" to 1.5" inner diameter you can pass the fob through it to attach it to whatever you like after the fact.

[caleb44]

how do you make it with two colors?

[jcarlson4]

Very easy instructable to follow, thanks.

[Adambowker98]

Nice job with your fob! I like that camo color!

[jedired]

Thanks for the instructable.

[Adambowker98]

No problem! The fob looks great!

[ROOKIE49]

Could you show how to connect to plastic buckles

[Adambowker98]

Try another paracord bracelet instructable. They usually show how to tie to a buckle. It's basically the same thing as putting it on a keyring.

[Adambowker98]

Try another paracord bracelet instructable. They usually show how to tie to a buckle. It's basically the same thing as putting it on a keyring.

[mayfair2005]

Turned out fairly nice for my first try, 3.8ft of paracord fairly loose so its flexible. I did over melt the end thou :/

[Adambowker98]

Good job! Looks pretty good to me.

[MalcolmB]

Hi All...

I use a hollow needle called a "fid" to pull the ends under the front and back of the fob, then cut them as short as possible with a pair of paramedic scissors (the only scissors that I've found will cut paracord cleanly), although I've also used a hot knife tip on a gas soldering iron.

Then I bend and wiggle the fob a couple of times and the cut ends disappear underneath, It's a much neater finish than cutting and melting although you have to justify the cost of the fid (about 8GBP).

Happy paracording!!

Malc

[jamob]

I made one! it was difficult for me at first but once i got into it it was easy although it does look a little akward becuse i started knotting a bit too high

[Adambowker98]

Can you post a pic?

[jamob]

As you can see its a little short but thats my fault for putting the knot a little higher than you said

[Adambowker98]

Oh, that doesn't look that bad! Having it shorter like that actually gives it some more flexibility at the top.

[mmichener]

I have a wood burning tool that I use to melt the ends, works like a charm.

[Adambowker98]

Great idea! I have a soldering iron and wood burning tool, but have only tried burning the ends with the soldering iron.

[agent-0008]

if your using twice the paracord you measure twice the length, right?

[Adambowker98]

Yes. So 6ft of Paracord = 6 inch fob.

[ROOKIE49]

This the first Instructible that I could reilly follow and now I am making these like crazy for everyone. Good job Adam

[Adambowker98]

Thanks!

[skwalter2]

Really enjoyed making the key fob. I've made similar cobra weave bracelets before, and this was just as easy. I tried making each knot as tight as possible, so the entire fob is pretty taut. As with the paracord bracelet I made, using a soldering iron made melting the ends really easy. Thanks a lot!

[Adambowker98]

That looks awesome! I've had a soldering iron for a while, just never thought about using it to burn the ends.