Update 3/21/10 Forgot to say why I even wanted to make the thing! Silly me...
Here's a custom belt made from a few "D" rings, some webbing, and a single length of parachute cord. The idea was sparked by a customer of mine who noticed the bit of cord that I keep around my neck for tying things out of my way, keeping baby toys from falling out of the stroller, etc. He was an ex- special forces soldier, and mentioned that they used to make belts and all kinds of things out of paracord so that, in addition to being useful, the item could be unraveled in an emergency. When I got home I found only a couple of designs for such a belt, the best of which were published on stormdrane.blogspot.com/. I found that I had some preconceived notions of what I wanted such a belt to actually do:
1) It must hold up your pants. It's a belt. Preferably it should be able to do this even if you need a piece of cord.
2) It must be able to unravel quickly. Paracord is certainly strong enough to retrieve a friend who has fallen through the ice, so time is a concern (a la Slatt's Rescue Knot bit.ly/8sPMIG which can be very difficult to untie).
2.5) It would be nice to be able to make it quickly, just so that there is no subconscious, "is it gonna be worth it? I mean, I spent 3 days locked in a room to make this thing- how good a friend are they?...)
3) Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition. Neither would you expect to need to rescue someone from thin ice, so it must be something you can fit through your everyday belt loops (usually 1") and still look good enough that you will actually wear it.
Here is my answer. Looks good, can in fact be made in 15 minutes, unravels without binding in less than 15 seconds, and can be used a bit at a time while still holding up your pants. It can even be assembled with multiple lengths of cord, allowing any piece that you needed to be put back without making a whole new belt!
Here's a custom belt made from a few "D" rings, some webbing, and a single length of parachute cord. The idea was sparked by a customer of mine who noticed the bit of cord that I keep around my neck for tying things out of my way, keeping baby toys from falling out of the stroller, etc. He was an ex- special forces soldier, and mentioned that they used to make belts and all kinds of things out of paracord so that, in addition to being useful, the item could be unraveled in an emergency. When I got home I found only a couple of designs for such a belt, the best of which were published on stormdrane.blogspot.com/. I found that I had some preconceived notions of what I wanted such a belt to actually do:
1) It must hold up your pants. It's a belt. Preferably it should be able to do this even if you need a piece of cord.
2) It must be able to unravel quickly. Paracord is certainly strong enough to retrieve a friend who has fallen through the ice, so time is a concern (a la Slatt's Rescue Knot bit.ly/8sPMIG which can be very difficult to untie).
2.5) It would be nice to be able to make it quickly, just so that there is no subconscious, "is it gonna be worth it? I mean, I spent 3 days locked in a room to make this thing- how good a friend are they?...)
3) Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition. Neither would you expect to need to rescue someone from thin ice, so it must be something you can fit through your everyday belt loops (usually 1") and still look good enough that you will actually wear it.
Here is my answer. Looks good, can in fact be made in 15 minutes, unravels without binding in less than 15 seconds, and can be used a bit at a time while still holding up your pants. It can even be assembled with multiple lengths of cord, allowing any piece that you needed to be put back without making a whole new belt!
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Tools:
While this can in fact be done without tools at all, I'm going to use a couple of nails, a hammer, a tape measure, and a needle and thread.
Here's what we'll use:
1) 50-100' Paracord (in case you forgot)
2) 16" of 1" webbing
3) 3 - 1" "D" rings
While this can in fact be done without tools at all, I'm going to use a couple of nails, a hammer, a tape measure, and a needle and thread.
Here's what we'll use:
1) 50-100' Paracord (in case you forgot)
2) 16" of 1" webbing
3) 3 - 1" "D" rings
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Do you set the nails the same distance as the measurement or do you add some in to compensate for the "shrinkage" due to the vertical weave?
The description is adequate for ending the loops but not for what to do with the end.
I've found some other Instructables that show different ways to finish the end but having it here would be better.
Also could you show the sewn webbing end. Thanks