Survival Bracelet II

You may have seen my first survival bracelet instructable on the cobra braid.  After receiving a comment from lightchaser mentioning the chain sinnet braid, I thought that was a great idea.  This is truly a Survival Bracelet, if you are in need of some rope or cord, you can just pull both ends and then you have one full piece of 8 ft cord.  Give it a try and see how simple it really is.

Step 1: Supplies

In order to make a survival bracelet you will need
-About 8 feet of 550 Parachute Cord (or whatever you have on hand)
-Pair of scissors
-Lighter
-Pliers (not necessary but can make a tighter bracelet)

Step 2: The Lanyard Knot

The lanyard knot is a nice way to spruce up your bracelet, but can easily be replaced with an over hand knot.  First make a small twist in the cord.  Then make a "U" shape beneath the loop.  Take the piece that points left and place it over  the bottom loop, and under the right piece.  Then over, under, and then over again.  Hold the bottom loop down. 

Step 3: The Sinnet Braid

This braid is very simple once you get it down.  Make a small twist or loop in the cord.  Then make a "U" shape and put it through the other loop.  Pull tight.  When the loop is facing left, then place the left piece through the loop.  Continue until the bracelet is long enough.

Step 4: Finish it

First, put both pieces all the way through the last loop.  Then, as before you can make a lanyard knot again or an over hand knot.  Trim the end and then melt it down.   There you have it, a true survival bracelet.

Comments

[DragonSlaveArmory]

This is perfect for what I needed. I searched through 21 paracord pages before I found this one. Thanks. Super easy and fast to do.

[DaDerp]

LOVE this weave. It's very simple, easy, and unravels quickly!

[donnarodger1]

do you NEED a lighter and can you make a braccelet without one. :)

[mrknifeman]

the best and easiest and most practical one i found! i like taking my bracelet apart cuz i have so many other uses for it. easy to take apart and easy to tie. thanks!

[schnerdly]

Pulling just unwinds the braid. These directions are very unclear

[tevers94]

When you pull each braid tight, keep a finger in the loop. This video might help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGklOhpBMKA

[thestyrofoampeanut]

 i was having a lot of trouble with this knot
if anyone needs help, this vid helped me a lot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faO3rY9G_Ns

[tevers94]

That is actually the vid i learned from, so this is a good addition.

[atuttle1]

I don't even understand the video

[tevers94]

If you can't get the lanyard knot, then try using a simple over hand knot.

[Happyn3ss]

Just wondering, how far should the knot start from either end of the cord?

[tevers94]

I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you mean. If you're doing two lanyard knots then just make sure when the first is done the loop is big enough to fit the other lanyard knot through. And be sure to keep both pieces after the knot at equal lengths. If that doesn't answer your question let me know.

[Happyn3ss]

Never mind, I managed to figure it out on my own, nice article by the way.

[tevers94]

That's good to here, and thanks. :)

[stormskater216]

can you post an article on this? im really confused....

[clax1227]

The actual name of this sinnet is the zipper sinnet

[haws24]

Thanks for the instructable! I have made four now and it's pretty slick.

[By Keith]

Thanks for the instructable. My first project with paracord, sort of. Bought some cheap chinese stuff from Academy since the army-navy was closed. Made it for my wife who has just lost her dad (Air Force.) When I explained what it meant for vets it made her day. Kinda cool for me too as I lost my dad (Airborne) three years ago. Not a vet myself but grateful for all they have done.

[unominame]

i think for multicolered bracelets you should dye it one side one color and one side another so you dont have to use two ropes

[dhopper122]

I tried the dye method when I was in Iraq my first rotation back in 2005. I used white 550 and permanate markers. Since the fibers themselves werent dyed, the permamaker dye leached out over time. What I found to work best for a two colored braclet is like I noticed in another comment on this site. Take and seal one cord, both ends. You will want to roll them to a point, will explain this later. Then seal only one of others end. The end not sealed, pull out some of inner cord; take out about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch. Lightly melt the end. Use a needle to aid you in threading one of double sealed cord ends into the open ened cord. Once in, use a heated needle or larger to fuse the inner and outer cords together. I do another opposite the first and then turn 90 deg. and repeat. The rolled pinty ends will allow the maker to guide the one cord into the other with less hassles. Plus, when you use the needle to guide/ push the cord in, it gives a heard area to push against. And yes, I have had some pull apart while thightening. This is one of the best methods I have developed in my building techiques.

[tevers94]

GENIUS!!!

[rogerrabbit321]

that kind of stinks! Oh well! when you need it, you need it. Can't do much about that. thanks

[rogerrabbit321]

That's really cool! i especially like the red and white one. but when you need some cord for an emergency when you have to repair or make something, how to you get the cord? do you have to undo the knot and everything? Or is there another way?

[tevers94]

You have to take it all the way apart. There's no way to save it .

[StanUK]

I think I have worked out how to do it... Is it the same as this knot ?

[StanUK]

Hi, Lovely tutorial.. Im trying to make one of these at the moment and I am having some difficulty. Is this the standard knot?

[iwrite]

Hi, great tutorial! I love being able to make something out of a single piece of paracord -- no beads and extra cord etc necessary. I couldn't do the lanyard knot until I came across this tutorial and followed all the various links. I still had problems with it, but this diagram really helped me, so I'll link to it here just in case it helps somebody else: http://whatknot.tripod.com/knots/knot.htm

[Millerspal]

I really like the quickness that this bracelet can be released in (compared to the cobra weave). Instead of knotting the bracelets, I bought a bunch of buckles and am going to try to work this bracelet using a buckle. I will let you know how it goes...Being in Afghanistan means I get alot of practice time.
I actually made a PDF out of screenshots from TIAT's river bar bracelet (for when the internet dies....the frozen pictures help tons...lol.

[DreadFred]

I'm not  trying to be a "grammar nazi" but in the first sentence of the intro it says "The lanyard not".  instead of knot.

[tevers94]

Not any more, thanks

[Lindley]

Many years ago when I was on holiday in Sicily, I made one of these bracelets; locals were so  intrigued by them that I sat on the pavement and sold them! Some I made out of basic string, but a word of warning. I was wearing one myself  when I jumped into the sea for a swim, but the string contracted dreadfully and cut off all circulation to my hand. Only with difficult did I manage to cut the bracelet off in time.

[JMan5]

How tight was it on your wrist? Because I had a river bar bracelet on my hand that got wet, and it shrank, but not enough to cut off my circulation. Glad your okay, though.

[JStrider]

I did this with 2 cords doubled up.  makes the final product a bit more bulky, but I think it still works as an anklet.

took a bit of time to get the lanyard knots looking nice, had to get all the cords lined up and not crossing.  but the braiding portion worked well with 2 cords.

[tevers94]

It was funny to hear that because today i was thinking i wonder if that work work or look good, so its great to hear that it does.  im gaoing to try that tonight

[JStrider]

let me know how it turns/turned out...

maybe try using a knot that is more streamlined then the lanyard knot,  it makes it hard to cross my legs because the knot is too big.

[JStrider]

also gotta use more cord... I think I used 12+ feet for each cord.... dont remember for sure tho.

[zipzapper859]

is this in the middle of the cord?

[tevers94]

No, but i see the last picture looks looks that.  it is at the end of the bracelet, and the two pieces coming out the end are cut off.

[zipzapper859]

ok thanks that is why it didn't work

[tevers94]

no problem, glad to help