To those who wear paracord bracelets; why?

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The_Knife_Man

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Like the title suggest... You've heard of them, you've seen em', and you possible wear one.
But why are you wearing paracord/ 550 cord around your wrist?

For looks, potential use, intend to survive in the wild with it?
Seriously though, why do you wear them?
 
I have two. Both from linguists in SWA, one from in 2007 and the other from 2011. I wear them because they were made as gifts of friendship.
 
Instead of a paracord bracelet, I like to make a paracord fob or lanyard to have some cordage on hand. Some of these also get tied to my back packs etc.

Made one for my key ring made of 1/32 dia cord. Small, light, maybe 3-4 feet of cord.

If i am making a lanyard or fob to have cordage available, I make a sinnet (learned how from Stormdrane's blog).

Ric
 
Squashfan said:
I make the bracelets so I wear them too. It has netted me a few sales over the years.
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Best possible reason. My wife and I carry and play Native American flutes and end up selling some when people hear us play. Good to wear what you sell.
 
Squashfan said:
I make the bracelets so I wear them too. It has netted me a few sales over the years.
Click to expand...

Best possible reason. My wife and I carry and play Native American flutes and end up selling some when people hear us play. Good to wear what you sell.
 
The_Knife_Man said:
Like the title suggest... You've heard of them, you've seen em', and you possible wear one.
But why are you wearing paracord/ 550 cord around your wrist?

For looks, potential use, intend to survive in the wild with it?
Seriously though, why do you wear them?
Click to expand...

I learned how to make them when I was in Iraq in 2004. Up until then, I had never seen or heard of anyone wearing them until I saw one on a guys wrist from a different unit. He showed me how to make them, and one day when I was bored I did it for something to do - plus, I thought it was cool.

The one I made had to be tied with a knot to my wrist, and therefore it couldn't be removed without untying the knot. So, I wore it 24/7. Then, I started getting superstitious, because one day I noticed that I had thwarted death a handful of times since I made the bracelet. One of my team members told me "Do not take that thing off until we get home!"

I kept it on my wrist for the entire deployment, and had several more close calls... but I got lucky. I didn't actually believe that the bracelet was a good luck charm, but I wasn't going to take any chances by removing it!

When I got home, I took it off and it's somewhere here in the house... not sure where. I've made a lot of them over the years for friends and family, but I don't wear one anymore because I find wearing a bracelet to be annoying now. It doesn't help that everywhere I turn I see someone with one of those bracelets and I find it to be "trendy," and I hate being trendy.

I think I would be more inclined to wear one if it was still like it was in 2004 when only a select few people knew how to make them and wear them; back then, you pretty much knew that someone with a paracord bracelet was in the military. Now, it's mall ninjas and preppers...
 
ljusmc said:
I learned how to make them when I was in Iraq in 2004. Up until then, I had never seen or heard of anyone wearing them until I saw one on a guys wrist from a different unit. He showed me how to make them, and one day when I was bored I did it for something to do - plus, I thought it was cool.

The one I made had to be tied with a knot to my wrist, and therefore it couldn't be removed without untying the knot. So, I wore it 24/7. Then, I started getting superstitious, because one day I noticed that I had thwarted death a handful of times since I made the bracelet. One of my team members told me "Do not take that thing off until we get home!"

I kept it on my wrist for the entire deployment, and had several more close calls... but I got lucky. I didn't actually believe that the bracelet was a good luck charm, but I wasn't going to take any chances by removing it!

When I got home, I took it off and it's somewhere here in the house... not sure where. I've made a lot of them over the years for friends and family, but I don't wear one anymore because I find wearing a bracelet to be annoying now. It doesn't help that everywhere I turn I see someone with one of those bracelets and I find it to be "trendy," and I hate being trendy.

I think I would be more inclined to wear one if it was still like it was in 2004 when only a select few people knew how to make them and wear them; back then, you pretty much knew that someone with a paracord bracelet was in the military. Now, it's mall ninjas and preppers...
Click to expand...

I've still got mine from 05, they used to mean something. They still do to some people.

Mines so caked with sweat and dust and dirt it would fall apart if I tried to unravel it.

It's only in the past few years that I ever heard anyone call it a "survival bracelet" it was always a deployment thing before, and still is to some people.

Find that bracelet, dig it up, put it with your uniform. You never know, it could have been lucky.
 
Ninjas, preppers, and Awareness (similiar to ribbons). Google Zandlee's Paracord Bracelets & More" for a fairly complete list.

My wearable creations tend toward (neck) lanyards.
 
leghog said:
I have two. Both from linguists in SWA, one from in 2007 and the other from 2011. I wear them because they were made as gifts of friendship.
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This. Adult version of the friendship bracelet, more durable and with some utility.

Gavin S. said:
They're cool and all, but I find them altogether too bulky for me to wear.
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Take out the inner strands, and use a smaller clasp.
 
I don't know about "looking girly" but mine sure has attracted a few females over the past decade.
At least that's what they use as an ice breaker to spark conversation. And eventually they get one of their own if they play nice. They do make great gifts.
Also made a matching dog collar for my Great Dane, which doubles as a leash I case I forget one and actually need it.
I never considered it a survival bracelet until they began marketing them as such.
They are everywhere now, so mine doesn't get worn as much but it is always a comfort when I do. Reminds me of good times.
 
Have never had to survive anything other than a couple serious traffic accidents and a paracord bracelet would not have helped much. I survived wading accross a very high flow river without getting washed downstream or getting wet above the waist.... that's surviving. :D

Anyway, I view them as a fad and jewelry essentially.
 
BlackKnight86 said:
Take out the inner strands, and use a smaller clasp.
Click to expand...
Mine are closed via loops at the bracelets' beginnings and uniform buttons at the other end --- what was available to the makers.

One of mine {below) was made with the outer casing and the inner fill as separate strands.

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I make a few paracord bracelets, but I never wear them. Some I give as gifts. In my case I wear a paracord hatband fitted with steel hex nuts.
 
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