Cordage turns up in almost every outdoor task, from lashing a shelter frame to hanging food or replacing a broken bootlace. Parachute cord, sold as 550 cord for its rated breaking strength of 550 pounds, is the favorite because it is light, strong and made of an outer sheath around seven inner strands that can be pulled out and used separately. The simplest way to make sure some is always with you is to wear it.
The pattern below is the cobra stitch, also called the Solomon bar. It looks complicated and is only two knots repeated.
You will need
- About 15 feet of 550 cord. That covers most wrists with some spare; a rough guide is a foot of cord for each inch of finished bracelet.
- Scissors or a knife
- A lighter
- A piece of tape (optional)
Steps
- Fold the cord exactly in half, leaving two 7½-foot tails and a loop at the fold. A wrap of tape just below the loop helps hold things steady while you start. The two strands running down the middle from the loop are the core; everything is tied around them.
- Start a left-hand knot. Take the left working strand and pass it under the two core strands, so it sticks out to the right and leaves a loop on the left.
- Finish the knot. Take the right working strand under the end of the left one, over the top of the core, and down through the loop on the left side.
- Pull both working ends outward to snug the knot up against the fold.
- Start a right-hand knot, the mirror of step 2. Pass the right working strand under the core strands.
- Finish it. Take the left working strand under the end of the right one, over the core and through the loop on the right side.
- Pull both ends tight again.
- Open up the loop at the top a little with your fingers, so there are two small holes on either side of the first knot. These become the slots for the clasp.
- Keep alternating left and right knots. If you tie two on the same side in a row, the bar twists into a spiral; undo the last knot and carry on with the correct side. Stop when about half an inch of the core is still bare at the far end.
- Thread the two free ends through the slots you opened in step 8. If the ends are frayed from cutting, melt them into a firm point first so they pass through easily.
- Slip the bracelet over your hand to size it. Where it just fits, tie the two free ends together in a square knot, then add a granny knot on top. The pair makes a compact ball.
- Trim the spare cord, leaving a short stub.
- Melt the cut ends with the lighter and, while the nylon is soft, press them flat against the knot ball with the side of the lighter or a knife blade. Molten nylon sticks to skin and burns badly, so never touch it with your fingers.
- Slide it onto your wrist, draw the knot ball along to take up the slack, and push the ball through the open loop at the far end. That is the clasp.
A finished bracelet holds somewhere around 8 to 10 feet of usable cord, depending on its length and how tightly the knots were pulled. Cutting the knot ball off and pulling the working strands free unravels it in a minute or two.