# Survival Straps



## adamdude04 (Apr 15, 2010)

I found this website and thought I'd share. 

They use paracord or "550 lb cord" which has a breaking point of 550 lbs. This is great for hunters/outdoor folks who like a stylish collar but may need some thin rope for an emergency situation.

Ofcourse, I'd hope one would carry a knife so this way you can cut part of the cord, make a temp collar so you still have a collar to control your pet 

I'm about to order mine.. they also come with stainless steel clips which is a nice touch..

Survival Straps - Paracord Survival Bracelets, Lanyards, Belts and Accessories... Be Prepared!


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## Relayer (Apr 29, 2010)

adamdude04 said:


> I found this website and thought I'd share.
> 
> They use paracord or "550 lb cord" which has a breaking point of 550 lbs. This is great for hunters/outdoor folks who like a stylish collar but may need some thin rope for an emergency situation.
> 
> ...


You already posted this almost exact same thread earlier... or am I just getting senile??


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## adamdude04 (Apr 15, 2010)

Relayer said:


> You already posted this almost exact same thread earlier... or am I just getting senile??


I don't even remember what thread I posted this in.. but not everyone goes back a 2nd time to read comments or what-not. So thought it was best to just create a dedicated thread so others will know where to go without having to read through the other one (if I can remember what thread it was to begin with!)


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## Relayer (Apr 29, 2010)

adamdude04 said:


> I don't even remember what thread I posted this in.. but not everyone goes back a 2nd time to read comments or what-not. So thought it was best to just create a dedicated thread so others will know where to go without having to read through the other one (if I can remember what thread it was to begin with!)


LOL... ok. Not trying to the police (not my job!!), I've just seen others keep posting the same things sometimes because they don't seem to be satisfied with the number of responses they get. The mods usually close the subsequent threads. Sorry.


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## adamdude04 (Apr 15, 2010)

Relayer said:


> LOL... ok. Not trying to the police (not my job!!), I've just seen others keep posting the same things sometimes because they don't seem to be satisfied with the number of responses they get. The mods usually close the subsequent threads. Sorry.


Yeah I'm not like that  I do remember in that thread though, I posted the link to that collar near the end of the page. If I posted it at the first post, I wouldn't have made such a thread.

I'm trying to find that thread, so I can edit in that other website someone else posted that had paracord leashes..


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## Relayer (Apr 29, 2010)

adamdude04 said:


> Yeah I'm not like that  I do remember in that thread though, I posted the link to that collar near the end of the page. If I posted it at the first post, I wouldn't have made such a thread.
> 
> I'm trying to find that thread, so I can edit in that other website someone else posted that had paracord leashes..


That was me!


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

I used to make collars like that.  $29, which is what that size charges, will buy you a ton of parachute cord and all the fittings to make several collars yourself. Biggest issue I have had with them (mine, too) is that there isn't a way to make them size-adjustable unless you make a martingale-type design where the part that "takes up" is nylon web instead of braided parachute cord.


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## Relayer (Apr 29, 2010)

AbbyK9 said:


> I used to make collars like that.  $29, which is what that size charges, will buy you a ton of parachute cord and all the fittings to make several collars yourself. Biggest issue I have had with them (mine, too) is that there isn't a way to make them size-adjustable unless you make a martingale-type design where the part that "takes up" is nylon web instead of braided parachute cord.


That's an excellent point. Glad you brought it up because I didn't notice that. Also, there are no guidelines on the site for exactly how they want you to measure the neck. Do they want a tight measurement and they manufacture with a little slack or do they expect you to measure for the tightness you wish? Do they shrink or stretch with time? Rhetorical questions, but jeez. Thanks.


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

I noticed that they're not adjustable and since my puppy is growing like crazy I may wait another month or two to get one, but still, they're very cool...


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

> Also, there are no guidelines on the site for exactly how they want you to measure the neck. Do they want a tight measurement and they manufacture with a little slack or do they expect you to measure for the tightness you wish? Do they shrink or stretch with time? Rhetorical questions, but jeez. Thanks.


Actually, they do cover the measurement and fit on their website, under the "sizing" tab. Here's what it says - 



> Please measure your dog's neck and give us this measurement. Do not add any extra length. The collars are made to fit comfortably. Please choose the correct size from the drop down menus.


It appears to me that they want you to take an exact measurement of your dog's neck where you want the collar to sit, and they will add a little bit of slack for the collar to "fit comfortably". How much that is, I don't know.

Parachute cord when braided like this does have a little bit of give (not a lot) but it should not shrink or stretch "with time".


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## Relayer (Apr 29, 2010)

AbbyK9 said:


> Actually, they do cover the measurement and fit on their website, under the "sizing" tab. Here's what it says -
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks. I still don't feel very comfortable with something I can't adjust at all. Too bad, because I do like the look, strength and uniqueness.


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

You could always make your own. It's not a difficult knot to learn.  If you put D-rings at the ends instead of a buckle, you can use a puppy collar as the "moving" part of the martingale, and it'll be a little adjustable.


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## Namara (Jun 10, 2010)

Found this link and thought I'd share:

How To Make A Paracord Dog Collar Using The Seesaw Knot

And the same as the one in the OP's link:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Paracord-bracelet-with-a-side-release-buckle/


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## A_selders (Jul 19, 2010)

*survival straps*

Check out Stormdrane on you tube or search stormdranes blogspot. He's got some really cool ideas and good easy to follow how-to's.


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

> Check out Stormdrane on you tube or search stormdranes blogspot. He's got some really cool ideas and good easy to follow how-to's.


And he does some pretty darn amazing knot work. Plus he's a really nice guy!


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## Namara (Jun 10, 2010)

I actually ordered some paracord and made my own leash and collar for my dog... ;-D

Stuff is awesome except that it stretches a bit too much for my taste, even after shrinking it (and I shrunk it after I made the items, so it tightened my knots). But I also used some different stitches/knots than I have seen anywhere in my searches, so that might be why. I experimented with some different knots for the leash and they all came out thinner than I wanted. So what I made looks great and works, but I still prefer the feel of solid leather in my hands.

But $14 (+S&H) bought me 200 feet of paracord, enough to make a 20 inch collar and a 6+ foot-long leash with plenty to spare. :-D I spent another $20 on hardware. 

Fun project.


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## Esmiralda33 (Mar 21, 2010)

I was also inspired by the post... but went a bit crazy. I ordered 2,000+ feet, and have already made several leashes and 1 collar so far. I LOVE playing with it. I found an 8 strand braid (uses about 100' of paracord for a 6' leash) made a very nice solid feeling leash. I used the king cobra weave for the collar and so far the only issue is I have to replace the d-ring... My dads 2year old gsd snapped the d-ring but the collar still is perfect. I'll try to post a leash pic, and a collar pic when I get a chance. This is the first leash, I've since refined it a bit.


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## Namara (Jun 10, 2010)

OMG I love that braid! Do you have a link to how you do that??? *drooling* How thick did it turn out to be?

I did a regular circle stitch for my leash (the one that's a regular box stitch, but it's offset so it makes a spiral pattern and it's round). But like I said, it stretches when you pull on it. It came out to be about a half-inch wide. For the collar I did what is actually a Native American weave that makes a lightning bolt pattern, except it's not obvious it's a lightning bolt because it's on a smaller scale (only 10 strands). Came out to be an inch wide.


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## Namara (Jun 10, 2010)

Nvm I found some tutorials on how to do it... I might end up taking my leash apart and doing that braid instead, the hard part will be getting all that paracord the right length and the right number of strands (I had fun halving 2 100-foot lengths and threading them through the end of the clasp, I had cord all over the living room!).

Thanks for sharing your work!


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## Ucdcrush (Mar 22, 2004)

The leash Esmiralda posted looks similar to one I got at Walmart, specifically for it's thickness (though Esmiralda's might be stronger with a known good quality cord). The walmart one was about $8, is reflective, and uses the type of clip I prefer over the standard type [not sure what it's called]. Just in case anyone else is looking for a thick leash without making one


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## Esmiralda33 (Mar 21, 2010)

Thought I'd add a few more pics of my paracord creations. I just love this stuff- it's almost soothing to sit and braid/knot the cord. Now, anyone have any ideas for an adjustable collar?


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

As far as adjustable parachute cord collars go, there are two options - buckle-type instead of snap-type flat collars and martingales.

If you make martingales, you braid the flat portion like you normally would make your collar, except that it will have a D-ring on each end. Then you have several options for creating the part of the martingale that will tighten. You can use knotwork for that, such as a nice braid, or you can use a nylon puppy buckle collar for that portion.

Another option are buckle-type collars that close with a metal buckle and not a snap. You should be able to fit the tongue of the buckle through most types of knots, thus fitting like a regular adjustable buckle collar. The only difference would be that the tongue goes through the knotwork rather than creating extra holes for the tongue to fit through.

Do you have http://ubraidit.com/ in your bookmarks? They are focused on making horse tack, but have a lot of interesting types of knots and braids, including ideas for making adjustable items that use buckles. And they sell a mess of different colors of parachute cord. If you've not found it already, you can also look for reflective and glow-in-the-dark cord for additional projects.


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## Namara (Jun 10, 2010)

Ucdcrush said:


> The leash Esmiralda posted looks similar to one I got at Walmart, specifically for it's thickness (though Esmiralda's might be stronger with a known good quality cord). The walmart one was about $8, is reflective, and uses the type of clip I prefer over the standard type [not sure what it's called]. Just in case anyone else is looking for a thick leash without making one


I've seen those leashes - those are made out of 4 strips of flat nylon braided together. The one Esmiralda made is done with 8 strands of paracord. Ironically, the braids are exactly the same - that braid can be done with any even number of strands (4, 6, 8, 12...). 

I was wondering about the adjustable collar thing, too. I made a collar for my dog with a one of the metal snap buckles but I don't trust them. 

I was thinking something along the lines of what Abby was saying - braid a collar that looks like those leather belts that you just poke the tab of the buckle through. Actually, if you click on that link she gave there is a picture of horse tack that looks like it's made that way.

And I did end up re-making the leash for my dog using the 8-strand braid.


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## Ucdcrush (Mar 22, 2004)

Here's one way to make a strong slip training collar:










For that I used cheap rope from Lowe's, and that collar uses 3 links of chain and one round ring to attach the leash. 2 of the chain links are used to smash together to hold the rope ends together, and one is what provides the "slip" action.

At this point I'm using that paper clamp to keep it from coming loose once it's in the right spot on the dog's neck. A stronger clip or other mechanism would be nice but this one is working OK for me since there is not much of any "force" trying to move the paper clamp down the rope other than just the light weight of the collar, and with those chain links, it's an extremely strong collar.

AbbyK9 has posted pics of slip collars "dominant dog collars" she made and they are very nice. The reason I opted for the above design was because it's adjustable, depending on where the clip is fastened, but I would like to try to make one like AbbyK9s in the future for each of my dogs.


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## AbbyK9 (Oct 11, 2005)

> AbbyK9 has posted pics of slip collars "dominant dog collars" she made and they are very nice. The reason I opted for the above design was because it's adjustable, depending on where the clip is fastened, but I would like to try to make one like AbbyK9s in the future for each of my dogs.


Oh ... I almost forgot about the rope collars and leads I've done. I keep them in the car in case I ever need a spare collar and lead or in case I ever need to catch a loose dog.


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