Survival Straps ?

[Scoutfish]

When I showed up to work Resident camp a few weeks ago, one of the first things after turning in my latest

YP paperwork was to pick out a survival strap in my choice of color. I picked orange because ity was the onbly one and I revel in the fact that I am an oddball.!

 

So anyways, what exactly is a survival strap? What does it do besides let you unravel it and practice tying knots while waiting to be rescued?

[SSScout]

If it is the thing I just googled, it seems to be macho macrame. 1,000 lb test parachute cord woven into a bracelet or necklace. Did the camp give you yours? Is it in Tiger Cub colors (orange?)?

Did it come with a name plate/ tag? How much cord does it include? Some of the companies that make them list stories of how the cord has been unraveled and used to save/tie down/do something.

My WB course gave out plastic glow in the dark "100 years of Leadership" bracelets, with our WB number on it, too.

Nice souvenir.

[Scoutfish]

It was the Program Director for the council who handed them out.

He had 1 black and red one, 1 yellow and red, 4 solid black, and 6 olive green ones, and the orange one.

 

Like I said, the orange one was the oddball, like me!

 

I taught Craftsman Activity badge for Webelos .

 

The colors themselves didn't mean anything.

 

At the camp, we issued those tyvek paper wristbands like the hospitals use. Orange for Cubs, gren for Webelos, red for parents and red with black stripe for visitors ( grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles etc..)

 

Staff wore the survival braceltes.

 

If any adults were in camp without an wrist band, they got escorted to the ranger station or admin building.

[OwntheNight]

I saw these in the Scout Store at the beginning of the year and then kicked myself for not picking one up then. Went back a couple of weeks later and they were sold out except for a couple of youth sizes. Apparently, the Scout stores are dealers for these products, and the company that makes them, donates proceeds of the sales of their products to the Wounded Warrior Project.

 

According to their website (www.survivalstraps.com) if you have to unravel it for an emergency use, they will replace it at no charge. They just want your story of how you used it.

 

I wonder if these are starting to replace the silver bracelets that troops use to wear, that had the name of a fallen soldier on it from past conflicts? They seem to have one designed for dog tags.

 

It sounds like you had a PD that wanted to support this program, while providing a quick easy means of identifying Adult Leaders. Kudos to him, if that was his intent.

[shortridge]

While I might undo the bracelet for use in lashing together a shelter, snare or some other item, I certainly wouldn't use that paracord in any type of emergency rescue scenario - hauling someone up a cliff, etc. The sweat and oils from the wearer's wrist would degrade the quality of the rope pretty quickly.

[The Blancmange]

Instructions (with photos) for making your own:

 

http://www.backpacker.com/skills-survival-bracelet/slideshows/117

 

Our Webelos made them and I still see them wearing them.

[scoutfreakdad]

I just bought one at a surplus shop and a bunch of Para chord to make more. There are tons of how videos on u-tube. I want to make the wider variety called the king cobra weave.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VABQ2OfeW5U&NR=1&feature=fvwp

 

I dont know how much chord it actually holds. I heard 7 feet but on the video it looks like 1-2 feet. Obviously you dont use it for repelling or lifting injured scout off a cliff. When I went through survival training in the service they recommended keeping Para chord for snares and survival shelters, if you pull the strings out and use them separately they go even further. htey would be nice on a survival campout and let the scouts uses their imaginations. I am planning on making them with my crew on the way to northern tier for an crew esprit de corps memento. When i'm trying to pack as minimal as possible think its a nice way to carry some Para chord. And with the wider ones it takes me back to my heavy metal roots in high school hahaha. Function meets fashion. Im having trouble finding little buckles; I dont want the knot fastener.

 

[afscout]

scoutfreakdad,

For an adult it takes about 10 feet of paracord. I make them to give to my Denners as a gift for doing a good job. Since the kids (wolves) have smaller wrists, I only use 7-8 feet. The first one took me an hour to make. Once you get the hang of it, it'll only takes about 10 minutes for each one.

Once I gave the first one, every boy wanted to be the next Denner.

 

 

[Stosh]

50'- 75' of para cord tied as a French Twist is a lot easier to attach to a walking stick than making a 10' bracelet. It makes a great handle for the stick. No walking stick? French Twist tie it on the frame of your back pack. A daisy-chain lanyard is also 100% faster to untie in an emergency, too.

 

Your mileage may vary,

 

Stosh

[IM_Kathy]

I have one as well - I will put it on my wrist if I'm going out in wilderness without full pack, but normally I just click it to my pack. It's a great way to keep the rope for wilderness survival gathered up... also makes that little pack a little smaller when you wear the bracelet.

[scoutfreakdad]

As much as I love stick fighting (not with the scouts), I never seem to want to keep track of a walking stick, they have some cool how to videos on u-tube on braiding on stick like structures, I used to be enamored with how the boatswains put running rope knots on everything in the navy. I think both methods are a great way to enhance the knotting competence of a scout or scouter, a nice next level knotting challenge.