Knot of the Week - Square Lashing

Another fantastic video from the folks at ITS Tactical. A video describing the uses and practise of square lashing two items together.

Check it out.

Paracord - Does brand matter?

Lately, I've been building my stockpile of mancrafting tools and materials. Paracord and lighters - what else does a man need to do a little arts and crafts. I kid... I kid...

I've amassed near 500 feet of paracord now, in subdued and 'saftey' colours. From various brands and manufacturers. I'm sure I'll catch hell for saying this but; I'm not really sure if brand matters.

Paracord - decent, but the best?

It all comes down to, you guessed it, philosophy of use. Are you using paracord for climbing or, dare I say, parachuting?

Then yes, I'd say brand is a major factor.

What about using it to make dongles, keychains, bracelets and other 'crafty' kinds of things. Well - if you ever find yourself in need of 15 feet of paracord, and you've got it all tangled up in some neat looking weave, then you'll probably need it to be decently strong and trustworthy. If you've got it wrapped around the handle of a knife or used as a dongle to identify your car keys, then I'd say dexterity dosn't matter as much as price.

I think that's what it all breaks down to; price. I've seen it as cheap as five to six dollars, shipped from china. I get mine from a surplus store in Oakville, ON at 16 bucks for 100 feet - usually made by GI Plus. I haven't encountered any problems with that brand yet. I'm not using it for any heavy duty lifting but I do make various things that also serve a practical purpose.

I know there will be a degree of fanboyism, as there is for every concievable product in the 'tactical' market but I honestly can't see a difference between the cheaper brands I've handled and more 'known' brands like GI Plus. That said, I don't have any machinery to test the breaking point of each brand - to argue based on numbers and not subjective experience.

Go ahead and buy the cheap stuff - if you're just tying knots and weaving new handles for your backpack. Be weary though, I think this falls under the 'you get what you pay for' umbrella. If you NEED paracord - don't cheap out. If it's for a rainy day, don't waste your money.

Paracord Dongle Giveaway!

BAM! Free paracord!

Congradulations to J. Hull - A facebook poster, on winning the first ever civiliansheepdog.com giveaway!

We had a number of submissions - everything from hatbands (which were initially slated to win, because I thought it would make such a cool project) suggested by Gary, multiple posts on CGN that unfortunately couldn't be taken as official entries (c'mon, it wouldn't be fair to the guys that followed the only rules I set out.), a rifle sling that Eric suggested and many more.

The one that got me was a suggestion that made me really think. A paracord belt - sure, an project many of us had heard about. But here's the kicker - Mr. Hull made the argument for the weave itself, separate from the design. His thinking basically states that if you really NEED a good length of paracord in a hurry, it's hard to untangle the typical Cobra or King Cobra weave style - but that this project would allow you access to all the paracord included in it, really quickly.

I like that - a good argument with solid proof.

Stay tuned for our next giveaway, SOE Tactical's 12g Micro Rig.

Knot of the Week - Germ Grenade Paracord Wrapping

I've been keeping up with these guys for a while - they really know paracord stuff. Likewise, I've also taken a keen interest in paracord tying.

My next project will reflect this video.

How To Tie The Monkey's Fist - HD

Very well done tutorial on this particular knot - used by me for finishing paracord lanyards.