Paracord Bracelets

I've had a lot of spare time during my time here in Rhode Island and one of the skills I've picked up is paracord braiding. Since the goal behind my move to Rhode Island was to kill my debt I didn't want to go broke buying Christmas presents for the buddies who I lean on so much. That's where the paracord bracelet comes in, great gift for the modern survivalist who has everything. About 7' of paracord goes into each bracelet. 530 pound rated stainless steel fastener on three of them gives them even more utility.

The stainless steel fasteners came from Home Depot, $2.67 each. The paracord came from Amazon for $7.50, and the plastic snaps were $13.99 for 25.

It's a nice piece of gear to have with you, I always have at least seven feet of cordage (not to mention how much is available if you break the cord down into it's individual strands.)

If you're interested in learning how to make your own paracord bracelet check out YouTube for some great instructional videos.

Everyday Carry - Backpack

For folks without a car (like myself) we have to carry our Go Bag (also referred to as a Bug Out Bag or Get Out Of Dodge Bag). I prefer to call it my Go Bag, just because it doesn't sound so ominous.

The nice thing about working in a city is there are so many people carrying backpacks that no one gives me a second look. I was issued this great pack back in 2004, prior to a visit to Iraq. It traveled with me while I was coaching and is a great carry on bag (empty the bladder before security!) when flying. It has really seen some miles since I moved to Rhode Island as my daily Go Bag.

It has an insulated area for the 100 ounce hydration pack. On hot days I fill it with ice cubes and water, for the next eight hours or so I have plenty of ice water.

The bag itself is extremely roomy. In addition to the compartment for the Camelbak Hydration unit, there are four more individual compartments. The biggest will hold a laptop and XBox 360 console with room to spare. There is a smaller mesh compartment built into the large area. Right now I have a 100' bundle of para-cord, a bottle of ibuprofen, and a Frontier Pro water filter in that mesh pocket for an idea of it's size.

The middle compartment is an organizational area. Great area for small items that you need to organize, pens, electronics, chargers, keys, etc.

The final pocket on the back is easy to access. You can leave the pack on your right shoulder, take it off your left and slide it around to open it. It's a decent size pocket that will hold a couple of small paper back books (think Louis L'Amour not phonebooks) and whatever else you want to keep close at hand.

The Cordura fabric has held up amazingly well for all the traveling and walking it's been through. It's not water proof per se, but it does a really decent job of letting most of the water trickle off.

It has MOLLE strips on the back, with a couple on each side to attach a few things. The chest and waist straps are handy. The waist strap is well padded and does take a fair amount of weight off your shoulders and support it on your hips.

If you're looking for a sturdy long term pack give this one a look. It's not cheap, but it does a lot of things really well.