Paracord Tools

New hobbyists take a look at the established paracord community and may feel daunted. There's a lot of advanced knot tyers out there, showing off their 25-lead, 18-bight turkshead knot with gaucho interweave, etc., and showing their mandrels and marlinspikes and lacing needles and monkey-fist jigs. What is all this stuff, and what do you need to get started?

Basics

You just need three things to get started, and we'll discuss more in-depth in later sections, but this is The Basics:

Cord

First and foremost, you'll need some cord. Within that requirement, there's a lot of discussion and debate about the materials used and the general construction of the cord. There are two materials you'll see discussed most frequently: nylon and polyester. As this is the "basics" section, just buy the cord you can get easily, and try to stick with one manufacturer if possible.

Cutting tools

So you've got your cord. You need something to cut it. Use scissors. You probably have some, and if you don't, get some surgical shears - they'll stay sharper longer.

Melting tools

Paracord ends fray if left to dangle and bounce around. In the Army, we'd just use any old lighter to melt the ends, then jam our thumb into the puddle of molten nylon to secure it. This leads to callouses and much banter about how manly you are.

Intermediate

Cord

You were promised more depth, and this might be more than you want, but you may find yourself in discussions on the internet dealing with cord, and this can help you feel like you understand what they're talking about.

Type III military specification (mil-spec) parachute cord is composed of a nylon mantle surrounding a nylon kern. The kern is composed of seven twisted strands of nylon cord, and each of those strands is three individual threads of nylon. All nylon, all the way down. Mil-spec cord is also hit with a quick steam before it's packaged, which tightens up the mantle and is intended to reduce any potential variation in consistency and possible shrinkage. It is further tested to ensure it meets the needs of the military, with 550 pounds of tensile strength minimum. The benefit of mil-spec vs. commercial cord is debatable, but mil-spec is available in very few colors and costs more anyway.

The most common US-made commercial cord is nylon/nylon, generally made in the same factory as the mil-spec cord, but minus the steam and testing. Most veteran paracord enthusiasts stick with American-made nylon cord from manufacturers that also produce mil-spec cord, via some of the suppliers we list, or direct from the manufacturer, if buying in large quantities. The names E.L. Wood, Gladding, Franklin, and Atwood are common references.

Cheaper, and many believe lesser-quality, polyester cord is also quite common in the hobbyist world. This cord is usually made with a polyester mantle but still the nylon kern. The number of strands in the kern may vary wildly, and the cord is frequently made in China. Some US manufacturers also produce polyester/nylon cord, such as Rothco - a brand often found at military surplus stores. The cheap cost and frequent overseas manufacture makes polyester the also-ran in enthusiast circles, but it's still a viable cord for non-lifesaving uses.

If you stick with one type of cord, preferably from a single manufacturer, you'll have very few issues with consistency and functionality. Mixing different manufacturers may lead to differences in color definitions, and mixing different types of cord (nylon and poly) generally leads to frustration. Polyester and nylon are both thermoplastic polymers, but they have different melting characteristics which may cause them to not fuse well if you melt cords together. Also, due to the differences in material, the two cords feel different in the hand.

Besides the material, there's also the strength variability to consider. When people talk of mil-spec paracord, they usually mean the 550-pound tested Type III cord. The military has other designations, but Type III is the one we mean unless we give qualifiers. This is also called 550 cord, based on its tensile strength. Many manufacturers have used that number-based name as a take-off point for their own cord styles, none of which should you assume are actually rated for any particular strength. 450 cord and 650 cord are commonly found, and by most estimate mean exactly the same thing - cord which is slightly less strong and slightly more flexible than 550 cord. You may find 850 cord, which probably means nothing at all except people like big numbers. Essentially, assume the names are meaningless unless you're buying from a dependable manufacturer. And anyone who won't tell you the name of their manufacturer, assume it's some variant of "random Chinese manufacturer."

To sum up, based on most enthusiasts' opinions, buy from one manufacturer as much you can, buy nylon/nylon cord from a manufacturer that also makes mil-spec cord, and try not to pay too much.

Cutting Tools

Scissors are still good. Once you move beyond the basics, you may have developed a strong opinion about types, but you're probably still good with some surgical shears.

Melting Tools

While a standard disposable lighter or Zippo will work, many people start looking for something with more power and control as they get deeper into the hobby. This is when folks start looking at torch-style lighters. You'll likely find them where people sell cigars. You're looking for something which is billed as "wind resistant" if the "torch" name is not prominent. These lighters produce a hot blue flame, which is easier to aim and can melt cord more quickly with less likelihood of accidentally setting it on fire and blackening it.

Jigs

A jig is an optional accessory for many ties, but can be a real lifesaver for others. The common ladder-rack style of bracelet is very difficult to tie without a jig, but dead simple with one. There are many bracelet jigs out in the world, and you'll probably want to get one with easily-swapped buckles and easily-adjusted slides. If it has an integrated ruler, all the better.

You may also be looking at monkey fist creation. A jig for larger fists is almost essential, but making a fist around a 1-inch or smaller sphere is just as easily done in-hand.

Advanced

OK, so you really feel like you want to go crazy now. You've got your all-nylon cord from your favorite military contractor, your torch lighter, and a jig. What more could you possibly need or want? Well, cord is pretty thoroughly beaten up in the Intermediate section, but there's some other tools that you may want if you are going all-in on paracord.

Needles and Spikes

There are many traditional ropework tools that are used in paracord tying, albeit generally of smaller size than on the old sailing ships of yore.

Marlinspikes are rounded-end tools used to unlay rope, untie knots, or generally help maneuver cord openings while other cord is run through those openings. A fid is essentially the same thing, although traditionally they were used for different types of rope and the fid would be wooden while the marlinspike was metal. These distinctions are generally ignored in the paracord hobbyist community, although some people are vehement in their respect for the traditions.

A lacing needle is used to pull cord through tight openings. The most commonly-seen lacing needles are actually repurposed leatherworking needles or "permalok" needles. These have threaded ends to attach the paracord (melted and rolled into a point that will fit into the needle), and a pointed or rounded end to push through the cord. The lacing needle can also be used as a fid or marlinspike, to open up cord while another needle is used to lace through the opening.

Hot Knife

There is a tool called a "hot knife," which is not actually a knife that you'd recognize from your outdoor store. The hot knife is used by many retailers when they are dividing up their spools of cord into 100-foot segments, and many enthusiasts use them as well. Here is one example from Survival Pax. As you can see, this is a bit more of an investment than a pair of scissors and a lighter, but it produces a consistently sealed end and clean cut, all in one move.

Mandrels

If you start working with turk's head knots, you will likely end up making knots too complex to comfortably handle without some sort of assistance. This is where a mandrel comes in. A mandrel can be flat or cylindrical, with the cylinders being more obvious to use for many people. The mandrel is generally terminated at each end by a large number of pins or openings to place pins. These pins are where you'll run the cord for the turk's head knot, and keep the pattern from sliding out of alignment before you've got it done.

Storage

If you've got a jig and a hot knife, you probably have buckets of cord by now as well. Storage is a very personal choice, but here are some common options to keep your cord manageable:

Donuts

This video is one of many available that shows how to store cord in a donut. This is basically a whole lot of slip knots, all wrapped around each other. The primary benefit of the donut method is that it requires no other purchases. Also, it is self-stable; the donut will not easily unravel in your bag. The biggest disadvantage of the donut is that it puts lots of kinks in your cord, especially as you get close to the very center of the donut. All those slip knots add up. It's also fairly time-consuming to make them.

Bottles

Many people put their cord in bottles for storage on shelves or in boxes. Carefully push the cord down, and then run it out through a hole drilled in the plastic bottle cap for dispensing. The biggest benefit of the bottle method is speed. You can push a lot of cord into a lot of bottles very quickly, and the cord won't be kinked up either. The biggest disadvantage is space. Bottles are round, so they don't stack well. They also take up the same amount of space whether they are full or nearly empty.

Spools

There are a lot of spool options. Some of the cord retailers will sell small spools, or you may have some from other products (wire, string, etc.). Also, many manufacturers sell spool-like winding tools, for about a buck each. The main advantages of spools are ease of deployment and consistent storage. If you have round spools on spindles, you have a nice professional method of pulling the cord you need. The biggest disadvantage of spools is probably the amount of space they take up. Like bottles, they need the same amount of space whether empty or full. On the other hand, the cheap winders are space-efficient, but they don't deploy the cord as quickly as the spools, while adding a series of minor folds in the cord.