Paracord Hat Band - Finally!

Pritch

Pritch

Joined
May 3, 2006
Messages
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I have read numerous posts about how important cordage was in the wild, why 550 cord was THE survival cord, and how to make paracord belts (slats), bracelets, lanyards and whatnot.

I always keep a hank of 550 in my pack and have added paracord lanyards and tie-downs to sheath knife. I even bought a "survival" bracelet off of ebay which has become part of my EDC.

I was not thrilled with the idea of a paracord belt because if I need the cord I have to sacrifice my belt. That means that 1) now I'm carrying everything that was on my belt, 2) my pants fall down because I no longer have a belt, and 3) I can't pull them up because my hands are full! :eek:

Well, I posted the idea of making a paracord hat band here more than five years ago but never got around to trying it. Since then, several people have done so.

Thanks to the recent post that linked to Stormdrane's survival bracelet tutorial, I finally broke out a 100 yard hank of woodland camo 550 cord and took a whack at making a "survival" hat band. I used the King Cobra method, meaning you do a Cobra stitch for the full length and then do another row of Cobra stitches back across the first set. It was kind of a pain to set up, and since I didn't know how much cord it was going to take I started from the middle of the 100 yard piece. I used a 4-strand base, and made it 24.5 inches long. It ends up containing an amazing 58 ft of 550 cord in a single piece!

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As it turns out, the thickness of the hatband threw off my measurements, so it is about an 1.25 inches too short. Also, I'm not thrilled with the way I attached the cord to the male side of the buckle, so I'll be unraveling this and starting all over. (At least I'll know what to expect if I ever need the cord in the field!)

-- FLIX
http://pritch.smugmug.com/photos/133132871-L.jpg
 
FLIX....you have been on a roll!!!

You are on the verge of the Wilderness Survival Kit Hat!!

Your foodsealer pack...paracord...maybe a wire saw in there somewhere?

Keep it up and keep sending pictures! Brilliant!
 
Don't forget the fish hooks and line under the sweatband on the inside, standard equipment in my hats.:thumbup:
 
marcinek said:
FLIX....you have been on a roll!!!

You are on the verge of the Wilderness Survival Kit Hat!!

Your foodsealer pack...paracord...maybe a wire saw in there somewhere?

Keep it up and keep sending pictures! Brilliant!
Click to expand...


Thanks! Actually, since I have to do it all over, I'm thinking of ways to attach spy capsules like bullets in a bandoleer. :D

-- FLIX
 
Looks spiffy. even if it is not your final version, well done.

Well, I posted the idea of making a paracord hat band here more than five years ago....
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What name were you using?
 
Forgive this dumb question... when you need some of that cord, can you take off say 10' and re-finish the braid, or does the whole thing have to come apart?

Not a big deal either way I guess. In any case I sure like the survival hat idea, why didn't I think of that?!? ;)
 
Evolute said:
Looks spiffy. even if it is not your final version, well done.



What name were you using?
Click to expand...

Thanks, Mike.

Back then, my handle was "Arma Moluta". Here is the link I referred to. I was primarily a lurker. I no longer have that email address and for the life of me cannot remember my password. :o

GibsonFan said:
Forgive this dumb question... when you need some of that cord, can you take off say 10' and re-finish the braid, or does the whole thing have to come apart?

Not a big deal either way I guess. In any case I sure like the survival hat idea, why didn't I think of that?!? ;)
Click to expand...

The way it is made, you could take of the top layer of Cobra Stitches, which would give you about 25 ft of cord, and the hat band would still be intact. If you were to use the "Slats" method, you could just unravel as much as you need.

-- FLIX
 
Cool, thank you! The first way makes more sense to me, then you have 25' of cord and still a stylish hat-band. Guess I need to learn how to braid.
 
It looks good. I know how much time goes into trying to work paracord ideas out and you definately put some effort into it and it shows, kudos.;) Here's a link to another quick release braid you might try for the hatband.
 
hmmm....fun with paracord....you guys got me playing with a hank I had next to my computer here. Great idea with the hat, and nice links guys.
 
marcinek said:
Your foodsealer pack...paracord...maybe a wire saw in there somewhere?
Click to expand...

Not for a boonie hat, but wouldn't a wire saw just fit perfectly in the inner band of a hat that has that "sweatband" in it??? I don't know why hooks and a small amount of fishing line wouldn't work in there also.... seems like some 20# test you could get quite a few feet of it wound around the inside and never notice it was there.

Now where to put the bobbers I'll leave to someone else....

DM
 
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