Do you want to know if paracord is good for tying knots? Welcome to the Ultimate Guide to Paracord Knots.
In this guide, we go over how to tie paracord knots and why paracord works great to use for tying them. There are many different kinds of knots you can tie with paracord. One of them may save your life one day. This is why you’ll see 550 Paracord, also known as parachute cord, is one of the essential items listed in every single survival kit or bug-out bag list.
Twisted Terms
As part of the survivalist and prepper community, we love our terms and acronyms. In fact, we made a post covering the whole glossary. In the case of working with paracord, there are some terms to be familiar with.
Below are the terms and definitions involved in the paracord world.
- Hitches – These knots are designed for tying and securing a line to an object.
- Bends – When you need to tie two lines of rope together, a bend knot is used.
- Loops – Loop knots are used for when you need to use a loop to secure around an object.
Another common question that I see is, why is it called 550 cord?
The term 550 paracord, or parachute cord, originated in World War 2. It’s the name of the cord that was used for the soldier’s parachutes. The number 550 represents the minimum breaking strength of the cord. So it’s very strong and durable cord.
Importance of Knot Knowledge
Knowing why it’s important to learn how to tie knots with paracord is just as important as doing them. Not knowing when a specific scenario calls for an easy knot would prevent you from using it in the first place. Not to mention the dozens of different paracord projects you could have fun with.
Of all the different survival skills to learn, these will make you more self-reliant than most others. Nearly every activity you can do outside will become much easier and safer after you learn how to use parachute cord.
Simple Knots For Beginners
Learning how to tie simple paracord hitches is a great way to start since there are only a few and are easy to tie.
Hitches are useful to use when camping. They’re perfect for securing your tents to the ground. The primary function of hitches is for securing objects to make them more stable and strong.
Some hitches also fall into a family of knots called binding hitches. Binding hitches are primarily used for binding objects to each other, securing them.
Below are the most important hitches for beginners to know.
Supplies
In order to practice your tying skills as a DIY survivalist, it’s ideal to have a screw-hole and a piece of PVC pipe. It doesn’t have to be a long piece, any length over 6 inches will do.
Two Half-Hitches
The two half-hitches are one of the binding hitches I mentioned above.
In fact, this paracord hitch is so important, we created an entirely separate post you can go to on how to tie a two half-hitches knot.
Slippery Hitch
As the name suggests, it’s very easy to untie. It’s used for securing sails to sailboats.
This tutorial with instructions from an expert outdoorsman will tell you everything you need to know about this knot.
Tautline Hitch
This hitch is easy to untie if you need to. It’s especially good for securing your tent when camping.
Timber Hitch
This hitch is good for when you need to attach and secure a rope to an object that’s shaped like a pole.
It’s one of the most effective knots that’s also easy to use because even though it’s strong and secure, it’s also easy to untie.
Visit the post to learn how to tie a timber hitch knot.
Trucker’s Hitch
Of all the paracord hitches and knots to learn, this is one of the most important.
The truckers hitch performs well at securing an object as strong and secure as possible. Which is why climbers use it regularly when climbing. They need something that’s strong and secure with very little chance of failing. It’s also used for securing large objects on top of cars.
We created a post on how to tie a truckers hitch knot that you can see.
Common Paracord Whipping Knot
This is one of the first knots you’ll see used with 550 paracord. It’s popular to use for wrapping around handles of axes and knives. Once you learn how to do it, you can use it for any handle you want. It’s perfect for making grips as handles. Common, but useful.
Here’s a tutorial on how to tie the standard version of the whipping.
If you want to see an example of one used for a handle. Here’s how to tie a common paracord whipping knot around an axe handle.
Paracord Snake Knot
Of all the knots in this entire guide, this is one of the most useful and most versatile. Once you know how to make a snake knot, you can tie it over and over to make different projects.
You can make a paracord lanyard and a paracord bracelet with the snake weave bracelet.
We have an entire guide on just this one knot, that’s how valuable it is. Check out the full guide with tutorials and instructions on the paracord snake knot.
Paracord Sliding Knot
If you want to make a paracord lanyard, you’ll want to know how to tie a paracord sliding knot. You can also make a sliding knot paracord bracelet.
This is also known as the triple fisherman’s knot. A sliding knot is quick and easy to untie. This makes it effective for boating. It’s used as a quick-release stopper knot.
Here’s how to tie.
Paracord Eternity Knot
The eternity knot is popular for being one of the most decorative knots. It’s used primarily for its stylish look. That doesn’t mean we can’t use it to add a little class to a paracord survival bracelet that we make.
I didn’t discover this knot until I started to read the best paracord books that are listed in the survival library.
This knot can be tied with just a single rope or cord. The video on how to tie a paracord eternity knot is a good visual on how to tie it.
Paracord Single Strand Knot
This knot can come in handy. See below on how to tie a paracord strand stopper knot.
See the tutorial below on how to tie a single strand paracord knot.
Paracord Diamond Knot
Also known as a paracord lanyard knot, this is ideal for when you want to have the perfect knot for a DIY lanyard. This is part of the stopper knot family. To see other stopper knots, see the stopper knots section in the knots guide.
See how to tie the two strand diamond knot below.
PDF’s
During my research, I also found a couple of paracord knot PDF’s that are helpful, and they’re free. Just click on the titles to download them if you’d like.
Conclusion
Out of the dozens and even hundreds of uses for paracord, knowing how to tie knots with it is one of the most important skills to learn. Even if you just learn the most important survival knots or mountaineering knots and nothing else, don’t knot take the time to learn them.
We hope this article helped you learn how to tie paracord knots. You may also want to see our guide on how to make a paracord koozie.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for survival and preparedness video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
