The latest make your own gear (MYOG) project is a replacement sternum strap that uses paracord and an emergency whistle buckle. It’s yet another way to have some fun with paracord projects, but also a good way to get paracord onto your gear in a functional way. The idea came from seeing Mary Collier-Metcalf use the whistle buckle in Ride The Divide and thinking about different ways to get that onto an existing pack. Since it was going to require a new strap, that strap might as well be made of paracord.
Each side of the buckle contains 3-5 feet of paracord for a total amount of 6-10 feet depending on the strap length. The only drawback of this type of strap is lack of adjustment. Make sure you have measured the correct length before you build it.
The 3/4″ whistle buckle can be purchased from DIY Gear Supply or other online stores. I haven’t seen these buckles in any local camping stores.
Making the strap
Before starting the knots, be sure to measure and then measure again to get the correct length for each side. Once measured, each side is constructed using the King Cobra stitch that is found in many many paracord bracelets or lanyards.
(Sorry in advance for the poor quality of the step by step photos. What seemed like a good idea when taking the pictures was obviously a bad one due to the lighting and background.)
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- Step 1 – make a loop at the center point.
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- Step 2 – Feed ends of cord up through the buckle.
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- Step 3 – Loop the ends through the buckle a second time. This fills in the width of the buckle so the cord won’t slide around.
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- Step 4 – Start the Cobra stitch by passing the left end behind the loop.
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- Step 5 – The right end goes behind the left, then over the middle loop and then through the loop on the left.
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- Step 6 – Tighten both ends gently until they are snug against the buckle.
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- Step 7 – Repeat Cobra stitches with each stitch starting on the opposite side as the previous one.
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- Step 8 – Continue Cobra stitches until there is approximately 1-2″ remaining of the loop. If your stitches are loose, leave 1″, if they are tight against each other, leave 2″. There has to be enough of the loop remaining to pass the buckle through it when attaching the strap to the pack.
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- Step 9 – Start the King Cobra stitch on top of the last Cobra stitch.
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- Step 10 – King Cobra stitch begins the same as the Cobra stitch. Start with the end that is opposite the outside “bump” of the last Cobra stitch.
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- Step 11 – Tighten the King Cobra stitch. It will naturally fall in place between the Cobra stitches.
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- Step 12 – Continue with the King Cobra stitches.
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- Step 13 – Continue to King Cobra stitch until you reach the buckle. My example cord for the pictures was not long enough but you would continue to the buckle.
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- Step 14 – Cut ends to length. Then melt each end with a lighter to keep the cord from fraying. After the end is melted, you can press it with something metal. This creates a flare on the end which prevents the cord from coming undone.
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- Finished – One side of the strap is now complete.
For additional information on the cobra knot:
See Stromdrane’s post for better details on the cobra knot and better pictures.
See Tying It All Together’s YouTube video showing the cobra knot in detail.
Attaching the strap to an existing pack
If a pack comes with an existing sternum strap, that strap needs to be removed and replaced with the paracord version. Some patience is required to work the loop of the strap onto the sternum buckle. The following video shows the technique used.
There are also Quik Attach sternum buckles that could be used for this project. They would allow the paracord strap to be built directly onto the sternum buckle and whistle buckle and alleviate the need to loop the strap onto the sternum buckle. Unfortunately, these buckles only come in bulk and I have not been able to find any small quantities to test out.
The finished product
With both sides completed and attached to your pack, you are ready to head out. The 10 feet of paracord and emergency whistle keep you prepared in case there is an “Oh crap, what just happened?” moment.
What other paracord projects would you like to see? Does anyone have bike specific projects they have been thinking of or completed?
