Paracord - it's a must for your survival pack! Paracord is a quick drying and rot resistant nylon rope with a break strength of 550 lbs.
It is available in many colors and should be one of the first items you buy for any personal survival kit.
It can be, and is, used in a large variety of situations and has even been known to be used by NASA! It was first used as parachute cord (hence the name) in World War II by the US military, whose troops still use it extensively in all manner of situations.
A US soldier without a supply of paracord, is essentially not equipped! Likewise, anyone who pursues any type of outdoor activities, would be well advised to have some paracord on hand at all times, as it is as invaluable as it is versatile, in many emergency situations.
Examples of emergency situations where paracord would be useful:

• If you break a leg paracord could be used to tie a splint to the leg.
  
• If you run out of dental floss the inner strands can be taken apart and used as a substitute - very handy when you have a piece of meat that you can't quite dislodge.
  
• If you cut yourself paracord can be used as a tourniquet to stop excess bleeding and if appropriate to stitch up an open wound.
  
• The thread can also be used to repair clothing, replace shoe laces and zipper pulls.
  
• If your clothes get wet paracord can be used as a clothes line to dry them.
  
• If your dog chew through his lead or his collar breaks paracord can be used.
  
• Paracord can be used to secure a boat.
  
• It can also be used as a belt to hold up your trousers.
  

As you can see paracord has many, many uses and in fact, the number of uses of this versatile cord are only limited by your imagination! You can now buy paracord that has been made into bracelets, necklaces, key chains, watches and other accessories.
These have proven to be very popular with emergency response teams and other safety personnel, for obvious reasons.
They are also becoming more and more popular with the general public, who may or may not be aware of their extreme versatility.
If you ever see someone wearing a paracord bracelet or other paracord item, don't assume they know the advantages of having a supply of paracord on hand at all times, be sure and ask them do they know of its uses.
If they don't, they may be surprised to learn that a paracord bracelet can be unravelled, to be used, if an emergency occurs.
It is now possible to buy paracord that glows in the dark, paracord that is reflective and a highly visible paracord, which is both reflective and glows in the dark.
The break strength of these are 400 lbs however, not the 550 lbs of regular 550 paracord.
This is due to the different type of fibres included in them to make them glow and / or reflect.
However, the usefulness of being reflective and luminous may outweigh the loss of strength in many outdoor situations.
So perhaps a selection of all these different types of paracord would be an added bonus to any hardcore survival kit.
However, a word of warning, it is important to know that the glow in the dark version has to be exposed to light, before it will actually glow.
Grappling around in the dark for a 'non glowing' glow in the dark paracord, would surely warrant a lot of cussing - so be advised! When you decide to add paracord to your survival kit, why not buy a paracord survival bracelet or other accessory and give it as a gift to someone you love.
They may not be an outdoor enthusiast - but it may just be that little piece of kit, could some day save their life.