How to braid a paracord grip for walking sticks. South Point Survival 

Very good suggestion and I’ve done this on a few other walking sticks and it does make starting the braid easier. Thanks for sharing this with the community. This is how we all get better. 👍

Hey Richard, Thanks for the kind words and I'm so glad I was help you with your project.I really appreciate you checking out the video and leaving the comment to let me know it helped; it means a lot. Thanks again!

You're very welcome! I'm glad you found the video to be helpful. Thanks for your comment and for watching the video; much appreciated

You're very welcome and thanks for the compliment. You are right, there are some that are pretty complex, they look good but they are tedious for sure to braid. I thought this would be a easy braid and still gives lots of grip to the walking stick. Thanks for watching Patrick, I really appreciate it.

This is a great Idea and I never really knew what style of braid it was. It was always something I learned to do long ago and it became a fast go-to, quick and easy braid that was effective for me. Thanks for teaching me something there and I really appreciate it. I just thought this would be a great braid for beginners to learn a decent grip. Thanks for your comment Jack.

You are very welcome. I'm glad the video was able to help you out.😀

Thank you so much Cathy for saying that. I know it can make for a long video sometimes but I rather everyone learn at their own pace and fully understand whats happening. Thanks so much for your comment and for watching the video. :)

That’s awesome Richard! I’m so pleased to hear that it was a helpful video. I hope your project turned out awesome!! 👍

Thanks for the comment David. I like experimenting with different styles and different ways to start and finish some of the classics such as this one. I really appreciate your suggestion and thanks for sharing this with the rest of the community here. 👍

Thanks for checking out another one of my videos! Youre awesome! I'm glad to see this was easy to follow and hopefully it helps with your project. Thanks a lot! 👍

Awesome video thanks

Awesome, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the video and that I was able to introduce you to a new product as well. Thanks again for your comment and for watching. 👍

@@SouthPointSurvival you sure did ! I will try your process with regular cord first , see how it goes ! Have a great week!

You’re most welcome. Let me know how it turned out for you. Thanks for watching the video.

I'm so glad to hear this. ❤ Thank you so much for taking some of your time to watch the video here.

You are very welcome! :)

Thank you for the kind words! This braid is one of the less complicated to do in my opinion. It's also easy to untie if you ever need the cordage in an emergency. Thanks for watching and for your comment.

Making your own walking stick is an awesome experience. Of all the walking sticks I ever made myself, Its amazing how you can revisit that trip mentally. The one I have in this video was one I picked up to review for the company but again, making your own is so rewarding. Thanks for your comment and for watching the video, I really appreciate it.

Hey Chris, I'm so glad to hear you had a positive experience with this grip. The orange paracord is also a great idea and will help you locate your stick if it gets placed down somewhere. Great Job!!

Hello Erick, You are very welcome. This is a pretty easy braid and it gives a very positive grip on your walking stick. I'm glad you found it helpful. Thank you!

Thank you very much. It's one of the easier grips to tie and it gives you a grip with minimal slippage. Thanks for watching.

Thank you. Also thanks for watching and supporting the channel. I really appreciate it. 🙂

Thank you Joe for the comment, I really appreciate that and I'm glad you found some use in it. Hopefully I will have some more videos coming out soon. My current work schedule has me in a bit of a time crunch at the moment but I do want to get out there and film soon. Thanks again.

To be perfectly honest I am not familiar with the method of producing the Soloman stitch. I looked at a few pictures of the soloman stitch and it reminds me a lot of chainmail armor; pretty cool. Thanks for your comment and for watching the video.

That's so awesome! I'm glad it helped you out and allows you to carry that extra cordage with you. Thanks for watching the video as well!

Nice tips Von! I will definitely have to experiment with grooving the stick and adding gear under the wrap. Generally I like to scrape away the varnish from these sticks also to help the paracord bite a little better as well. Thanks again!

Thank you so much Stephen for following the channel and for the support I really do appreciate it! I'm glad the video helped you with your project and I'm interested in hearing how it turns out!

@@SouthPointSurvival Thanks, it looks easy to do.

I appreciate it very much and Thank You for watching the video!! I hope it helps you.

You're very welcome, I hope it helps and thanks for visiting the channel!

Thank you for the kind words and I'm glad to hear it was easy to lace up. I think some of the more complex braids look nice but remember you have to untie that stuff if you ever need to use it. Thanks for watching the video, I know it was a bit long but I wanted to make sure it was easy to follow.

Thanks David for the comment and I really do apologize for responding so slowly. Usually the newer comments get pushed to the top and I never saw this comment until now. So I am now going through them all one by one after finding your comment. I appreciate each and every one of you who take your time to view my content so I feel it's the least I can do to respond to them as soon as I see them. Thanks again for everything. 👍

I'm glad you liked it and thanks for watching the video!

I'm so glad you enjoyed the video and that it inspired you to give it a try. Thanks for watching, I really appreciate it.

Thanks Joe, I'm glad to hear that. I really appreciate you tuning in and watching! Thanks again :)

I love how you have those creative juices flowing! Sometimes these small bits of gear are like fire extinguishers for a home, You hope you never have to use them but you're glad you have it in case of an emergency.

Wrapping duct tape can indeed help secure the ends and also provide you with a bit of fire tinder as an added bonus(other than the stick itself) :) My only issue (in my environment) was the heat and humidity turned it into a sticky mess a little down the road; same when I tried electrical tape. All that said, there are no wrong answers here, what works in your area may help others living in places similar to your area. This is what this channel is all about, I love that you took the time to share your suggestion and that helps people out. Thank you so much for your suggestion and for watching the videos!

Great advice. I tried that before with small diameter rope or twine and it seems to work as well on sticks. I also wasn't sure if it would have affected the waxed jute inside or not so I may have to test it now; definitely a great suggestion. Thanks for sharing Hartman!

You are very welcome. I hope it was a easy enough guide to follow. Thanks for visiting the channel and watching the video. 👍

Thanks for the comment, I really appreciate it. You are correct, if you do not work with cordage like this much, it can be a bit abrasive on the hand while weaving it in and out that many times. It does make for a durable grip though. I never tried using super glue in this manner before so I am not sure. I want to be completely honest with you. In my previous experiences using super glue on cordage in general is that the cordage usually wicks up the glue and just hardens the material. It also makes a white chalky residue on the outside. I have just never tried to bond two pieces of cordage this way though. Melting them actually holds stronger than you think but not so hard that you couldn't pry it off of itself; if that makes sense. The melted cordage bites just enough to keep it all in place. Its also how many paracord bracelets are secured. Great question and feedback!

Tape would help the slipping for sure and another viewer commented about cutting a small groove or channel in the stick to secure the cordage to help get things started; both seem to be great methods and suggestions. I really appreciate the feedback, it helps everyone.

Thanks for watching and for your comment. A ranger band is more or less a thick rubber band but with minimal stretch. What I do personally is buy a bicycle inner-tube and cut it up in sections; thus creating rubber bands or ranger bands. This rubber is also burn when exposed to an open flame. This could help aid you in starting a fire in a survival situation as well. Please let me know if this makes sense or if you have any other questions. I'm always glad to help and it's never a bother.

Very nice advice Creachter. Tape does make a nice fire starter and would be easier to apply then the ranger bands. Thanks for your comment and for watching; much appreciated!

Hey Floyd, Thanks for this tip I will try this on some of my future braids for sure. Thank you so much for the advice. Also thanks for watching the video, I really appreciate it. 👍

Thank you for your comment and for watching the video. I have a few lighters just like it. "Scripto TorchFlame" is one type and I believe Bic makes one as well. They are pretty common and can be found in most Walmarts, CVS', Walgreens, Grocery stores, etc. It's a butane type flame and I only used it because it was a windy day and it stays lit during those wind gust. Any common lighter will work, just use the body of the lighter to press the melted paracord flat and you should be just fine. P.S. My apologies for responding so slow during these crazy times. You can also reach me on Instagram if you like. Thanks again and I hope your project turned out pretty good.

@@SouthPointSurvival Thank you. 🙏

@@taos55 You're very welcome. Let me know how it turns out. :)

Its a mixture of Poison Ivy and Virginia Creeper; mostly Virginia Creeper. I don't have a reaction to the stuff. Thanks for the comment.

Yes Herman this is correct and a great suggestion. Thank you so much for sharing that with he rest of the community. Most appreciated 👍

It could be a good experiment to try. The hole is quite small but I would imagine you could always drill it out a bit more to get the cordage through there and make the wrist loop. Good suggestion.

I was thinking the same; starting at the bottom and finishing at the hole for the lanyard. Has anyone tried this and can show results?

Hey John, thanks for this question. At the time when I made this video I was under the assumption that I would be able to keep the stick but I wasn't 100% sure. So, I didn't want to cut on or modify the stick too much not being sure if it would be going back to the vendor. I agree with you and others who had great suggestions. Drilling a hole through the stick would provide a good starting anchor and notching the stick in multiple spots could also keep the grip from slipping. followed by another anchor hole at the end of the braid. These are all great suggestions and building a small cache in the handle is a super idea that compliments the survivor cord as well. I really appreciate your feedback as well as watching the videos. Thank You.

@@SouthPointSurvival Thank you for taking the trouble to reply.

@@johnlewis9745 Hey John, no trouble at all. I try to get to everyone but sometimes I do miss a few because messages get lost out there in cyber space then I get flooded by many all at the same time. Technology at its finest. I really appreciate you spending your time being here on this channel, that means a lot to a small content creator such as myself. Stick around, I'm working on some other projects and should have some discount codes and giveaways coming up soon. Thanks again! 👍

Hey Greg, Sorry I must have overlooked your comment in the feed by mistake; my apologies. This is a great Idea and I'm always seeking ways to improve my knowledge and help others. Thanks for the tip, much appreciated.

It's a pretty aggressive wrap for sure. I've used this grip on several long hikes that took 3-4 hours and it really wasn't all that bad actually but then again, those hikes were mostly flat with very gradual up and downs. If you were doing a trail where you must bare your weight on the stick for most of the trail, like steep hill climbing, it may cause some irritation after 1-2 hours of time. That being said, I've completed some 5-8 mile hikes using trekking poles and had that cause irritation in the webbing between my thumb and forefinger. Sorry for the long round about answer but its tough to get a definite yes or no on this question because there is a lot of parameters that could change the outcome.

@@SouthPointSurvival Thanks for the response. I totally agree with you on all points. I have had relatively smooth rubber grips on things that also irritate after a while.

Thanks Brian for the comment. I agree Dyneema is a superior material but it can be more expensive if someone sources it from the wrong places. This was just meant to be a beginners guide to braiding your own grip using paracord. I thought it would be a simple way to introduce people of all ages and maybe inspire them to try more complex designs in the future. I often melt in some pure beeswax to seal off the paracord. I never had any issues with it stinking but it does pick up dirt easier and can look grungy on lighter colors over time. I really appreciate your feedback and thanks for contributing to the community. 👍

Absolutely! You can use anything really. Standard 550 paracord works really well and still allows you to carry all those inner strands in case you need them. You can use smaller diameter cordage like Kevlar, bank line, etc. but you may need to use a longer piece to cover the same distance as shown in this video. The same rule applies to walking sticks that are larger in diameter; you may have to use a longer piece that's all. Making your own walking stick is a lot of fun. Good luck with your project and feel free to let me know how it turned out or send me a direct message on Instagram if you use it; I would love to see how it turned out.

@@SouthPointSurvival it took me a while to complete but after some help from my dad I was able to complete it. Thanks for the video.

@@t1p1c1djm You're very welcome. It's also nice to know it was something you and your dad could work on together; very cool!

This is a good question and could probably be a video all on its own. First let me say there are a lot of products on the market and I've only tested a big handful of them so I'm unaware of a "paracord" that doesn't stretch but that's not to say there isn't something out there I'm unaware of. Typically paracord is made of nylon and nylon does stretch a little, it also shrinks. I didn't cover this in the video but if your slowly pour boiling water over your wrap it will cause the nylon to constrict and tighten more on the stick and make it more secure. In a way it's like partially melting the cordage and locking the fibers in place; somewhat. Also when I was twisting the paracord I was trying to bunch the wrap very tight on itself to prevent it slipping on the stick; it's been two years now and it still is holding up well. There is a product called Amsteel made of Dyneema fibers but this is more of a rope. It has little to no stretch, high abrasion,cut and wear resistance. Polyester will stretch less than Nylon paracord and Kevlar fibers will stretch even less than that. All that being said, most of those are bundled solid as a rope, where as the benefit of paracord is to carry the additional strands inside that can be pulled out and used later if needed. It's really a give and take. You can also try putting gaffers tape on the ends to hold it secure, hot glue could help, "ranger bands" which are chopped up bicycle inner tubes or weaving the last few inched of the wrap back through the wrap as some have suggested here in the comments. All are great ideas. I hope that helps a bit but I'm trying not to get more long winded here than I already have been. I do appreciate your comment very much and hope your project turns out nice!

@@SouthPointSurvival I found out , if you wet it when your done, it will shrink and tighten as it dries.

@@searcher2328 Nice tip and thanks for sharing this with the rest of the community here; much appreciated! Thanks for watching and helping others.

Hey Brazo, I apologize that I seemed to have over looked this comment. I try my best to answer everyone question. I do not have a sling for a walking stick but I have braided dog collars, straps for backpacks so I would imaging a walking staff sling would be similar in concept just longer. Are you wanting to carry the staff across your chest or something so that your hands can remain free while not in use? Thanks for your question also.

This is a great question! Basically without giving too complex of an answer, a "ranger band" is a bicycle inner tube that has been cut onto small sections; typically 1/2 inch to 1 inch in width. It's a great way to attach items, keep small lids secure and to keep items from banging around. It's basically a rubber band but not as stretchy and it also can help you to get a fire going in a pinch. There are different diameter inner tubes, 10 speed bikes tubes are small and mountain bike tubes are pretty large so check the diameter and see what would fit your project best!

@@SouthPointSurvival Thank you for your reply. Much appreciated. Stay safe

You could absolutely do that if you want and it would be easier to start the braiding process. It’s really just a personal preference thing. I didn’t want to braid the stick that high on this particular stick incase I decided to attach a walking stick medallion or make my own custom wrist strap. I just wanted to leave the hole open and leave some space near the top of the stick uncovered.

Thanks for your question Oliver. I’ve used this walking stick braid style a lot over the years and now my father has possession of this stick . I’ve never had any issues with blisters using this grip but then again I have pretty tough hands from lots of work outdoors. My father has a bit softer hands and he never said it gave him any trouble or was uncomfortable so I guess it all depends on the person and their sensitivity level. This was a good question. Thanks.

@@SouthPointSurvival Because of bad knee joints, I use two poles, a great assist when going uphill. I work my arms hard to help take weight off the knees, and my hands need a smooth grip to avoid blisters. I would imagine the braid grip will be fine if the pole is used as an occasional assist.

Whoops.. I meant 9:35..

@@kl0an :)

Thanks for the great question. Absolutely! You can use any type of paracord you like. I only used the survivor cord on mine so that I can carry the fishing line, snare wire and waxed jute fire tinder inside. Good luck with your project!

There is a small amount in there yes but most of what you are looking at is Virginia Creeper. I pull the stuff bare handed and it doesn’t bother me. Virginia creeper is a 5 leaf plant / vine. Poison ivy has 3 leaves. “Plants with three leave it be” Thanks for your question.

Thanks for sharing your comment with the community.

(*I've) That's good to hear, I'm so glad I was able to help you see the final thing you were seeking. It's what product and gear reviewers do. We get items and test them out. Thanks for watching!

No, I bought two. :) Its what we do as reviewers; test products. Thanks for the comment.