Parachute Cord, Perfect Photographer's Tool

By Bill

One of the essential gear items I always carry with me on photo travel adventures is parachute cord.  It has multiple uses.  My camera bag usually has three or four different lengths of the cord inside.  I cut the cord and burn the ends with a cigarette lighter to keep it from fraying.  Lengths of the cord have different purposes.

I have lengths in four-foot, eight-foot, and 20-foot varieties.

I use the four-foot lenths to tie gear to my backpack.  It works perfectly for securing my small tripod to the bag.

I use the eight-foot length to help stablize my monopod.  This works by tying one end around the top of the monopod, just under the camera, then stepping on the other end with my foot (a small stick or metal washer helps hold the line in place) then stretch the cord to hold the monopod in place.  Shutter speeds of less than 1/40 often result in sharp images with this simple system.

Or, if you don't have a monopod with you, use an eye-screw that you can find at any hardware store by putting the eye-screw into the tripod mount on the bottom of your camera, tying the line to that, stepping on the other end with your foot and pulling the line tight.  This works well when you are trying to lessen the load on long hikes.

The 20-foot length is my clothesline.  Yep, when you hand wash your clothes it is necessary to have somewhere to hang them to dry.  In South Africa, at the camps, I would tie the cord around poles of the cottage verandas, an instant clothes-line.

Years ago, a friend passed on a simple way to make a knot that I have used hundreds of times since.  It's called the clinch-knot and it is useful because one can use it to tighten the line, as when you put up a clothes-line, or when you want to tie down something and keep it secure.  It looks like this. Fishers use it to secure hooks.  Once tied, the key to making it useful is to pull the cord loop out, doing this one can tighten the line effectively, or the reverse works too by slipping the knot fully tight. I usually make about six to eight turns of the cord because it is easier then to pull the line tight.  The key is to make the loop around something like a pole, give youself some slack, then make six to eight turns around the line, then move the end throuogh the loop and under.  You can then pull the line tight. Try it, it works.

Parachute cord is extremely strong and comes in many varieties, you can find it at most war surplus stores or Googleit on the web.  It's inexpensive and is the perfect tool on any photo travel journey. Amazon sells it here.