Cordage from Soda Bottles

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

Cordage (which is a fancy prepper of way of saying "string and/or rope") is one of humanity's oldest inventions and is still very important to this day. Without it, you wouldn't be able to tie your shoes, floss your teeth, or tie things together without resorting to glue. Consequently, it's important to have in a disaster or survival scenario, because of its many uses: making rope, weaving nets, building a shelter, lashing items to a pack or travois, etc.

Despite how common rope is, and how light 550 paracord can be, it's difficult to have enough of it in a long-term scenario. It's possible to make your own, but that usually involves the processing of plant fibers and braiding them. There is, however, a much simpler and easier method available to anyone in the industrialized world, and that is converting plastic bottles into cordage. Such plastic is tough, can be found most everywhere, and because plastic bottles are seen as garbage the materials are essentially free.

Here's Creek Stewart demonstrating how a knife and a tree stump can be used to create plastic bottle cordage out in the field.




However, as cool as that is, it's not always convenient to make a jig out of a tree stump. That's why the Stringamajig exists.

https://reptiletool.works/products/stringamajig

As the name suggests, the Stringamajig is a jig for making string out of plastic bottles. It's simply a portable version of the system Creek used -- in fact, it was commissioned by him for an Apocabox -- and to make it work you can tie it to a stationary object, or simply hold it in your hand, and pull on the starter tab to make cordage.

The Stringamajig is lightweight, sturdy, and simple to maintain. It's also affordable, at $5 per unit (plus $7.95 shipping, unfortunately). While you may not need it in your Bug Out or Get Home bag, it certainly deserves a place in your disaster preps and possibly your INCH gear.