Survival Necklace 

In the world of bushcraft and survival people are always coming up with new and ingenious ways to ensure that no matter where you end up, or how you get there, you will not only survive, but be comfortable enough to thrive.

The “Survival Necklace” is a tool designed specifically for that. It allows you to carry tools that you either use on a frequent basis, or during an emergency and keeps them literally close to your heart. A survival necklace can be considered part of your EDC (Every-Day-Carry) but is often a specialised necklace you wouldn’t wear while grocery shopping – Or would you?

To discuss the usefulness of a survival necklace it’s important to understand it has some draw-backs which may overtake it’s advantages in several situations. It is often a paradox that the situation in which it would be a serious drawback to have this necklace, would also be the precise time you may require its assistance. Some survival instructors like Dave Agar, (who was the inspiration for this article) swear by the concept and don’t venture into the woods without one.

Potential Dangers

Choking Hazard – You could get your clunky necklace which has all kinds of stuff hanging from it, and is made of paracord caught on something and get injured.

Necklace Marks From Catching on Something

Injury Hazard – When falling, items on the necklace could impale you.

Rescue Hazard – if you are fighting for your life in rapids, under an ice shelf, or running for your life from a threat it could impede your performance and ability to move yourself to safety.

Clunky – Having all kinds of stuff hanging around your neck banging around may be annoying and get in the way of day-to-day tasks such as paddling, backpacking, climbing, etc.

Draw Unwanted Attention – Depending on where you are, having knives, whistles, and fire starters hanging around your neck may draw unwanted attention.

It may be a viable option to use break-away connectors, lobster-clasps, shrink-tube, loose stitching or another systems to ensure that if the necklace gets hung-up on something it will break free. However, as mentioned before that situation may be the reason the necklace is required.

Potential Benefits

It’s great having your tools handy, and difficult to lose. You can’t set your fire starter down and misplace it (like Joe Robinet did on Alone Season 1) if it’s around your neck. The same with all other tools that you hang off it.

You don’t have to reach for tools which could compromise your position. If you are in a tree stand, a cave, or other precarious situations, having tools handy is of great benefit. Again, not being able to drop a tool when in cramped quarters is also a huge advantage

If you become disabled and lose the use of an arm/hand having tools around your neck may be of life-saving benefit.

Around the campsite it’s great to have everything in one place without having to wander around finding stuff

Useful tools are right there, not deep inside a pack, wallet, pocket, etc.

If you get separated from your pack you’ll still have essential gear. This is very important on back country canoe trips, ATV trips, dog sled trips, or anywhere where you may end up in the middle of nowhere without equipment and stranded. This can include:

• Wandering away from camp or a group and getting lost
• ATV, Canoe, Or vehicle loss by way of roll-over, break-down, theft, etc.
• Fall leading to equipment loss such as over a cliff, swept away by a river, etc.
• Being chased from your location by intruders such as wildlife
• Lending equipment to someone and being seperated from them

Necklace Contents

The backbone of a survival necklace is the necklace itself. Most are created from 550 paracord. The standard in the bushcraft / outdoor industry. Essentially it’s nylon rope with a bunch of thin ropes inside. It’s breaking point is generally 550lbs. The rope has many uses including bow-drill rope, fishing line, snares, etc.

Another idea would be removing the paracord strands from the middle of the cord, and inserting a wire saw inside. This will protect your neck from abrasion and allow you to carry a wire saw.

High visibility colours such as lime-green and hunter-orange are great choices for the necklace as if it’s dropped it can easily be retrieved in the woods, or tall grasses.

Common items to have on your necklace include:

• Specialised Neck Knife (small knife with a secure sheath)
• Whistle for signaling for help
• Fire Starter (commonly a Ferro Rod)
• Lighter
• Speedy-Sharp device for creating tinder, sparks, or sharpening tools
• Torch (Flashlight)
• Dog Tag / ID tag
• Hand Sanitiser

You may find it less clunky, bothersome, and more stylish to have a single, water resistant container on your necklace which would hold a bunch of items, including the ones listed above. The down-side to this is the contents could spill out everywhere when opening making a loss hazard. This is particularly true if you are in a tree stand, cave, or during inclement weather. Even tall grasses could present a potential loss situation of gear and equipment if everything is shoved into a single container.

Some of the best activities which could benefit from a survival necklace would be Canoers, ATV riders, Long distance hikers, and bushcraft enthusiasts. These are the people who have the greatest possibility of being separated from their pack, or just needing to keep tools close at hand. There is nothing worse than having to move around in a canoe and risk tipping it, or having to completely stop your ATV in order to find a piece of gear.

Ultimately a survival necklace can be a dynamic, “mission-specific” piece of gear that you can forever change, and modify quickly and easily to suit your needs. Each situation may require slightly different tools and equipment which are easily removed or added. However a knife, fire-starter, and whistle should always be a part of the necklace. With those items alone you will increase your chances of survival significantly.

For short jaunts into local parks, quick excursions, or impromptu hikes a survival necklace may be a great alternative to a heavy pack of equipment. Using the phrase “The more you know, the less you need”, a Survival necklace may be a great piece of mind to help you get through anything.

Wolfmaans survival necklace includes high-visibility paracord necklace, fire starter, knife, speedy-sharp sharpening tool and wooden beads to shave for fire starting.

References:

M40 Ranger Ricks SOS Necklace. (n.d.). Retrieved August 1, 2019, from https://www.m4040.com/Survival/Ranger_Rick_SOS_Necklace.htm

Vuković, D. (2019, June 12). Top Picks and Honest Advice for the Best Survival Necklace. Retrieved August 1, 2019, from https://www.primalsurvivor.net/survival-necklace/

Dave. (2013, June 10). Survival Necklace. Retrieved August 1, 2019, from http://tentcampinghq.com/camping-articles/survival-necklace/

Chen, D. (2015, June 3). Windsor-born bushman defeated by History Channel’s ALONE. Retrieved August 1, 2019, from https://windsorstar.com/arts-2/windsor-born-bushman-defeated-by-history-channels-alone

Joe, A. (n.d.). 80 Uses For Paracord. Retrieved August 1, 2019, from https://survivallife.com/80-uses-for-paracord/