Monday, December 07, 2009

Half Hitched Paracord Can Koozie...

Here's a half hitched paracord can koozie(cozy). About 1.5 feet of paracord for the drawstring/cinch cord with cordlock, and 30 feet of paracord for the half hitching around the can. A carabiner can be used with the drawstring/cinch cord to attach to a belt loop/bag/pack...

Knitted and crochet type can and bottle koozies(cozy) have been around for a long time, but I haven't come across any done with paracord. An EDC Forums member that was serving in Afghanistan, had asked for ideas earlier this year.

With web surfing, I've come across knitted/crocheted examples like the ones that can be seen here and here, and another knotted example, tied in smaller diameter cord, is shown in the KHWW.net 'Knotty Gallery' of member Frank Brown.

And also shown used as a pouch for an alcohol can stove.  Suitable for and Altoids mint tin/candy/gum/survial tin pouch, cell phone, etc...

32 comments:

AppsByAaron said...

Very nice!! I need to make one of these!

ToolGuyd said...

It looks like this design could be adapted into a Nalgene-sized bottle carrier as well!

Stormdrane said...

Several weeks ago, after doing the hitching on the gourd, I tried starting one on a 26oz stainless steel water bottle, but I realized that I didn't have near enough paracord to complete it and that it was going to require several hours of work.

I imagine a 32oz Nalgene would use the better part of a 100 foot hank of paracord to cover it with hitching, but it would still look pretty cool...

Anonymous said...

Hey Stormdrane you gotta check out this page that just posted on Facebook!!! Very impressive stuff!!!
http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/550-Bracelets/197138014143?ref=nf

Stormdrane said...

Nice patterns on those 550 paracord bracelets. :)

Home on the Range said...

How to you DO that and make it look like a piece of art. I did some macrame in the 70's when I was a young teen and it never even came CLOSE to looking like that.

Bravo!

Anonymous said...

Do you have any idea where/if i can find lengths of leather strip that are 50 feet or longer? I have made several 550 cord rifle slings and i want to make one out of leather for my dads old 30-06. i cant find anything longer than 8 feet tho.

Stormdrane said...

Thanks Brigid, it takes a bit of patience to keep the knot work neat. :)


Anonymous, for leather supplies, try Tandy Leather Factory or Leatherworker.net for more info...

DubsChops said...

stormdrane, Hey man I need an idea for just a plain ol camera lanyard with only paracord with a handloop. It's for my dads camera, A little decorative knotting inbetween the hand loop and camera would be okay, Any ideaS?

Ironjack said...

Stormdrane love your site. Found you indirectly first on your instructable and now via google. Awesome work I'd very much like to try my hand at this. 2 questions

1) Where's the best place to order paracord?

2) What book/books would you recommend for learning to braid some of these useful type items you're doing? I've got a couple of knot books and have dabbled with rope mats and the like, but none have stuff like what's on your site.

Keep up the awesome work.

Ironjack said...

Oh yeah one more question. Where do you get your buckles and cord slidy things.

Stormdrane said...

You might try the snake knot lanyard tutorial, for a camera strap. Instead of snake knots, you could also try it with a cobra stitch/Solomon bar/Portuguese sinnet, or series of lanyard knots...

Stormdrane said...

The Supply Captain is a good source for paracord. There are many others, but the Supply Captain is always at the top of my list.

Most of the knot books I've seen don't have much in the way of 'start to finish' type projects in them. There are exceptions, like Des Pawson's 'Knot Craft'.

You can learn the knots and techniques and figure out how to combine them and apply them to make something useful. You're much more likely to find tutorials/info or learn from the online knot tying community on various forums like KHWW.net.

Buckles, swivel clips, snap hooks, cord locks, etc.. can be found on ebay, Lighthound.com, Creative Designworks, County Comm, TAD Gear, along with a few other sources in my 'Links List' and mentioned through some blog posts.

Chris said...

That would sure make someone a nice Christmas present....

Marry Christmas to you..

Unknown said...

Great site!! Do you have instructions on the begining knot for the can koozie?

Stormdrane said...

The can koozie is started with a separate drawstring/cinch cord with a cordlock and the ends tied with a lanyard knot.

The working strand is simply tied onto the drawstring/cinch cord with an overhand knot. It can later be secured with needle and thread, a drop of super glue, or melted in place.

The last couple of pics in this photo collage show two starting methods, one with the drawstring/cinch cord and the other for doing a permanent hitching on a bottle...

Anonymous said...

hey storm could you post a video on how to start and finish a beer koozie I've watched your others and they have helped me a lot anyway my brother is in the marines and id like to make him one of these before he ships out

Anonymous said...

Hallo.

I made the half hitched paracord can koozie. Please can you explane me how you start and finish the work.

Lorenzo, Monza (Italy)

Stormdrane said...

Lorenzo,

I started with a separate cord used for the drawstring with the cord lock, like shown in the photo collage of this blog post. I tie onto that cord with an overhand knot and start hitching. You can further secure the start knot with sewing, melting, or a drop of super glue.

Finishing is done by continuing the hitching around the bottom of the can, and the hitches will spiral towards the center, like shown in this link. You can skip to hitching every other loop. When you reach the center, just sew, melt, or super glue the end in place. I usually just run a needle and thread back and forth through the end several times.

Anonymous said...

thank you so much =)
regards

Lorenzo

Cervantes said...

Howdy,
I was going to try and make a ccozie/holder type contraption for a 32OZ Nalgene bottle. Before I bite off more 550 cord, would you have any idea how much 550 would be needed to complete the job?

Stormdrane said...

I'm not sure how much paracord would be needed to cover a 32oz Nalgene, but imagine that a 100ft hank of cord would probably work, if you spaced out the hitches.

The size and number of hitches you make will factor into how much cord is used. The smaller hitches made on the can koozie use up a lot of cord, so I'd make the hitches larger and spaced out more around a Nalgene.

You might try using a 10 foot length of paracord first, and see how much space that will cover. Then use that amount to multiply/figure how much you need to cover the rest of the bottle and around the bottom to finish...

Unknown said...

This site is phenomenal Stormdrane. I am so impressed. Has anyone seen a link on how to make a paracord holder for the small 1 oz. sanitizer bottles?

Anonymous said...

Love the blog, Sd!
My question is, how stable are these hitched coverings without their contents? Is it practical to make, say, a ditty bag in this manner, or would the hitches pull and catch on stuff too easily?
Thanks!

Stormdrane said...

The hitched can koozies and smaller pouches do alright when empty, keeping their shape pretty well. I think something larger, like a ditty bag, would probably be more problematic though.

You'd really have to secure the individual hitches in place, like with needle in thread, to keep them from being pulled, worked, or sliding out of place.

You'd be better off doing a net type of knot work, for a ditty bag or larger like a sleeping bag stuff sack, with knots keeping the shape intact.

vintage earrings said...

Oh my God ! This is superb. How did you make it ? Your site is darling to me..I always able to learn something good on it. I am big fan of it..Thank You Man !

Stealthraider said...

This is a great piece of work! i just made the alcohol stove size yesterday and it took me an hour/50 minutes to make!it seems never to end but then as the rope gets shorter and its almost done i get happpy :)

eidolen said...

Haven't been knotting for a while until I needed to make a present recently. I've made a few Koozies from your designs now using tighter hitching and a couple with GITD cinches. You can check em' out here if you like.
http://gallery.eidolen.sent.com/knotwork/

I also followed the cup in the bottom of the can closely to make it easier to eject the can from the bottom with a little push.

I can't thank you enough for your continued interest in the craft and the inspirational work.

Cheers

Stormdrane said...

@eidolen, Great looking knot work, thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

You might just need to buy a sheet of leather and cut it yourself essentially in a circle and moving to the center so it makes the strips

Jerry Horst said...

Nice Design.

One question- What will be your suggestion to follow step by step to make this one.

Michael said...

CraftyDan has posted a complete how-to with two colors of paracord.

https://www.instructables.com/id/Multi-Color-Paracord-Can-Koozie/

Thank you, Stormdrane, for the unbelievable inspiration that you are! I've used your notes for many personally important gear tweaks over the years, from a handle for a hand-made kukri to a wristband for a beloved watch. Thanks!