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Make Paracord Zipper Pulls

by Carla Schauer 1 Comment

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Camp!  That magical place filled with silly songs, new friends, canoeing, swimming, and of course, crafts! Camp wouldn’t be the same without a keepsake craft or two to take home. A great camp craft, like these Paracord Zipper Pulls, is one that can be made with a few simple supplies and some basic instructions that kids can repeat on their own.  The colorful Paracord pulls look great on backpacks and duffels, and keep zippers from jangling.Paracord zipper pulls in multiple colors on white background with descripti e text for pinterest

It only takes a few minutes to learn the 2 basic knots used in this zipper pull craft. Once campers get the hang of the knots, they can make 3-4 pulls in a 15 minute craft session that they can use for their camp luggage, school backpacks, or sports bags.

For more camping activities and camp-friendly crafts visit my Camping Activities Posts, which include free printables, family fun ideas, and crafty project ideas.

This page may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through my link, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Orange paracord zipper pull on white background

Paracord zipper pulls in multiple colors on white background

How to Make Paracord Zipper Pulls

Yield: 1+
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Active Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 9 minutes
Difficulty: 2
Estimated Cost: under $5

Make paracord zipper pulls to make zippers easier to use, stop noise, or as a zipper pull replacement for a broken piece. This easy tutorial uses a cobra knot technique.

Materials

  • 550 Paracord, any color (2ft length per pull)

Tools

  • Scissors
  • Grill lighter or other flame (adult helpers only)

Instructions

    1. Take one 2 ft paracord piece and fold in half, lining up ends.  Hold paracord between thumb and fingers, approximately 3 inches from closed end, making a loop with loose ends of cord away from body.
      Make Paracord zipper pulls using only 3 supplies. Full tutorial and video at Carla Schauer Designs.
    2. Make starting knot.
      a) Take right side loose end and loop around to right, crossing cord over top of loop and holding under thumb.
      b) Loop left end to left, crossing cord behind loop and holding with fingers.Hint:  kids may find "bunny ears" a good visualization for these steps.
      c) Thread top loose end (left side) through left loop toward back.  Thread bottom loose end (right side) up through right loop to top. Gently pull loose ends to tighten knot, using fingers and thumb to hold knot in place while tightening.
      3 photo collage of making first paracord cobra knot.
    3. Use cobra knots to create end of zipper pull.  Tilt the keychain to look at the top of the knot in step 2.  For each of the knots in this step, begin the knot using the loose strand that points backwards (away from body).
      a)  Loop rear-facing loose end around and over the top of the zipper pull, holding in place with thumb.
      b)  Wrap remaining loose end forward around first and back to rear, then bring end forward through loop made in (a).  Pull ends to tighten securely.
      c)  Repeat cobra knot (always beginning with rear-pointing strand) until 2 knots are formed on each side of zipper pull.
      3 photo collage of making paracord cobra knot zipper pull.
    4. Finish zipper pull.
      a) (optional) Continue knotting if more length is desired.
      b) Cut one excess paracord strand close to the knots, leaving approximately 1/16 inch of strand.  
      c) Have an adult use a flame to melt the end of the paracord and use the side of the lighter to press the end into the knot, which will prevent fraying and unraveling. Repeat with remaining paracord end.

      Safety Note:  Do not use fingers to press melted Paracord ends.  Melted plastic is hot, and will burn fingers.  Seriously, use the lighter base.  Fingers are important, and so are fingerprints.
      3 photo collage of making paracord cobra knot zipper pull.
    5. When paracord is cooled, add your paracord zipper pull to regular zipper or use to replace original zipper pull.
      Learn to make Paracord zipper pulls using this easy tutorial from carlaschauer.com. This would be a great addition to a backpack!

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  • 550 Paracord
    550 Paracord

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment or share a photo and tag me @carlaschauerdesigns

© Carla Schauer
Project Type: Craft / Category: crafts
Pin these Paracord Zipper Pulls for Later:

Paracord zipper pulls in multiple colors on white background with descripti e text for pinterest

5 orange paracord zipper pulls on white background

Thanks for stopping by!
Carla

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Filed Under: crafts, Holiday and Seasonal, Outdoors, Teens Tagged With: affiliate, camping, summer, teens, travel, tutorial

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Comments

  1. Laura Kelly

    July 20, 2016 at 9:55 am

    These are super fun and such a great project for the girls in my troop. We are definitely doing these at camp in a few weeks!!! XO

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