Howdy folks! I've been working on assembling the new LifeLine Gear Leashes over the past few days. I'll be dribbling these out over the next few weeks as time and my fingers permit.
The Gear Leash concept is a simple one. I've wanted a sturdy wrist strap solution for some time and I've been frustrated for years with the garbage straps with the "dental floss" attachments that I so often see. Very few wrist straps are the right size, are user adjustable or have a tension slider on them.
At first I wanted a material for these that was not paracord but the more I looked into it I decided that paracord really was the best solution particularly since I wanted to use round turned beads for the keeper and tension slider. Leather or flat nylon would be hard to thread through the beads and would not perform correctly.
I did quite a few tests using my existing Lanslide beads and various pieces of EDC gear until I worked out the best set up. I wanted to make some all new bead designs for this project and I wanted the design in keeping with my past designs. So I borrowed the ribbed shape from the whistles for the slider bead and then scaled it down with a smaller inside diameter for the keeper bead.
I did consider using Berkeley Point clips on these but decided a simple small keyring would be better. While I do like the BP clips, they have a nasty habit of coming undone if they get twisted in the pocket. I have lost too many flashlights and pocket knives because of this, plus they are quite expensive even buying in bulk. If you want a BP clip then throw one on the keyring of the Leash or retie the Gear Leash with a clip instead of the keyring.
Speaking of tying, the knot on these is the same as the standard Matthew Walker knot that I have been using for years. The difference is, the MW knot calls for bringing the ends through the loops two times. On these, you simply bring the ends around through the loops one more time for a total of three. That's it, very simple to do and it results in a larger knot. In this way if you want a shorter leash it is easy to retie it or if you want to change an old dirty cord for some clean cord or you want a different cord color it is easy to do. Simple instructions for tying the Matthew Walker Two Strand Knot are
Here.
For the first batch of these I chose black Delrin as the bead material. The reason for this is that I wanted to make some LifeLines that would be nonmarring. As many of you know, I am an avid photographer and I have many old cameras. I wanted some beads that would not scratch up the finish on those older cameras or other delicate items. Also, the black just looks so nice on the cord! I do have titanium beads running right now though and will offer the LifeLines with both satin finish and anodized titanium beads as time goes on.
Right now I am not selling these beads separately, they are only going to be available on the Gear Leashes for the time being. The first wave is on desert tan cord but some various colored cord ones will follow shortly. The Delrin Gear Leashes are $35 plus shipping and the link is below:
Tan ones are sold out! I have dozens of colored ones that I'm going to tie tonight so many many more on the way. Thank you! :)
