For those who have been in the survival world for a while—or even for individuals that have just recently dabbled in the industry—paracord, survival bracelets and emergency sleeping bags are probably nothing new … that is, until you’ve experienced the ones produced by Titan Survival Gear. Titan Survival has taken these somewhat common and ubiquitous emergency items and turned them up far more than a notch or two. Not the common throwaway versions that have inundated the market, these products not only offer more durability, uniqueness in design and functionality than their inferior counterparts, they also could very well save your life.
I recently had the opportunity to test these items in the field to see if they are tough enough to handle the rigors of the rugged outdoors. Hour after hour, I continually put them through the wringer, and after all the dust settled, some pleasantly surprising results were observed.
UNPACKING PERSPECTIVE
Looking at photos or website thumbnails can’t replace having an item in your grasp. The weight, texture and the overall quality is often revealed within moments after handling most survival products. These three were no different.
The SurvivorCord bracelet was the first item examined. Out of the box, I immediately felt the weight; it was solid, to say the least. The metal connecting buckle was rugged, simple and easy to secure. Another noticeable trait was its thickness. As opposed to those survival bracelets found at the checkout stand of a hardware store, local department store or even a pharmacy (they are everywhere, by the way), this bracelet had some girth, and that means more usable cordage when unraveled.
“Titan Survival has taken these somewhat common and ubiquitous emergency items and turned them up far more than a notch or two.”
Next, I turned my attention to the cordage, named by Titan as SurvivorCord. This bundle was nicely packaged in its own box and, once removed, the 100 feet of nylon were secured by a hook-and-loop strap that prevented the cordage from unraveling into a pile of twisted line at my feet. The orange color was vibrant, to say the least, and against the backdrop of the Florida woods, the cordage stood out among the green, brown and yellow foliage in the surrounding area. My first thought was that I would never lose this cordage, and the reflective material woven throughout its exterior only added to its visibility while outdoors.
Products.
The orange emergency sleeping bag was packed tightly in its olive-drab drawstring sack. I removed it and unfolded the bag within a few minutes. The crunchy metallic bag was taller than me (I’m just under 6 feet tall) and about twice as wide. The inside took a little bit of effort to separate, because it was slightly stuck together (because it was factory folded and packed tightly to reduce pack size). But, once opened, it no longer posed any issues.
Now, it was time to run these three items through the test cycle.
A small, family-owned business, Titan Survival is aptly named because of its sizeable goal to equip survivalists and others with only the highest-quality cordage and gear.
Founder Jarod King started on his path after purchasing paracord from various suppliers after his own military stock was depleted. However, after examining these so-called military-grade items, he concluded that many were substandard and had inconsistent quality and overall performance. Because of this, Jarod took matters into his own hands and began manufacturing a paracord that provided strength, durability and reliability.
In 2012, his company was launched to satisfy the needs of those who required consistent results when out in the field. After about four years as Titan Paracord, the company’s name was changed to Titan Survival, and Jarod expanded its offerings to include many other high-quality and potentially life-saving items. Today, Titan Survival is a trusted global supplier, backing all its products with a lifetime guarantee.
Jarod is confident in the quality of his goods, and his customers can reap the rewards of having gear they can trust when a crisis comes their way.
ALL-IN-ONE CORDAGE
My testing was completed entirely in the Florida woods during the peak of summer. Although I performed these tests in a rural environment, all products would be perfectly adaptable to an urban setting as well. Cordage is always needed, no matter where you are. The bracelet goes with you, so that’s not a problem; and staying warm is of utmost importance to everyone, anywhere.
I easily unraveled the SurvivorCord and cut off about a 6-inch piece of its outer casing. This revealed a rather unique combination of strands. Aside from its obvious use as high-strength cordage, I also identified snare wire, fishing line and tinder cord, all of which could be tested individually.
I noticed immediately upon cutting the cord that the snare wire was tough—it had given my knife some resistance as it sliced through. The snare wire is 30 AWG (.25mm) proprietary brass alloy with a tensile strength of around 7 pounds.
The monofilament line, at 25-pound test, was strong, and I had little doubt that if needed for fishing, it would perform well. And if fishing wasn’t an objective for your current situation, the line would also act as strong binding material for just about anything around camp.
“The orange color was vibrant, to say the least, and against the backdrop of the Florida woods, the cordage stood out among the green, brown and yellow foliage in the surrounding area.”
Bear in mind that all the inner specialty strands run the length of the entire bundle of cordage—100 feet—so you literally have 100 feet of everything inside. That’s quite a lot of gear in itself.
The tinder strand, made from paraffin-impregnated jute fiber, took the sparks from my fire starter easily and efficiently. Even wetness from the morning dew had no effect on the strand and didn’t prevent the line from flaming up.
My final test was a strength test of the paracord as a whole. I created a loop-step ladder to reach upward into a tree. As I took my first step, I could feel the security beneath me. There was virtually no stretching of the cordage, and it stayed put around the tree, as well as around my foot. After creating nearly a half-dozen steps, my improvised SurvivalCord ladder passed this test with excellent results. Dismantling the knots upon takedown was also an easy process, because they loosened without any substantial trouble.
“I noticed immediately upon cutting the cord that the snare wire was tough—it had given my knife some resistance as it sliced through.”
SPECIFICATIONS
• MIL-SPEC nylon provides 620-plus pounds of tensile strength
• Won’t shrink or deteriorate in the field
• 25-pound, high-strength mono-filament fishing line
• Paraffin-impregnated jute fiber waterproof tinder
• Ultraviolet and mold-resistant outer sheath
• Total weight: 13 ounces
• Reflective and glow-in-the-dark varieties available
MSRP: $25.53
FOR SLEEP AND SIGNALS
The Emergency Bag felt similar to a Mylar balloon but noticeably thicker. The outer surface was a bright-orange color, and the inside was the familiar silver seen in most of these space-saving blankets. Both colors contrasted against my green-and-brown background and could be seen at some distance. I had no doubt that if this bag were needed as a signal flag or to be cut into trail markers, they would surely be seen by rescuers or someone trekking back to base camp.
The primary function of this piece of survival gear is to keep a person warm and dry in cold temperatures. Although I tested it in Florida, it was during the early hours. The sun wasn’t fully up, and the outside temperature was in the low to mid-seventies. It was easy to tell that the bag was storing my body heat and would have performed well in a cold environment.
I entered the bag. At times, I feared the seams would split or tear as I wiggled in, but no damage occurred. The interior was roomy, and I didn’t feel constricted or confined.
“The emergency blanket won me over instantly as soon as I was inside. It only took minutes before I could feel the internal temperature increasing.”
Within about two to three minutes inside the metallic enclosure, I could begin to feel myself getting warmer. As I tucked the opening fringe all around my body, leaving only my head out of the bag, the heat continued to increase. Scientifically speaking, the bag is supposed to reflect up to 90 percent of a person’s body heat back at them. Without a doubt, it was working on me. After about 15 minutes, I began to sweat immensely, and the temperature increase was significant.
It offers comfort and enough room to move about while sleeping.
Of course, you wouldn’t want to induce perspiration in a cold-weather survival situation, but, again, this was Florida, and the sweat was an unquestionable indication that this emergency sleeping bag really works.
Once I was out of the bag, I rolled the unit up and returned it to its drawstring pouch. With some products on the market today, once the item is opened and used in real-life situations, returning it to its storage bag or original packed size is not always an easy task. However, for this bag, pressing downward to remove the air inside and rolling it up as you would a tube of toothpaste, it reverted to its pre-use state and was easily put back inside its carrying pouch.
SPECIFICATIONS
• Retains up to 90 percent of body heat
• Thicker, softer and quieter than most similar products
• Use for ground cover, rescue signal, poncho, tarp and more
• Fits a regular-sized adult with room to spare
• Tear-resistant, reusable and easily stowed
• Includes nylon drawstring storage pouch
MSRP: $15.99
A HANDY PIECE OF GEAR
The SurvivorCord bracelet looked and felt so good on my wrist that I had a very hard time deciding whether to unravel it … but the tests had to commence.
coming undone, even under harsh conditions.
Dismantling the bracelet was quick—a lot more than I had expected. Within minutes, I had it completely unwound and ready for use. The amount of paracord that made up the bracelet was a pleasant surprise: It reached about 10 feet in length. Like the SurvivorCord bundle, this paracord had the same assortment of inner strands, tinder, fishing line and snare wire, as well as the seven strands that made up the “backbone,” or strength, of the cordage. As with the Survivor Cord, there was no difference in the quality of the inner items. They all succeeded in passing the same rigors I had put the bundle of Titan’s paracord through earlier in the day.
components.
Bear in mind that once the bracelet is disassembled, it would be very difficult to restore it to its original state. So, before you go to the most drastic action of breaking it down, you should explore all your viable options for useable cordage around your environment. Yet, even with that being said, if only one of the inner strands would make your survival situation more comfortable or allow you to survive longer, it would be well worth unweaving it and putting it to use.
“The cordage is, in reality, numerous tools all “wound” up in one, and any piece of inner cordage on its own is a worthwhile item—to say nothing of the strength and durability of the bundle as a whole.”
ADDED TO MY PACK
After consistently experiencing the quality of the cordage, the bracelet and the emergency blanket, it’s very easy for me to say that these three items have earned a place in both my bug-out bag and my auxiliary emergency kit.
The cordage is, in reality, numerous tools all “wound” up in one, and any piece of inner cordage on its own is a worthwhile item—to say nothing of the strength and durability of the bundle as a whole.
“The weight, texture and the overall quality is often revealed within moments after handling most survival products. These three were no different.”
The emergency blanket won me over instantly as soon as I was inside. It only took minutes before I could feel the internal temperature increasing. Consequently, I am confident that in cold conditions, this item could—and would—help prevent hypothermia and keep me alive against the frigid temperatures around me.
The final item, the survival bracelet, was also pleasantly deceptive in appearance. What looked like a simple weave of paracord was in reality a mini-equipment center for your wrist that sported snare wire, tinder, fishing line and more. The beauty of it all, however, was that it would go wherever you would and be ready to tackle some critical tasks almost instantly.
Without a doubt, the Titan Survival products I tested proved their worth. I would definitely recommend them as additions to your survival gear under any and all circumstances.
SPECIFICATIONS
• Trilobite weave pattern yields more than 11 feet of cordage
• Disassembles in fewer than three minutes
• Three wrist adjustment settings
• Tensile strength of greater than 584 pounds
• Choice of five colors
• Four sizes to fit wrists from 6 to 10 inches
MSRP: $13.98
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared in the February 2019 print issue of American Survival Guide.