Why Every Outdoor Adventurer Needs This Military-Inspired Paracord Essential
After wasting precious time untangling paracord over his eight-plus years in the Marine Corps, Matthew Adams, now president at Quikcord, began carrying the utility cord stacked neatly in a toilet paper roll. While presenting this simple contraption to help secure the bumper of a limo on diplomatic protection in the Middle East one evening, his colleagues laughed and complimented his ingenuity. The veteran attributes this to the beginnings of his essential outdoor gear product, Quikcord.
Quikcord is a paracord organizer and dispenser that allows users to access up to 7.5 metres of tangle-free paracord at a moment’s notice. Its lightweight yet durable shell also comes equipped with a built-in blade and an emergency nighttime signal that lasts up to 12 hours. It doubles as a flashlight if necessary, making Quikcord a well thought out all-in-one emergency device.
Like a first-aid kit, Quikcord is a tool that’s meant to be taken on any journey. “You’re not going to use it every time, but when you actually need it, and as long as you know how to use it, then it could be a very helpful tool in a pinch,” explains Matthew Fioretti, CFO and lead strategist at Quikcord. Its uses are only limited by the imagination, as Quikcord inventors have used it in a range of situations, including tying a Christmas tree to the roof of a car and hanging bear bags. Plus, at just 15 centimetres long, this tool is highly portable.
The duo, who are longtime friends from high school, was confident that Quikcord would benefit outdoor adventurers in addition to the military, due to their own affinity for the outdoors. Survivalists, avid campers and backpackers have consistently used paracord to secure a tent, items to their pack, as a tourniquet or sling for first aid, and even as a fishing line or firestarter.
Conceptualized in 2016, the first simple Quikcord design was rejected by patent attorneys, which prompted the team to enhance their invention with factors that would improve its efficiency during an emergency, like a built-in knife, a chem light and the ability to dispense cords from both ends. Up until 2020, when Quikcord officially launched with two patents, the toilet paper roll design evolved into a 3D printed prototype with the help of funding. Its usability was tested among Adams’ network of military contacts on deployment in the Middle East, subjecting the tool to a range of situations and conditions. “The testing results came back extremely positive, so we knew we had our design,” recalls Fioretti.
Composed of a high-impact polypropylene copolymer, Quikcord was designed to military specifications. “That plastic can take anything. It can take the sun, it can take extreme heat, extreme cold, it can take getting beat up, knocked around and smashed. It’s a very high temporal plastic in terms of trying to break it,” Fioretti explains. Quikcord creators also favour the highly durable polypropylene copolymer for its ability to tear instead of shatter into sharp pieces in the unlikely event that it breaks, minimizing the possibility that any shards could hurt the user.
With the purpose to equip outdoor adventurers with the knowledge to use their product effectively, the paracord organizer comes disassembled, which encourages the user to practice the innovative stacking method Quikcord employs. “We advocate that people need to know how their equipment works in a bad situation,” explains Adams. He points first-time Quikcord users to their website’s demo video. “The three most important things in any type of survival situation are water, shelter and the ability to get food. Paracord can help with absolutely all of those, and Quikcord makes it so that your paracord is ready when you need it.”
Aside from equipping adventurers with an indispensable tool, Quikcord also aims to give back to the local community by donating to charities and the military, as well as keeping their business local. Headquartered in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, the product is assembled in nearby Pittsfield, the chem lights are sourced from the town over in West Springfield, and the plastics are supplied by a local vendor. “That’s going to continue to be the mission as we move forward,” says Fioretti of Quikcord’s determination to invest in their own community.
This article was sponsored by Quikcord
Paracord is used by outdoorsmen and adventurers all over the world. Its the temporary fix for things that break. The problem with cord is that no matter how you carry it, its always a tangled mess when you need it most. Built by a US Marine Infantry and Special Operations veteran, QUIKCORD is the essential piece of gear that belongs in everyone’s kit. Tangle free paracord, a built-in blade, and an emergency nighttime signal all in one.
