Luggage Dog-Tag Concept
Seems like my luggage tags are always getting stolen, ripped off, lost, and for other reasons needing replacement. I came up with this idea as a solution. Actually some of the awesome lanyards posted on CPF inspired me to try this. I used some paracord, cored and soaked in water (so it shrinks tight when dried), and a custom dog tag with my name, phone number, etc. Basically this is a paracord knife handle wrap that secures the dog tag to the bag's handle. It's done this way so it doesn't interfere with using the handle comfortably and doesn't flop around. I put the dog tag face-down, so a casual look makes it hard to read, but it can be flipped up and read easily.
Here's what it looks like:
Besides being tough and relatively unobtrusive, this luggage tag solution is cheap (around $4 for the dog tag and and pennies for the paracord you'll need).
How to create a luggage dog-tag:
Buy your dog tags with whatever you want on them from:
www.dogtagsonline.com
Get as much 550-type paracord (best is the real deal, MIL-C-5040H TYPE III Parachute Cord) as you need in your choice of color. Recommended vendor:
http://supplycaptain.com/
Suggestion: A contrasting or bright color will make it easier to spot your bag and confirm its identity in the baggage madness at the airport.
Cut about 24 - 30 inches, depending on how many wraps you need, of paracord in a color you like.
Strip the core from the paracord: Cut one end and pull out the long white cords that are in the center. This leaves only the outer sheath of woven nylon. It's strong enough for this application and easier to wrap tightly.
Soak the paracord for about 20 minutes in warm water. This allows you to stretch it tightly when you are wrapping the handle, and soaking also means that the cord will shrink a bit and tighten on itself as it dries.
Feed one end through the hole in the dog-tag and make a loop leaving one end much shorter. You will be using the long end for wrapping. The diagram below shows you the rest.
When you near the end, thread the end you are wrapping with through the loop as shown and pull the top end of the cord to tighten the loop and snug the dog-tag up against the lower layer of cord. Trim the end to about one inch and using a toothpick or small screwdriver carefully feed the remaining cord end up under several of the wrap layers until it can't be seen. This will secure the loose end.
Trim the top end to about 1/4" or less and stuff it in behind the top layers of wrapping. After this handle wrap dries overnight it should be nice and snug on the handle. There should be just enough resistance to keep the dog-tag from flopping around but still keep if free enough to allow it to be flipped up for reading.
Seems like my luggage tags are always getting stolen, ripped off, lost, and for other reasons needing replacement. I came up with this idea as a solution. Actually some of the awesome lanyards posted on CPF inspired me to try this. I used some paracord, cored and soaked in water (so it shrinks tight when dried), and a custom dog tag with my name, phone number, etc. Basically this is a paracord knife handle wrap that secures the dog tag to the bag's handle. It's done this way so it doesn't interfere with using the handle comfortably and doesn't flop around. I put the dog tag face-down, so a casual look makes it hard to read, but it can be flipped up and read easily.
Here's what it looks like:
Besides being tough and relatively unobtrusive, this luggage tag solution is cheap (around $4 for the dog tag and and pennies for the paracord you'll need).
How to create a luggage dog-tag:
Buy your dog tags with whatever you want on them from:
www.dogtagsonline.com
Get as much 550-type paracord (best is the real deal, MIL-C-5040H TYPE III Parachute Cord) as you need in your choice of color. Recommended vendor:
http://supplycaptain.com/
Suggestion: A contrasting or bright color will make it easier to spot your bag and confirm its identity in the baggage madness at the airport.
Cut about 24 - 30 inches, depending on how many wraps you need, of paracord in a color you like.
Strip the core from the paracord: Cut one end and pull out the long white cords that are in the center. This leaves only the outer sheath of woven nylon. It's strong enough for this application and easier to wrap tightly.
Soak the paracord for about 20 minutes in warm water. This allows you to stretch it tightly when you are wrapping the handle, and soaking also means that the cord will shrink a bit and tighten on itself as it dries.
Feed one end through the hole in the dog-tag and make a loop leaving one end much shorter. You will be using the long end for wrapping. The diagram below shows you the rest.
When you near the end, thread the end you are wrapping with through the loop as shown and pull the top end of the cord to tighten the loop and snug the dog-tag up against the lower layer of cord. Trim the end to about one inch and using a toothpick or small screwdriver carefully feed the remaining cord end up under several of the wrap layers until it can't be seen. This will secure the loose end.
Trim the top end to about 1/4" or less and stuff it in behind the top layers of wrapping. After this handle wrap dries overnight it should be nice and snug on the handle. There should be just enough resistance to keep the dog-tag from flopping around but still keep if free enough to allow it to be flipped up for reading.
