Waterproof, Movement Inhibited, Flame-Retardant, Shred-Resistant, Paracord Lace

BACKGROUND

This invention relates to footwear laces in the fields of outdoor recreational activities and industrial environments, including but not limited to, public safety, athletics, forestry, hunting, fishing, etc.

Current lace technology includes cotton laces, polyester laces, blended fiber laces, leather laces, nylon and polyester paracord laces, BOA lace systems, Fast-Track lace systems, and others. Some drawbacks of these systems includes fraying, slipping, freezing, burning, becoming waterlogged, snapping, and system failure. While paracord laces are useful due to their strength and versatility, they also suffer from some of the same drawbacks (fraying, slipping, freezing, burning, becoming waterlogged, and snapping).

Cotton laces are useful because they are inexpensive and easy to manufacturer. Cotton laces, however, also suffer from the same specified drawbacks listed in the above paragraph, and are very weak. There has been some attempt to mitigate these drawbacks in applications for sports, such as ice hockey, by applying paraffin wax to flat cotton-polyester laces. The wax coating increases friction, decreasing slipping, and makes the lace slightly water-resistant.

SUMMARY

This application generally relates to paracord laces impregnated with various wax types and combinations of wax, including but not limited to paraffin and beeswax. The wax can be applied either before or after sheathing the paracord (either during or after the paracord manufacturing process). The waxed paracord lace may or may not have aglets, metal, plastic, or otherwise, to facilitate threading the lace through eyelets and/or to help deter fraying. This application of wax makes the paracord lace waterproof, movement inhibited, flame-retardant, and shred-resistant.

The chemical structure of wax is a long lipid (carbon-hydrogen) chain, which is very non-polar. This non-polar wax substance is impregnated into the paracord by soaking the paracord in wax long enough to saturate the paracord. The chemical structure of water is very polar, so after the paracord is impregnated with the non-polar wax, the water is not able to penetrate the non-polar wax sheathing of the paracord, making the laces waterproof.

Once waxed, the paracord laces take on a tacky, waxy texture. This increases friction and inhibits movement between the lace and contact points, namely boot or shoe eyelets. Waxed paracord laces decrease slipping so much, that laces can be tightened uniquely at each eyelet. This allows a person to have both tight and loose lacing within the same boot or shoe. This is useful for creating a better, customized fit for certain activities and sports such as hiking, snowboarding, fishing, walking, and running, where it is useful to customize the lacing tightness to improve support and reduce lace-bite.

All laces available on the market today are flammable. Paracord laces melt and burn. Waxed paracord laces, however, are flame-retardant. The wax coating absorbs the heat and melts first, protecting the paracord from melting against a direct flame for up to 11 seconds, based on wax composition. This flame-retardant feature is especially useful in fire fighting applications where burned laces increase risk of injury.

Laces are fibrous by nature, and are therefore subject to fraying and shredding. When waxed, exposure of the paracord fibers is reduced. Laces impregnated with wax are more difficult to fray, shred, and tear and the longevity of the paracord lace in increased.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 An example of an uncrimped aglet, before it is attached to the end of the paracord lace.

FIG. 2 A waxed, paracord lace.

FIG. 3 A waxed, paracord lace with crimped aglet on the end.