There were times, in the Darker Days of history, when bungee cord technology was available only to parachutists. Or when the now-ubiquitous carabiner was found neither in the daypacks of glampers, nor on the climbing belts of alpinists… but only on sailing ships.

Until one day, a random somebody in a pinch grabbed each of these to serve an unintended purpose. And hey! it worked better than anything else. So much better, that today these simple devices do everything from organizing keys and toting water bottles, to tethering unruly kids at the mall.

For several months, we’ve been testing out Gear Tie, a new product that touts hundreds – even thousands – of uses, on the trail and off. Could this hold a place in your everyday life?

MORE >