Reusable zip ties, goddammit! Regular zip ties are useful once in awhile, but the fact that you need to cut them makes them impractical for many applications.
But the reusable ones, which you can fasten and unfasten with equal ease? Holy shit. I use these bad boys ALL. THE. TIME.
For starters, just think about the cords, ropes, cables, and wires in your life. You have a great many of them, and they are probably a mess. ZIP TIES. Wrap an extension cord or laptop charger up in a loop, pinch it together, and zip it up. And that's just for starters.
Sleeping bags? Blankets? Towels? ZIP. TIES. Roll and zip them and they will pack down much smaller than just rolling them alone, and they won't come unrolled, making packing/storing way the hell easier. I can keep going.
Most applications where you might use an elastic band are actually better with Z I P T I E S. Need something squeezed tightly, like the aforementioned sleeping bag? Zip ties ratchet down tighter than an elastic band can. Need something secured gently, like a bag of chips? An elastic will crush your delicate chips, but a zip tie can hold the bag closed with gentle pressure bespoke and delicate. With zip ties, YOU are in control. They last longer and are much more resistant to temperature and sunlight than elastic bands too, so you can use them in the freezer or outdoors or wherever and they will outlive you.
Get yourself or a loved one a bag of 100 for like $5 right now. Hand them out to children on Halloween. Offer them as gifts to friends and acquaintances new and old. They will change your life and theirs. Reusable zip ties.
I hate zip ties with a passion. I hate the reusable ones too. My go to is velcro. Get a big roll and cut it to size. Reusable even if you make it too short.
YES! I a roll recently to get the cables behind my desk up and away from my feet. (Jerking cables out of their jacks sideways is bad for today's crap hardware.) AND no more rats' nesting.
(Too bad I never found a desk with a cable gutter along the back. Wud be great for a bunch of heavy audio/midi cables.)
I'll add that on farms, zip ties have joined baling string and duct tape as essential this is to have on hand to quickly fix whatever broke and hold together new fabrications.
I've been giving the reusable zip-ties and the Velcro cable ties out, together as presents, for the last few years. It is something I would love to have been given. (Usually with some other present too)
For those trying to move away from plastic I recommend buying some hemp cord and learning to tie a taut line hitch. It can serve a similar purpose as a zip tie
Bowline is a great knot. Definitely my go to for making loops and linking small lengths of cord together. I've even used it on a blanket to create tie outs to insulate the bottom of my hammock.