In This Article
- 1. Plastic Bags
- 2. Shoestring Worms
- 3. Soda Cans
- 4. Bicycle Tires
- 5. Old Books or Tissue Paper
- 6. DIY Dentist
- 7. A Comb or a Pencil
- 8. Masking Tape
- 9. Sewing Needles
- 10. Hair Gel
- 11. Microfiber Fabric
- 12. A Washing Machine
- 13. Potato Peelings
- 14. Ear Wax
- 15. An Empty Water Bottle
- 16. A Coffee Filter Air Filter
- 17. An Earflap Hat
- 18. A Toothbrush
- Final Words
Surviving in the wilderness is not easy. As we all know, sometimes you just need a little help from your friends. This can be anything from a good hatchet to some rubber bands to hold up that old pair of pants when you’re on the go. If you’re ever in a place where there’s no one around and you need something to aid your survival, maybe these items will come in handy:
1. Plastic Bags
When you need to fashion an emergency shelter, the first thing on your mind is probably wood. Not only is it difficult to find it, but planting it can be hazardous for some people. Wood does not provide the warmth that plastic bags do. This is why plastic bags are often used as emergency shelters by hikers and campers alike.
2. Shoestring Worms
When you’re on the go, there are few things more useful than shoestring worms. Use them to catch small fish or useful insects for food or bait if you’re in a survival situation. Just make sure they are dead before using them as bait since they can still bite you even after being dead!
3. Soda Cans
Coca-Cola is probably proud of what we can do with its product. When you need to start a fire and you haven’t got the time to prepare wood, use a bunch of soda or aluminum cans and a lighter or matches to get the fire going. The aluminum in the cans will help ignite the paper and cardboard underneath them.
4. Bicycle Tires
When you’re on your way home from work and realize that it’s gotten dark, take an old bicycle tire with you just in case. You can strike them against each other or rocks to create sparks which can be used for starting a fire when combined with flammable material like dry grasses, leaves, and paper.
5. Old Books or Tissue Paper
Old books may not be very useful for reading, but they’re great fire starters when combined with flammable material like dry leaves, and paper. Again, this is only useful if you have some dry leaves and paper on hand. Just place the paper inside the book and hit against another book or rock to create friction. Sparks will fly out of the book, igniting the dry leaves or paper.
6. DIY Dentist
Do you know how dentists use compressed air to clean people’s teeth? Well, you can do that too! All you need is some cotton strings, a couple of bamboo sticks, and a plastic bottle. Cut a small hole in one end of the plastic bottle and insert one end of the string through it.
Take the other end of that string through one of your molars then loop it around one end of your bamboo stick. Place some cotton on the end of the stick and secure it to your tooth with a piece of dental floss. Then, pull the string to create the suction needed to clean your teeth.
7. A Comb or a Pencil
If you don’t have a knife with you, a pencil or comb can work wonders in making shavings for fire starters once combined with a piece of cardboard or dried leaves. Just place the cardboard under the pencil and rub it back and forth on your hair or teeth until you make a couple of shavings that can ignite some leaves or paper. This is great for those who enjoy some alone time in the wilderness as well as those who find themselves stranded without any tools whatsoever.
8. Masking Tape
Masking tape may not be the best way to hold up your pants, but it is very useful when it comes to signal rescuers if you ever get lost or stranded. When your rescuers are looking for you, they can use the reflective material on the back of the tape to find you in the dark. It won’t last forever but it will keep them on track until they find you.
9. Sewing Needles
Even if you’re not in a survival situation, stitching up some wounds is incredibly important to keep yourself healthy. This is why you should always always always carry a few needles with you just in case! Even if there’s no one around to stitch you up, the blunt part of the needle can still be used to poke some hair or skin to stop bleeding while waiting for someone to get there.
10. Hair Gel
Hair gel isn’t just good for keeping your hair in place, it can also keep you safe and sound when you’re out camping or hiking. It’s essentially a fire retardant preventing the kindling from catching on fire for a few seconds longer.
This is what we call “survival time” and can mean the difference between life and death. You can use this as a lubricant as well as an adhesive for bandages if you need to patch yourself up fast.
11. Microfiber Fabric
Microfiber fabric is the best product you could possibly buy if you’re in an emergency situation. It has amazing characteristics like absorbing liquids and dirt while remaining sweat-proof, waterproof, breathable, and resistant. All of these properties are incredibly useful when the survival situation comes to an end. Simply fold it up to create a pillow or bandage when your situation warrants it!
12. A Washing Machine
When you have no access to water, have no electricity, or are in a survival situation for more than a few days, you’ll realize just how useful your washing machine can be in keeping yourself hygienic. Just take a few clothes and rub the clothes on the drum of the washing machine to give them a nice scent. The clothes will get clean, smell nice and get clean faster than they normally would while staining or becoming discolored in some way.
13. Potato Peelings
Potato peels can be used as a replacement for toilet paper if you’re ever in this type of situation, and they’re also incredibly useful for creating many kinds of survival tools: ammo, fire starters, and even fishing hooks! You can keep these peels on hand in case you need to use them as necessities before you’ll be able to go home again.
14. Ear Wax
If you’re ever in a situation where you can’t get to a public toilet or shower, ear wax can help solve the issue. All you need is some cotton wool and ear wax and you’re good to go. The cotton will absorb infection and the wax will provide moisturizing and protection against bacteria and dirt in your ears.
Not only is this extremely useful for hygiene reasons but it will also save your hearing from damage if you hear too much loud noise, hear about an evacuation, or get blasted by toxic gas.
15. An Empty Water Bottle
We think empty water bottles are pretty useless but they can be used for other purposes. For example, if you’re stranded in the desert, you could use it to collect water from the cactus or any other plant that contains liquid.
You should avoid using this trick on poisonous plants though! If you’re living in an area that gets a lot of rain, you can also use an empty bottle to make a makeshift tent if needed.
16. A Coffee Filter Air Filter
If you’re ever in a survival situation, understanding just how important it can be to have clean air is paramount. If you’re fighting for your life in the wilderness, having clean air will save your life. The best thing to have right there is a coffee filter, or at least an unscented one!
Just take it out of the filter and use it as a filter for your nose. Then, all you need are some cotton balls and water! This will be incredibly useful when it’s time to sleep because all you’ll have to do is rinse the coffee filter under water.
17. An Earflap Hat
These earflap hats have been around for a long time. They can be used to keep you warm when you’re in the middle of the woods, they can keep your hair out of your face while you work and they’ve even been used by astronauts to help them control body temperature. Plus, if you ever get lost or stranded, an earflap hat is just what you need to look at your environment!
18. A Toothbrush
Even though this might come as a shocker, some people don’t realize just how useful a toothbrush can be in a survival situation! You can use it for scouring inside cans, cleaning off black bits of gunpowder on metal tools, or cleaning gear like knives and guns.
Final Words
We hope that this list helps remind you why you should always keep a few things to hand in case you ever find yourself in an emergency situation! Always remember to be careful and careful with your life. If there’s something on this list that you don’t think will come in handy or don’t think you could possibly use, at least remember the name. You’ll be surprised how useful it can be in everyday life.
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