If you’ve ever been in a real survival situation, you know how quickly your brain kicks into gear to create makeshift tools, weapons and other necessities that you don’t have with you out of whatever materials you can find laying around. Survivals hacks are these bit of wisdom that real survivors, experimenters, innovators (and bored out of their mind people) have created over the years. Below are a few top hacks. Hopefully, you’ll find them useful.
Soda Can Life Hacks
- A pop can opener can be fashioned into a fishing hook.
- Fill a soda can with oil and insert a rolled up paper towel into the opening. Light the paper towel and enjoy and oil “candle” that will last for hours.
- Make a light out of the Coke can by cutting the side to make a “window” with the flaps that you cut serving as shutters. Place a candle inside of the can. As the candlelight reflects, it will be significantly intensified and you will have a relatively bright lantern.
Duct Tape Life Hacks
- Use duct tape to repair:
- Your water bottle
- Hydration pack
- Backpack
- Tent
- Clothing
- Stick some duct tape on a lid of a jar that won’t open, leaving a piece loose. Pull on the piece and twist – the jar will open.
- Stick a piece of duct tape on a deep cut or onto a chunk of flesh that was partially cut off to seal it when you have no bandaging material. This helps to piece the skin and flesh together. The downer? You’ll have to keep it there until you can get to a decent first aid kit (ripping it off is not pleasant.)
- Freezing? Wrap duct tape to seal the gaps between your sleeves and your gloves, as well as between your boots and your pants to keep the heat from escaping.
- Use duct tape as a brace and as a sling to protect the broken limb until you find more suitable materials (if you do).
Milk Jugs Life Hacks
- Use empty milk jugs to build a raft.
- One milk jug hack I saw recently relates to making a light. Fill the milk jug with water. Strap a headlamp onto it with the light facing in. Turn on. You will have a much brighter light.
Other Cool Survival Hacks
- Place any kind of improvised wick into a jar of Crisco and light it. Now you have a functional candle that will burn for weeks!
- Use any type of greasy chips (Doritos and Cheetos seem to work wonders) as tinder if there is none around.
- Use a coffee can to create a portable stove (cut an opening on the side towards the bottom to feed in branches and other fuel.) It creates a concentrated source of heat to cook your food.
- Apply some baby oil on the exposed skin to prevent (or at least delay) frostbite if you have to be out looking for food or supplies in freezing temperatures.
Have you discovered some hacks of your own? Don’t keep them to yourself! Share them with us or blog about them.
To your survival,
Joseph Wilkinson
