Unusual Survival Items

Originally posted by Death_Kron

Originally posted by Northern Raider

Originally posted by Death_Kron

Originally posted by Northern Raider
What works better than shoe polish is Vaseline soaked in cotton wool balls, the vaeline does not produce such a sooty mess or strong smell.

Thanks for the tip! One thing I have noticed from reading your posts is that you place an emphasis on light sticks/glow sticks, and while they aren't exactly an unusual item for some reason many people don't seem to include them in their survival kits. An invaluable item is you ask me!

I bulk buy em as its cheaper, I get approx 50 or 100 at a time, the white ones are great for map work or reading, the coloured ones we use for signalling, and we we go out enmasse camping we fasten light sticks to the kids to see where they are are it gets dark

. Light sticks are safe, non toxic and non flamable which makes em ideal for use in tents (no fire risk). In BOBs I tend to store them in Cigar Tubes or Tampon tubes or even 4/5 in a kitchen roll tube to prevent them from getting accidentally activated.
www.theglowcompany.co.uk...


[edit on 4-10-2008 by Northern Raider]

Are you a scout leader by any chance?

Anyways great points made mate, the reasons you have outlined above are why any survivalist should have a decent supply of light sticks!

No sir but quite a few survivalists not only have kids, but we also built our own camper vans and go off on rallies in groups, We let the kids roam safely after dark by illuminating them with glo sticks. Only problem we once had was when one of the little buggers put his lightstick on a sheep, bout 10.30 PM all we could see was the green light moving up the side of a massive hill near Dent in Cumbria

Originally posted by WatchRider
A condom, filled with water and then covered with a sock makes for a good, improvised water canteen.

And a sock filled with wet sand makes a good improvised defence weapon.

for pure usefulness you cant ask for a more useful tool then the simple walking stick. Think about it.

Originally posted by angryamerican
for pure usefulness you cant ask for a more useful tool then the simple walking stick. Think about it.

A telescopic hiking pole/ walking stick often gets me round the anti weapon laws in the UK.

female Tampons can be inserted into bullet wounds to control bleeding and to drain wounds as they heal.

Use a rat trap and glow-stick on your perimeter trip wire system to signal someone is trying to approach you camp at night.
who ever is on watch will see it glow.

Just set the trap to break the glass tube in the glow stick.

I have noticed that most, if not all posting are British, and wonder why no one has mentioned Tea Bags, or is that just a given. the astringent properties of most teas are a soothing and therapeutic on insect bites, and festering skin sores and you get to drink the good stuff first. they are also soothing when applied to tired eyes. I was also wondering about the many references to "female tampons" I didn't know that there was any other kind. are you fellows holding something back from this dumb yank? Is there such a thing as male tampons? Actually if there is, I don't want to know.

reply to post by undermind


pull it out... whiskey style

LOL LOL...shoe polish.

Shoe polish is a type of wax...this should be somewhat self explainatory. You needn't use much of it to get a fire started. Also the vaseline posted by someone is an excellent idea. Vaseline is useful for many things and is a petroleum base. Vaseline is a great invention on someones part. I keep a small vial of vaseline in my BOB all the time along with antibiotic ointment.

In my BOB which is also my daily go to and fro work bag...I keep a couple of disposable lighters in addition to a magnifying glass and magnesium fire starter.
Disposable lighters are just that ...disposable and also they have two very redeeming factors. They are very very cheap and no shelf life. So why not keep one or two on hand or near you all the time. You can even get them in the 10 or 20 packs in certain stores. No reason not to have some close by and accessable. They wont break your bank.
Oddly enough ..I keep a slim container of baby wipes in my BOB. Those of you with military experience out in the field or scrub know the practical appllication of this.
My electronic gear I carry is in plastic bags along with the batterys also in plastic bags. THe zip lock bags are great. If any of you have access to heavy duty industrial plastic bags of various sizes.....get some ..they are much thicker than what you get in the grocery stores. Very useful in waterproofing. I keep a couple of clean dry pairs of socks and a tee shirt in one...taped up and sealed of course.
Something else I always keep in my bags as well as at home is a tube of antibiotic ointment. I will buy it in the two packs and rotate it out after a year or so. It is cheap and available...now. Doesnt take up much space. If you have young ones...you know that this is always a good thing to have around...anywhere anytime.

Thanks,
Orangetom


[edit on 5-10-2008 by orangetom1999]

reply to post by hypervigilant




I'm leaving the tampon one be.

As for tea, it was the first thing to go into my bug out bag!

If the whole of society was about to collapse and go to hell, as long as I've got a cuppa, I'd care that much less about it.

Things that are a must in my kit are:
1.Iodine for sores and toothache (oddly it works, just don't swallow, also takes a while to kill the nerve but after it does, it will never hurt again)
2. Fencing pliers, most useful tool I have.

can be a weapon.hammer,pliers,wire stripper ect
3.10'12' tarp, wrap your spare cloths in it before you go out, when you're ready to set up camp, your cloths are dry and you have yourself a makeshift tent in a pinch
4. Steel wool - no additives. Best tinder starter I've found, light one of these and you got a fire.
5. Small bottle of vitamins. Never know when going out into the forest if you will be able to eat the next day, a multivitamin can make a big difference.
6. Hand sanitizer. For the obvious as well as sanitizing wounds and to help to start damp tinder.

Lots more but I like to keep it light, being 130lbs soaking wet I don't want to haul around half my body weight.

After I got my wisdom teeth yanked out the DDS told me to put black tea bags in my mouth where the wisdom teeth were. I think the tea stops bleeding and gives you a good caffenine pick up. Maybe the caffenine blocks some of the pain?

I would pick up some drybags that people use for kayaking and canoeing and then stuff that in your backpack. Even if you are caught hiking in the rain you can be sure of getting a dry change of clothes.

Thin polypropellene or silk tops and bottoms. These fabric wick the moisture away from your body while keeping you warm.

There's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes. Which brings up Muck boots.

Also tampons can be really useful as the stuff inside of them and pads absorbs several times it's own weight in liquid. Makes a good firestarter and its excellent for cleaning out the barrel of shotguns, soak one in a little oil and push it down the barrel with a stick.

reply to post by stikkinikki


Poly pro is nice I was issued a shirt made of the stuff in Vietnam and it felt very luxurious to sleep in after removing my filthy sweat soaked T shirt and jungle utility jacket. How about a rubber bitch(air mattress), a little heavy but very nice to have since you need to sleep and may need to hole up for awhile and don't forget repair patches. Compression bags save a lot of space and there are now plastic bags with the familiar zip lock and a one way valve that you sit on to compress and are water proof. I've used both types on cross country motorcycle trips. Victorinox offers a Swiss Champ Army Knife with a carry on belt package that has a surprising amount of items and room for small additional items. I have these items in mine: mechanical pencil, sewing kit, nylon cord, hooks, line, lead sinkers, 2 .010 guitar strings,(for small animal snares),ceramic Knife sharpener,compass magnifying glass,thermometer,ruler,graph paper,morse code signal & Knot tying guide, band aids, 2 signal mirrors & whistle,AAA battery flashlight, lighter, small post its, and mini utility tool. The Knife at the time it was purchased had the most features offered on a Swiss Army Knife. To entertain oneself my choice is a Hohner Puck harmonica in the key of G. small size big sound good quality.

Thats one key item I forgot, musical instrument. Half of survival is actually keeping the will to survive and a small addition like a harmonica or some other makeshift instrument to pass the time will help greatly.

An even more rugged instrument that that takes up less space is the jaw harp. A small one is best, produces more sound and is not as likely to chip you teeth. Penney whistles, recorders, and even improvised string instruments like a single string diddly bow, would make a tremendous difference in a persons attitude and state of mind. Even simple distractions helps one to deal with weather extremes, thirst, hunger, pain, and loneliness.

dryer lint makes a great replacement for tinder as well, just roll a small ball of the stuff and place it under your smaller logs.

Trash bags can be used as raincoats, between you and the wet ground, to gather dew and moisture from plants, and more.

For women something along the lines of a diva cup or one of the similar products would be a major convenience as access to feminine protection would be spotty at best.

Along with clove oil I would recommend lavender essential oil as it is soothing to bites wounds and burns, antiseptic and calming in times of crisis and safe for nearly everyone from babies to the elderly.

A bottle of pure ethanol or as close as you can get would also come in handy, you can use it to sanitize, anesthetize and also a small amount on some cotton or wool could help you start a fire.

I also have a stash of instant coffee and a small vial of caffeine pills. Right in the middle of a disaster is not the time for a caffeine (lack of really) migraine to kick in

A Decoy Wallet.

A wallet containing worthless items but can be used to distract an attacker to aid an escape and/or a counterattack.

Also need to carry chlorine tablets for drinking water but in a pinch can use a small amt of bleach a couple of drops per canteen will stop you from getting sick.

I thought I'd add a homemade item in here.

I'll call it 'SLO-BURN-STAY-LIT-O-FLUFF'.

You get it free from the filter on your tumble-drier.
Dipped in fuel-gel..or even left over fat from your frying pan.

It has the benefit if staying lit,wicking up the fuel and it stays plumped up allowing plenty of air in from all angles to get a steady flame to light your kindling.

You can tell when the 'fuel' is running out.. coz it pongs a lot when it starts to burn the hair/fluff/bits from your underpants/etc.

No patenting it and making a fortune from this please...

Never seen this thread before. For those in areas or who will be in areas with dangerous game, in my case, bears. I keep a few aerosol cans around. If you dont have a sentry at night at a camping locations, take a few of these, coat in bacon grease or other fat, Crisco may work as well. Set around your perimeter, if anything comes along, either a claw or tooth sets off an explosion. Kind of a bear warning hand grenade.