Out of the Box Survival Tips That Actually Work!

Each and every one of us lives a different lifestyle. The fact is, what might be a SHTF event for me, might not be for you.

As we continue to move forward with our daily lives, no one can really accurately predict the kind of SHTF event that can happen and when it might happen.  The only thing we can do is to be prepared as much as we can incase a SHTF event actually does happen.

When a survival situation lasts for a considerably long period of time, supplies such as food, water, and medicine will become increasingly scarce most especially for people living in overly populated urban areas. Everyone will be fighting for whatever food or supplies are left.

In order to survive such scenario, one must really know how to overcome and adapt to the situation that he or she is in however hard it may seem. He must know how to scavenge for supplies and use these to survive. In short, a true survivalist must know how to adapt, improvise, and make split-second decisions while working with the only things that he or she has on hand.

Below are 15 survival tips that may seem crazy but can actually work…

1. Save those unused latex condoms

Latex condoms can be used in many ways. You can use it to carry water or to store your dry tinder. Latex condoms can also burn easily, so you can also use it as a fire starter material.

2. Tampons are indestructible

Unused tampons are practically indestructible because these are usually wrapped in waterproof sterile packaging. You can use tampons as a last resort water filter, fishing bobber, temporary bandages, or even a wick for an improvised candle if nothing else is available.

3. Use aluminum foil to replace missing battery

You can use aluminum foil to replace your missing battery. How? Just roll the aluminum foil into a tube of the same length as that of your good battery.

Related: An Emergency Power Source? Your Car Battery

4. Use saran wrap for first aid

Saran wraps are great for creating an infection barrier over wounds. Just put some clean cloth over the wound and seal it using a saran wrap.

5. Prevent hypothermia by using bubble wrap

In any survival situation, preventing hypothermia is up on the list. If you can’t find anything else to keep you warm, but for some reason, you come across a stockpile of bubble wraps, then, use these to cover your body. It can be nearly as effective as several cotton blankets for trapping body heat.

6. Shoelace to make a bow and arrow

Use your shoelace as a string for your bow and arrow.

7. Gum wrapper and battery as a fire starter

Have your tinder ready and wear your heat resistant gloves if you have any because the battery will get hot fast. All you need to do is hold the aluminum foil of the gum wrapper on one end of the battery and touch the other end of the wrapper to the opposite end of the battery until it catches fire.

Related: How to Start a Fire Flint and Steel Vs Ferrocerium

8. Super Glue for temporary stitches

If you happen to get injured and there is an open wound that needs closing and there are no other first-aid materials to be used, then superglue can do the job. Put some superglue in the laceration. Pinch your wound to close it and wait until the superglue dries.

9. Can Top Fishing Hooks

If you want to survive in the wilderness, then, you must learn how to gather your own food. Knowing how to fish is one of the best ways to do this. But in fishing, finding the right material is not that easy. One of the most common item that makes for an almost perfect fishing hook is the pop top of your beer or soda can. All you have to do is remove one segment of the top and file it to a point.

10. Water Bottle Ceiling Lights

How can you install a ceiling light even if there is no electricity? The answer: Transparent water bottles.

Fill your transparent water bottle with a solution of bleached water and cut a hole in the roof of your shelter. Insert the bottle in the hole that you’ve just cut. The light will travel through the water and disperse; this will create a source of light that can illuminate your entire shelter.

Related: 5 Ways To Survive With Only a Lighter

11. A cup and sewing needle as an improvised compass

This is one of the oldest and most useful survival hacks in the history of all survival hacks. It is so useful that it has saved thousands of human lives over the centuries.

Fill a cup with water and lay a leaf in the center of it. Slowly put a sewing needle or a piece of wire on top of the leaf so it floats. The earth’s magnetic field will naturally orient the needle to point North or South.

12. Tic Tac containers for spices

If you can’t leave your spices behind, then, the best way to bring them is by using Tic Tac containers. Just fill the tiny containers with your favorite spices and label them.

13. Use tarp to collect rain water

Tie the four corners of your tarp loosely. As the skies open up, your tarp will collect a significant amount of water that you can use for drinking and cooking. Transfer the collected water into your gallon.

Before drinking the rainwater that you have collected, make sure to purify it first. Drinking contaminated water can lead to different waterborne diseases such as polio, malaria, cholera, and diarrhea.

Related: Is Harvesting Rain Water Illegal in Your State?

A very good and easy way to purify water most especially if you are in the wilderness is by using this very simple yet effective water filter purification strategy. Here’s how to do it.

You will need:

• gauze
• 2 glass cups. One glass cup is bigger than the other.

Steps:

• Put down your cups in an even surface with the bigger cup placed higher than the smaller one.
• Cut and roll a gauze as shown in the photo and place one end at the bigger cup and the other end at the smaller cup.
• Put your unfiltered water into the bigger cup. The gauze will filter clean water into the smaller cup.

14. Crayons as substitute candles

Crayons can also be used as a makeshift candle. Each crayon candle can last up to 15 minutes at a time. So if you happen to have a box of 96 crayons, then you will have an emergency light that will last you for 24 hours.

15. Rear-view mirrors, CD’s and polished metals as improvised reflective signals

Reflective signals are very important especially if you want to signal for help or if you’d want your location to be known. If you don’t have a ready-made reflective signal with you, then, you can improvise. Rear-view mirrors, CD’s and polished metals can be used as improvised reflective signals.

Final Word

As they say, there is no right way to survive. Every individual has his or her own style, tricks, and hacks when it comes to survival.  But the best way to prepare when you aren’t certain what to prepare for is through knowledge and practice. The more knowledge you have and the more experience you have, the better you will be at adapting and surviving when SHTF.