Household Items That May Save Your Life On A Camping Trip

6 Household Items Worth Having On A Camping Trip

Aside from a cell-phone, there are various things that can be used for the benefit of survival, when on a camping trip. Duct tape is just one example; it could easily help address that question, ‘Can you patch a tent?’ But there are other things, too, some which may surprise you. The good news is, most of them are light, small, and easy to carry on your person.

1. Dental floss

This lightweight and useful item has many uses, apart from keeping your teeth and gums in tip-top condition. It can be used as a homemade hunting snare for capturing small animals like squirrels, or as a fishing line to catch fish. It can also be used to bind sticks together, enabling you to create a shelter. Some have even claimed that it can be used to winch things down to someone in distress or, by using multiple strands, as a human winch to lower an actual person down to safety. There you have it, then; food, shelter, and rescue can be achieved by this incredibly durable and strong dental tool.

2. Bandana

A bandana is a really using piece of headgear. Not only does it help prevent sunburn on your head and ears, but it can serve as an air filter if walking through a smoky or polluted area. It can be a neckerchief, sling, or tourniquet if required. If you choose a brightly colored bandana it can serve as a signal to attract the attention of aircraft or helicopter. If suffering from extreme heat, you can dunk your bandana in water and wrap it around your head to allow natural cooling to occur. It’s so useful that you could even bring more than one so that you can help your friend in need, or do two tasks simultaneously.

3. Garbage bag

Garbage bags have so many uses and they happen to be very lightweight and easy to store. They can function as a makeshift raincoat or windbreaker; if stuffed with clothing or leaves they can serve as a pillow. With it, you can keep your backpack dry in rainy weather or shelter beneath during a storm, at least allowing your head to remain dry. You can even use it as a tarpaulin to act as a roof, or as a base for a sleeping-bag so as to minimize insect incursions. Strong sunlight can be blocked by using the garbage bag, and rainwater can be collected for drinking at a later point. There are so many different uses; these are only a few.

4. Wristwatch

A regular wristwatch can serve as a compass, assuming you have a non-digital, old-fashioned watch and hold it facing up, in line with the contour of the ground. Wait until the hour hand is pointing towards the location of the sun. In the morning south = the mid-point between the hour hand at 12; in the afternoon, midway between the hour hand and 12. North is simply the opposite of this. It’s not completely precise but is better than nothing, and could help guide you to safety.

5. Shoelaces

Shoelaces are removed from prisoners for a reason; they are extremely dangerous in the wrong hands but extremely useful in the right hands. If injured they can serve as a splint; if hungry they can help you make a fishing line. Tied together they can help create some sort of poncho which can protect you from the worst of rain and storm. The classic rotating of a stick on a piece of wood to make smoke and fire can be facilitated by shoelaces. If you want to shimmy up a tree, shoelaces tied together and slung round your hands can make this happen, gaining you enough traction.

6. Glasses

Glasses seem such a mundane and obvious thing, and yet they can easily harness the sun’s rays to create a fire in just a few minutes. If you don’t naturally need glasses due to being long or short-sighted, consider anti-glare glasses, the kind which guard against computer-screen glare. The convex lens is perfect for capturing sunlight and focusing it on a bit of dry wood. You’ll need glass lenses, though; plastic ones just aren’t up to the job. You’ll need to hold the lens about 1 foot away from some dried, light wood or tinder if you have some. It should start to smoke soon enough. The wireframes of your glasses can be used to make little tools or handy hooks. You can also flash the sun’s rays upwards to attract the attention of a helicopter.

These are just a few of the techniques you can employ when stranded. Almost anything can be turned to multiple different uses, so the best thing is to bring along lots of light, portable odds and ends, making sure your backpack has a range of potentially useful bits and pieces. It could be the difference between life and death.