Modern technology has made life a lot easier and we often take it for granted…until we’re caught in a situation where our gadgets fail us. Even though you probably won’t ever need to make a candle from cooking supplies or figure out how to keep produce cool without electricity, it’s good to know how to get along without the help of high-tech machinery. Check out the 26 wilderness and survival hacks below so you’re always be prepared.
1. Need AA batteries, but only have AAA? Ball up pieces of tin foil and use them to fill in the space between the appliance and the battery.
2. Always keep an extra $20 bill on the inside of your phone case. Then, if you’re caught without cash, you have it on hand.
3. I never knew!
4. If you know you’ll need something to jump-start a fire, soak cotton balls or pads in petroleum jelly or paraffin wax. Throw one on the fire before you light it.
5. Keep your toilet paper dry by making a dispenser out of an old coffee canister.
6. To make a small raft, cover a bunch of branches with a tarp.
7. Can’t live without your spices? Use Tic Tac containers to bring them camping.
8. If you’re bringing beans or rice into the wild, keep them in plastic bottles instead of the bags they come in. The bags are likely to rip, but bottles will keep them dry.
9. Keep an Altoids tin with corrugated cardboard in your pocket on a long hike. It works as a tiny heat source in a pinch.
10. Walking to your car and feel a little unsafe? Hold your keys in your hands like so in case you need a weapon.
11. Keep mosquitos away with a homemade trap: mix water, brown sugar, and yeast together to stop bugs from biting you.
12. A water jug and a headlamp make a super-bright lantern.
13. Keep veggies fresh with an all-natural “refrigerator.”
It’s made with sand and ceramic planters. Get the instructions here.
14. If you get a flat tire and don’t have a spare, fill it with grass to make it to your destination.
15. Set up a glow-in-the-dark security system for your campsite with a mousetrap and a glow stick.
Read more about how it works here.
16. If you’re in the woods at night, make sure everyone in your party has a glow stick to use as a signal in case someone gets separated.
17. You can fashion a makeshift magnifier with your glasses and use the sun to start afire.
18. Stuck in the rain? Use trash bags with holes ripped in them as ponchos.
19. With a pair of scissors, you can make soda can tabs into hooks for fishing.
20. Make a “lasso” to remove ticks with a mechanical pencil and a thin piece of string.
Read how to make this here.
21. If you’re worried about getting frostbite, put baby oil on the skin exposed to the elements.
22. Doritos (or any other kind of chips) make great kindling.
23. Put a wick in a jar of vegetable shortening for a long-lasting candle.
24. Before heading out on a hike, make sure you have a piece of chalk in your pocket. Mark trees you pass to keep track of where you’ve traveled. It will stop you from walking around in circles.
25. Here’s an easy way to make a super-bright lantern: cut open a beer or soda can, and set a votive candle inside. The tin will reflect the light.
26. Need help opening a particularly stubborn jar? Grab your duct tape.
(via How To Survive It)
I’m not much of a wilderness woman myself, but I could definitely use some of these hacks. Who hasn’t had trouble opening an annoying jar, or reached for their cash only to find they don’t have any? Which one of these hacks could you have used in the past, or will use in the future?