You can make your own emergency gear

I’ve never traveled to Outer Mongolia. One account I read of was a young man who backpacked through it. He expected no restaurants or hotels. So he packed a couple weeks of food along with him.

One thing he noticed was that it was impossible to litter in that benighted country. Every time he threw away a tin can, some woman would grab it before it hit the ground. For him it was garbage. For her it was a useful article in her household.

Let’s talk about making survival gear out of the things we throw away, instead of going out and buying it. What comes to mind first is a cup. I have half a dozen cups made from tin cans that originally contained food. I saved the cans. True, I filed the sharp edges down a bit, but an empty tin can makes a great cup.

I was given a Danish ham in a tin can. That oddly shaped tin can looked like it would make fine small frying pan. It needed a handle. An untwisted coat hanger, re-twisted around the can and bent to form a handle, made a serviceable, free frying pan.

Coat hangers can make cooking grates, too, but you must burn off all the paint to avoid tainting the food. Put some holes near the top of a large can, string coat hanger wire through to form a bail, and you have a pail.

The clear plastic water bottles you throw out can be refilled with water. They work well for water storage. Tie a piece of rope around the neck of a plastic bottle, and you have a plastic canteen. They look fragile, but they will take more abuse than you would believe!

When we buy pork chops at the grocery store, they come on pink Styrofoam slabs, covered with clear plastic. Those pieces of pink Styrofoam can be shaped and trimmed to fit my foot, put in boots as warm innersoles, and keep my feet warm on cold days. They can also be reused as large plates or cut in half to be small plates.

If you buy cereal in boxes, the cereal itself comes in a plastic bag inside the box. Remove the bag and wash it out. It is one of the strongest plastic bags you will find. I use it for storing everything from food to grains to some liquids. I have used it as a canteen while camping.

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