A CONDOM. I take these mainly for carrying water. A condom takes up almost no space but is very elastic and can hold up to two litres of water. Since they’re waterproof, they’re also good for keeping tinder dry. And you can use them as an improvised rubber glove if you’re treating a wound and want to guard against infection from a dirty hand. Choose a non-lubricated version.
A TAMPON. For firelighting: the absorbent material inside a tampon makes good tinder.
WATERPROOF MATCHES. Lighters are unreliable in cold temperatures and in the wet. Waterproof matches are your best bet for fire-starting in difficult conditions.
A 9-VOLT BATTERY AND SOME STEEL WOOL. A good back-up to waterproof matches. Touch the steel wool to the contacts of the battery. The electric charge will cause the steel wool to burn.
FILTERING WATER. Take off your sock. Better still, take off your underpants. Even better, use a pair of tights. Pour your unfiltered water through the fabric so that the worst of any debris is filtered out.
OTHER TYPES OF FUEL. Dried animal droppings – these can be mixed with dry grass to make a good fire.
RULE OF HANDS. You can estimate how long it will be before darkness falls by measuring how many fingers there are between the bottom of the sun and the horizon (don’t include your thumb). Each finger measures approximately fifteen minutes. This means, neatly, that a hand is about an hour.
Source: How to Stay Alive: The Ultimate Survival Guide for Any Situation (2017) by Bear Grylls.
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