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When disaster strikes, the usual playbook often goes out the window. What sounds good in theory doesn’t always hold up when you’re cold, hungry, or caught off guard. Real survival isn’t about following rules—it’s about thinking on your feet.
There’s an old saying in the field: Improvise, adapt, overcome. That’s the mindset you need when conditions aren’t ideal, your gear’s not perfect, and nature isn’t playing nice. Survival favors those who stay sharp and flexible—because in the real world, you have to be ready for anything.
Here are 14 survival hacks that break all the rules.
1. Start a Fire with a Bag of Chips
Fire needs dry tinder—but in wet conditions, that can be tough to come by. If you have a bag of greasy chips like Doritos or Ruffles, you’re in luck. The oil in those chips is highly flammable and can be used as an emergency fire starter.
You can even turn the chip bag inside out and rub pine needles or other materials along the oily surface to collect more fuel and improve your chances of getting a fire going.
2. Use Crayons as Emergency Candles
A single crayon can burn for 20 to 30 minutes, making it a handy emergency light source. To increase brightness, bundle a few crayons together with a rubber band. Set them in a jar or place them in a candlestick holder with a tray underneath to catch and reuse the melted wax.
3. Urine Soaked Cloth for Cooling or Smoke Protection
In extreme heat or during a fire, a urine-soaked cloth can serve as an emergency tool. It can help cool your skin or be wrapped around your face to reduce smoke inhalation. Yes, it’s unpleasant—but in a survival situation, it can make a difference. And just to be clear: never drink urine. It won’t hydrate you—it’ll actually make dehydration worse.
4. Use Tampons for Wound Packing
Tampons are sterile, absorbent, and can be used to stop bleeding. They can be packed in or on a wound or used to stop a nosebleed. Sanitary napkins are also great for using as bandages.
5. Eat Charcoal to Absorb Toxins
Activated charcoal or natural wood charcoal in a pinch can help absorb poisons or foodborne toxins. If you’ve accidentally eaten something and realize it’s making you sick, chew on some charcoal. Do not use charcoal from treated or painted wood.
6. Break into Buildings for Shelter
In an emergency or survival situation, shelter trumps etiquette. You can be nice about it but if your life depends on you kicking in a door or breaking a window, you have to do what you can. Warehouses, stores or even offices are all fair game.
7. Duct Tape a Knife to a Stick for Instant Spear
If you’re in a situation that requires you to keep some distance between you and whatever might be coming at you, animal or human, you can make a weapon. The tool can also be used for hunting. Hand-to-hand combat is always a risk. You want some distance between you and your would-be assailant.
8. Use a Tampon for Water Filter
Okay, you’re probably thinking that couldn’t work. If you’ve retrieved water from a source that is full of sediment, you can fill a water bottle, put the tampon in the opening and turn it upside down. Water will trickle out free of sediment.
9. Use Gunpowder to Start a Fire
Carefully used, gunpowder can ignite a fire. It’s dangerous—but effective in a pinch. You only need a little to create the spark to get your fire going. Place the gunpowder in a pile of tinder and use your flint to create a spark. It will flame up and ignite your tinder.
10. Ignore Trail Markers to Avoid Being Followed
In situations where you’re being hunted or followed, erase or reverse-mark your trail to stay hidden. Tie brush or leafy branches to your ankles to sweep over your footprints as you walk. Avoid breaking branches that could signal a tracker to your path.
11. Use Lip Balm on Cotton or Lint to Make Fire Starters
The petroleum base is flammable—apply it to cotton balls for a long-lasting fire starter. You can rub the chapstick on a piece of a cotton shirt or a sock to keep the fire burning longer than usual. Sometimes, it takes a little extra time to get a fire really going. The petroleum keeps the flame burning longer than the few seconds it typically wood.
12. Boil Water in a Plastic Bottle
This can be tricky and it requires you watching it close. Remember, to purify water it only needs to reach boiling point. Dead is dead. Boiling water for a minute or ten minutes doesn’t kill the germs any more than the first few seconds. Fill it completely with water and suspend it over flame—the water keeps it from melting.
13. Use Your Hair for Cordage
If you’ve got long hair, it can be woven for cordage, fishing line or to set snares and tripwires. You can even use as tinder.
14. Sleep During the Day and Move at Night
In hostile or hot environments, traveling at night can save energy and act as camouflage. The best time to travel is in the early hours just before dawn. You’ll need to watch out for nocturnal creatures that are going to be out.
