Homemade Survival Gear and Tools

by Shannon

Immediately after you find yourself in a dangerous situation, most people think first about how they’re going to defend and protect themselves. Often, the situation will give you little leeway and there’s an even smaller chance that you just happen to have the proper resources within reach. This is why having the basic knowledge and skills to make homemade resources is important.

The beauty and advantage of knowing how to make several things such as weapons and gear are that you have as many of them as you can make. This suggests an unlimited armory. Depending on your skills, you may even manage to make quality gear and weapons that can last longer than those you normally buy from a store.

To help you gain a basic understanding of this skill, here are a few homemade survival gear and tools that you can make on your own.

HOMEMADE KNIFE

The knife is one of the most basic survival weapons that you should have in critical situations. Having something to help you protect yourself will help lessen your worries. A knife in hand gives you the advantage of not being completely helpless and vulnerable. While some people may have gotten the chance to visit a reputable store and purchase a good knife, you may not have gotten around to that yet.

But worry not. Here’s a quick list of tips on how to make your own knife from scratch:

1. Virtually anything that has or can have a sharp point can be made into a knife. Bones, shells, aluminum, steel, and carbon are just some of those materials. Pick a kind of blade that will suit your current situation. The goal is to make a knife that can perform its basic functions such as puncturing or slicing. You need to reach a compromise between an object that will make a good sharp knife but still withstand considerable pressure and resistance.
2. One of the few things that can fulfill the requirements above is stone. While it’s true that it may take some time to make, the result is usually sturdier and sharper than anything you want to use.

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3. The caveman knife or the knife that’s made from smashing rocks together gets its name because of the materials you will need. It does not require any money but it will demand a lot of strength and effort. Do not settle for anything less than a knife that works perfectly.
4. Picking a handle for your knife is a lot easier compared to the first few things you have to do. The only thing that you’re going to want to make sure of is that it fits in your hand. Handles can be potentially dangerous if you choose your materials haphazardly. Find a handle that can hold your blade in place while at the same fit in your hand comfortably and without causing any injury.
5. Tie everything together with a rope that is as sturdy the as the whole knife itself. Never overestimate the ability of the rope you’re going to use to hold everything together. One can argue that this part is what makes the knife worth using.

HOMEMADE TELESCOPE

Being able to see the general condition of a place that is meters away from you is a handy ability. It allows you to determine if there’s anything dangerous nearby without actually going to where you think the danger might be. On that note, it’s an advantage to have a telescope on hand for anyone who would like to survive dangerous situations such as being stranded on an unknown land.

Fortunately, this is another thing that you don’t have to spend your money on, especially if you’re not picky. Here’s how to make one:

The general guidelines for making your own telescope is to first know your lenses. Every kind serves a different purpose. Choose a lens that will help you the most in your situation and something that you’re comfortable with. Second, be mindful of the length. Assess your emergency kit and choose the size of your telescope accordingly. A squashed telescope is not good for anything and you will most likely need both hands in a survival situation which means that you can’t hold your telescope forever.

HOMEMADE DIAPERS

Probably one of the things that most people forget about surviving in the wilderness is the fact that you may not have time to create your own toilet. In some situations, you may not even have the luxury of time to squat and pee or take a dump because you’re on the run from something or someone who could harm you. This is where homemade diapers come in handy.

If you’re trying to survive with your family, then your kids will have needs too and they might not have the patience to wait until the appropriate time to relieve themselves. If you’re traveling, sometimes you can’t afford to take a stopover. In the same situation, even parents can wear their own diapers to help tide them over at least until they’re a considerable distance away from anything or anyone dangerous.

Because supermarkets will almost certainly be the first place that will get looted in the case of a disaster, you might not get the chance to buy and stockpile diapers. But there’s good news. You can make your own diapers from minimal materials.

For those who have a sewing machine on hand, check this out for detailed instructions on how to make cloth diapers:

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If you have to make one quick, this is how you can go about doing just that:

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HOMEMADE COMPASS

Another thing survival tool that can come in handy is a compass. Having one means that you can at least have a general knowledge of where you’re at and where you should go. It helps you navigate through the woods and even in open water.

Like the knife, telescope, and diapers, you don’t need to spend money on a compass. All you need is a plastic bowl filled with water, cork, magnet, and a needle. It might seem a little dubious but this video explains why it’s pretty reliable:

This is one of the times when you can trust Mother Earth and all its elements not to lead you and your family astray.

HOMEMADE HOLSTER

Common sense dictates that you should never put your gun between the waistband of your pants and your skin. There’s a possibility that it might go off and you will end up with an unnecessary injury that you could have prevented from happening if you had a holster. This common rule also applies to knives and just about any kind of weapon.

Why not just put them in the bug out bag? You never know when you might need your weapon. The last thing that you want to happen to you is to be unprepared for a fight simply because your weapon is in your bag. In that situation, you might not have enough time to open the bag and grab it. This is why knowing how to make your own holster comes in handy.

Not only does it cost less, it also gives you the freedom to calculate the sizes you see fit and at the same time, make sure that it has quality. The only disadvantage is that it’s time-consuming. Regardless, it’s still worth it.

Here’s how you can make your own leather holster either for your knife or for your gun: http://ift.tt/2edf0tH

HOMEMADE BAG

As you keep forging through the unknown in an effort to survive, you will accumulate a lot of things that you think may come in handy. Anything sharp, something that can function as a container, water bottles or even game from your hunt will have to be set aside. At the same time, you have to think about how fast you can gather your stuff and flee if you have to.

Having an extra bag has its benefits. A bag made out recycled plastic bottles it sturdier than ordinary cotton and best of all, it’s waterproof. It’s the perfect thing to have when you need to keep important things from getting wet or damaged. It also plays to your advantage because you’re likely to encounter water bottles in a lot of public places. You just need to know what to with them.

Here’s how: http://ift.tt/2dKE4EP

1. The number of plastic bottles that you need will depend on how long you need the bag to be. The best and balanced number is three bottles. Make sure that they’re at least the same size even if they’re not the same brand.
2. Cut the top of the bottles.
3. Take one bottle and cut two lines (width should be the same as the bottom of the bottle) on both sides. Don’t remove the strip as it will serve as the connecting agent of your bag.
4. For the other two bottles, cut two line on one side with the width approximately the same as the strips on the first bottle.
5. Punch holes through the sides of the bottles that you cut through. Be careful not to punch the holes too closely or too far apart.
6. Join the bottles by tying a rope through the holes and wrapping the bottom of the bag in tape. At the topmost holes of the left and right bottles, tie a rope to make a handle.

 HOMEMADE SLEEPING BAG

In order to survive critical situations, we not only have to gather food and find water, we also have to have a shelter wherein we can sleep through the night. Sleep is important because it’s the only time that your body and brain can have the time they need to rest and recharge. Without sleep, we compromise many things such as alertness, awareness, physical abilities and reaction times. That one-second delay before you realize there’s danger may be just what it takes to kill you.

For sleep to be effective, you will have to be as comfortable as possible even if you’re laying down on the ground. You will also need warmth to keep your body temperature regulated as you take your much-needed rest. A lightweight sleeping bag must be in your survival gear and tools if you wish to survive longer.

Here’s how to make one at home: http://ift.tt/2edk7dd:

1. Start by choosing what material your sleeping bag is going to be made from. It can be a quilt or cloth or anything that is lightweight but still give you the amount of warmth that you will need. Remember that the most practical sleeping bags are those that you can carry around without it being in the way or being too heavy.
2. Decide whether you want to have a hooded or non-hooded sleeping bag. The only difference in the process of making is that you’re going to have to sew together the hood and the rest of the sleeping bag.
3. Lie down in the material you chose and make sure that you have enough space for most of your preferred sleeping positions. But be careful not to create too much space as that will take away the warmth.
4. The best way to ensure that you have the right size is to make a cutout pattern so you don’t have to lie in it every time you finish making it. It also helps you give it definite measurements that will come in handy if you have to readjust and resize your sleeping bag material.
5. Every time you sew through the fabric, make sure that you fold it so it doesn’t fray. This includes the process when you make the two ends of the fabric meet by sewing in a zipper.
6. After you’ve made your sleeping bag, you can attach Velcro over the sleeping bag to give your another set of security measure in case the zipper breaks.
7. Don’t forget to make a foot pocket to complete your sleeping bag. The process is general the same and it would really help if you found a material that you can split into parts so that the sleeping bag is more or less consistent in terms of fabric.

There are many other survival gear and tools that you should have in case of emergencies. Most people will panic because of the absence of some of those tools. But if there’s anything about survival that we should remember, it’s that it goes perfectly with creativity. You can make just about anything from everything and all you need is time, effort and innovation.

via ModernSurvivalOnline.com http://ift.tt/2dKJjEg