Comments on: 13 Survival Must-Haves You May Not Have Thought Of

By: TheSurvivalMom

TheSurvivalMom — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:55:05 +0000

No one here is suggesting a tampon in a wound as a first choice in a crisis, but I\’ve read too many first person accounts of them being used in a real emergency by members of the military. The danger, actually, is removing them because, if not done correctly, pulling it from a wound would also remove any clotted blood as well. As far as the quarters go, well, again, it\’s just a suggestion! Lighten up!

By: Huston

Huston — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:42:58 +0000

This has a couple bits of just plain wrong information.
Shoving a tampon in a bullet wound? Seriously?! Bullet wounds are much worse than people think. It's not a simple in and out that makes you bleed. Shoving a tampon INSIDE a bullet wound will only aggravate it. Not to mention, those little cloth fibers can stay inside the wound after it "heals" and cause infection stupidly easily. I NEVER carried these in my first aid kit while deployed. If anything, use it as tinder for fire or on the OUTSIDE of the wound as a pressure bandage. DO NOT EVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, STICK A TAMPON INSIDE OF A BULLET WOUND. I have seen this suggestion countless times by people with little to no first-aid training, and I hope to god that no one who believes this would ever perform first aid on me.
Also, stick a roll of quarters inside of a sock ? No thanks. Anyone who has ever tried this, or even thought about it extensively can tell you that one swing with a weight of some kind inside of a sock (doesn't even have to hit) will ruin the sock when it breaks and you may just lose your roll of quarters. Better off hitting someone with your fists.

By: WritingABookHere

WritingABookHere — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 03:05:08 +0000

For fire-starter, my mother used to used to keep cardboard egg cartons in the laundry room. She would stuff the bottom egg compartments with lint. When it was full, she would then melt paraffin in an old can (in a boiling bath in another pan on the stove). She would then use tongs to pour the melted paraffin into the lint filled egg carton. Worked like a charm for our barbecue! 1-2 egg compartments did the job with charcoal.
Another thing that I had a mom tell me was the glow stick necklaces for her kids for night-time while they were in a strange location. That way she could keep track of her kids in the dark. Plus the kids will have fun for the night, maybe lightening up the situation.
Lastly, somebody told me that an emergency thermal blanket is good to have. It can create insulation to a tent, your sleeping bag, and of course is good if someone goes into shock. A park ranger my husband met says he uses it for a poncho. Warm and waterproof.

By: allie

allie — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 01:16:54 +0000

Steel wool and a nine volt battery works really well.

By: dangle

dangle — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 21:13:09 +0000

This works very well. i have been saving my dryer lint for kindling on backpacking trips for several years. it gives you time to build on top of the kindling as it burns slow and hot.

By: Katie

Katie — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 23:44:07 +0000

That's a great point, Bryan! I've even seen hospitals use disposable diapers as ice packs. They open them up fully, saturate them with clean water, then freeze them.

By: bryan

bryan — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 18:10:41 +0000

i took a first responder first aid class and was told the disposable diaper is also good for a head/scalp wound which bleeds quite badly.

By: WoodsCrawler

WoodsCrawler — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:45:44 +0000

It is…and if you go to the web site they are out of stock at this time and don't show a price for what they would be if they had them. eBay has them for different prices (the single ones) but I'd like to know what the 'normal' price would be.

By: Katie

Katie — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:20:07 +0000

I always carry a regular disposable diaper with me. it's not just that I have a toddler who isn't potty trained – they're terribly practical. I have used them to wipe up messes, catch vomit from a car-sick child, and they are so absorbent that I would even use them as pressure dressings for a bleeding wound – the sticky tabs can even help secure it!

By: Shadekat

Shadekat — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:33:20 +0000

Nylons. Strange being that i'm a male. But these do help reduce rubbing under socks and provide a little more warmth in the layers. A lot of the history of tampons goes back to first aid uses, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampon Pencils are nice but a good china marker, or grease pencil helps lots, can mark on a lot more surfaces more clearly. Pencil sharpener. Never 100% rely on your packed tinder for firemaking, only use that when there's no other alternative.