You may think you need sophisticated kit to survive humid rainforests, dense jungle and wild, remote areas – but there are some unlikely items that could save the day.
Survivalist Megan Hine, who scouts locations for TV shows fronted by the likes of Bear Grylls, has dealt with deadly snakes, scorpions, warring tribes and man-eating crocodiles during her time in the wild. Here, she reveals a list of unlikely items you might wish to pack when venturing into the wilderness.
1. Shiny rings
“In Scotland I used somebody’s engagement ring to attract fish. I was a little bit nervous, thinking, ‘Please stay on the end of the line’. Fish really love shiny things. I made a rod out of a stick of hazel and a line out of nettle – you can make nettle cordage out of the outer bark of a stinging nettle, which is really strong. If you want to waterproof it, you can put beeswax on that. Then I tied the ring on the end with a hook I made out of a thorn. We caught river trout and grayling.”
Read: Six of the world’s most unexplored wildernesses
2. Condoms
“You can use condoms as water carriers. It’s not as easy as it sounds but they do work. If you can get one inside another one to double them, that’s better, as they can burst really easily. I tend to put them into some type of bark carrier as well so they don’t burst. We’ve done that out in the jungle a few times. It’s harder if you put the condom in a puddle or pool but if you get it underneath a fast-flowing waterfall, it can fill up. But they can be quite slippery so you need to hold on – and the water tastes absolutely revolting out of it.”
3. Tampons
“Tampons are really good because they are condensed cotton wool and tiny. It’s always worth carrying them – I always have some in my kit. Not that I have ever treated a bullet wound, but they are really good for that because you put them in and they expand. I’ve used sanitary towels on people’s injuries if somebody is losing a lot of blood because they are so absorbent. They have got a lot of fluff in there for fire-lighting, too.”
4. Lipstick
“Lipstick often contains petroleum and you can smear it over the heads of matches to help waterproof them.”
Read: Seven things you didn’t know about lipstick
5. Underwire bra
“We were in a temperate environment trying to catch rabbits, which have a regular route. It’s like when you head home from work, chances are you’ll walk the same route to your house every day. It’s the same with animals. They are creatures of habit. We took the underwire from both sides of the bra and made a loop out of them. We managed to sew them together with a bit of string, which made a circle and then we were able to put it out on rabbit runs.”
6. Ice
“You can use ice to make a fire. I’ve done this in the Arctic when the sun has been really bright. It’s very much like doing it with the lens of a magnifying glass. You take some water ice and polish it up, then use it the same way you would the magnifying glass to focus the sunlight on to a piece of tinder to get it to burn.”
Read: Six completely harmless-looking animals that are deadly
Mind Of A Survivor by Megan Hine is published by Coronet, is available now
– With PA
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