Outdoor Life Prepare for Anything Survival Manual (20 page)

FULL-SIZE SPARE
Don’t just settle for one of those dinky little emergency tires. Get a full-size spare for your vehicle, and include it when you’re rotating your tires for better wear.

FLASHLIGHT With SPARE BATTERIES
It gets dark underneath your vehicle, and even darker at night. Give yourself every advantage you can by keeping a flashlight or two, and some extra batteries, in the vehicle at all times. Rotate the batteries every season, so you know you’ll always have them in case of trouble.

BLANKETS OR SLEEPING BAGS
Ideally, you should have one of these items for each seat in your vehicle. This will cover every passenger and the driver, in the event of a cold-weather car breakdown.

TIRE IRON & JACK
The tire iron will be needed to break loose the nuts that hold a tire in place. The jack will be needed to raise and lower the vehicle to complete a tire change or other repairs.

MAPS
Good, old-fashioned paper maps can be a lifesaver when you are lost. Keep a set of maps for your home state and other areas that you may travel through frequently. Add to this treasure trove of information with every long car trip.

FIRST AID
Sometimes the vehicle needs repairs; sometimes a person needs to be patched up too. A good first aid kit will serve you (or any other injured person) well, especially during an emergency.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER
Small fires in a vehicle can be put out by unloading a fire extinguisher at their base, but if you think that gasoline is involved in the fire, don’t stay that close to danger. Run away!

This incredibly versatile braided cord was first used in parachutes in World War II (hence the name). Once in the field, paratroopers found that this cord was incredibly useful for everything from pitching tents to sawing logs. Astronauts have even used it to repair the Hubble telescope. Never be without a reel of this stuff somewhere nearby. You can use cord as bootlaces to ensure it’s always right there when you need it, or weave a snazzy bracelet or belt that just happens to unravel into a nylon multitool.

SLING

Weave a sling and take down prey David & Goliath–style! Yes, it’s strong enough. You’d be surprised.

FIELD WRENCH

Can’t loosen a rusty nut?

Wrap paracord around it counterclockwise, and give a good yank.

DENTAL FLOSS

Pull off the outer covering of your paracord—it’s woven from many smaller filaments. These fine but sturdy threads serve as excellent dental floss. Not so worried about hygiene? They also make great fishing line or even sutures.

BOW DRILL

Making a bow drill to start a fire? Paracord’s a great choice for the string on that bow.

TOURNIQUET

Wrapping cord around a stick allows you to easily tighten or loosen a tourniquet to avoid damaging healthy tissue.

BORE SNAKE

Braid to the right thickness and use to clean your gun.

EMERGENCY KNIFE

Just about any soft-to-medium-consistency food can be sliced with paracord. In case you forgot the cheese knife.

BOLA

Weave paracord around a lead weight, large ball bearing, or even a nice round rock. Braid a handle and you’ve got a throwing weapon that can take down a rabbit for dinner—or a pesky intruder.