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 There are soooo many uses for a water bottle! Today let’s talk about our top 12 Survival and Rescue uses of a water bottle (in no particular order) A bottle that you brought with you, or one that was carelessly discarded and you found in your travels. If you are lost and/or in a survival situation remember that your priorities are; a means of tending to an injury, signaling for help, food, water and shelter. You can take all of these ideas and expand on them further, but here are some ideas that will get your mind thinking creatively in a bad situation.
Make a Pair of Sandals for Foot Protection – In the unlikely event that you have lost your shoes or are making an appearance on Naked and Afraid and need to protect your feet, you can cut a found water bottle in half lengthwise and use some cordage (self-made or otherwise) to fashion yourself a pair of flip-flops. This would work a bit better if you were able to find two water bottles because you could the smash the water bottles lengthwise and hopefully use the label to hold them to your feet or use some cordage for binding. I have seen people in secluded parts of the world use this application for foot protection. Fire Starter Using Water Magnification – I remember when I was a young lad with a magnifying glass outside on a sunny day giving my sisters barbie dolls and brand-new look. Using a water bottle filled with clear liquid to help magnify the sun can do the same thing almost as good except instead of a barbie doll, you use your “birds’ nest” to actually start a signal fire. There are many great how-to articles and videos on this technique. Here is the science behind it: https://www.livescience.com/62899-water-bottle-fire.html Here is one video to actually show you the technique. Use as a Cup or Gathering Container – A container is always handy to have for drinking or foraging for nuts and berries. A no-brainer is to just cut the top part of the bottle off where it starts to curve and use the bottom as your container. (more on this in a minute) Use as a Megaphone to Call for Help – If you are in a situation where you are immobilized and need help, you can use the top part of the bottle that you made your container from as a megaphone to call for help. This will help direct and magnify your voice for others (rescuers) to hear you call. UV Purification and Distillation – Although these are two different things, we decided to put them into the same category because the both use the sun for purification. So really, you’re getting 2 for 1 knowledge here. UV Purification - Solar water disinfection. (SODIS for short) It is a known fact that ultraviolet light can purify water. There are many commercial products available both large and small that use UV light to purify water. The sun gives off plenty of UV light and can help you purify water. It will take several hours or even up to a day to complete the process, but it is a good thing to keep in mind in a survival situation. Pros – Very little work, a large amount can be disinfected and it’s free. Cons - Keep in mind that if the bottle has BPA (Bisphenol A) in it from the manufacturing process, this will leach into your drinking water. Distillation – Distilled water is about the purest water you can get. That’s why it is used in so many applications from car batteries to medical. The distillation process is basically collecting the evaporation “steam” from a non-potable water source (stagnant pond, sea water etc.) or even from live leafy green plants. There are plenty of how-to videos and articles that explore a few different ways to use this solar still technique with a water bottle (or two). Here is one very good way that will work with plants or another container of water. This method uses only a knife and water bottle. No glue or drill is needed. Distillation Pros – The water is very clean and ready to drink. Distillation Cons - Very time consuming with little reward. Gathering and Boiling water – You already know that you can gather water from a lake or stream, but there are other methods if there is no water source around. For instance, gather some morning dew using your shirt, bandana or other clean cloth and wring it out in your water bottle. Another way to gather water is from a tree using your water bottle, Knife and some cordage. As seen here. Using your creative skills, you will be able to improvise. Now you know it can be done. When it comes to boiling water for purification, you will be able to use your water bottle for this as well. One way is to cut the top off the bottle and line the inside with a good layer of small pine bough or green grass and do a stone boil. Collect about two dozen egg sized or slightly smaller stones to rock boil 2 to 4 quarts of water. Heat them in your fire for 30-45 minutes. Use sticks or split wood tongs to pick up the rocks and drop them into your water. Use one or two at a time, and rotate “cool” ones out and hot ones in. The pine boughs allow the hot rocks to boil the water without burning through the bottom of you bottle. It also adds a good flavor and some vitamin C. Another way is to gather your water and use your signal fire to boil your water. There are plenty of videos and articles out there. This will give you the basics. Make a Fish/Crawdad Trap – Remember when you cut the top off your water bottle for your megaphone or your cup? Now you can use it as a trap for small fish, insects or crawdads. You may choose to eat what you have caught or use it for bait later. Again, plenty of how-to’s out there. These instructions will give you a good idea of this method. Use as a Fishing Bobber – As you know, most all of our products have fishing line in the core of the paracord. At this point, having one of our items will pay off in this area. There are a couple of techniques to use when using your newly found water bottle treasure as a fishing bobber. One is by itself and the other is with a makeshift fishing pole and throwing it into the body of water using your pole to retrieve your catch. Take the lid off the bottle and fill the bottle about a quarter of the way with water to add weight. Take your fishing line and wrap it a few times around the threads and put the cap back on. Leave a couple of feet of leader for your hook and bait. You can use the remaining line to attach to your pole for retrieval. When you get a bite, your bottle will bounce. When you have a catch, the bottle will flip upside down. Here is one way and here is another. Waterproof Storage – If there are things that you have that you do not want to get wet, (matches, medications, lighter, etc.) you can store them safely inside the bottle in case of a rain storm or having to cross a river. Use as a Fishing Reel – Much like the soda can hacks that we have written about, you are also able to make a fishing reel in much the same way. Here is a 30 second video we found that shows a fishing reel in the making. Along with the fishing line from one of our products and a good fishing moon phase, you’ll be eating good. Make A Water Filter – There are many ways to make a water filter from your water bottle. (Be advised that you should boil the water to kill any harmful living organisms.) To make the filter you need to remove the bottom of the bottle. Then layer the bottle with a piece of cloth, crushed charcoal, sand, grass, small stones and then larger stones and if you want, another piece of cloth. Here is a good video to show a good technique. Make Cordage – You should know by now that having some cordage will make things a bit easier if you are lost or injured and need help. If you have forgot to bring or buy one of our paracord items, you can make your own cordage using your newly found water bottle. Here is one way for a survival situation and here is a more advanced way using shop tools to give you a basic idea of the process. Somebody’s careless trash is another persons survival opportunity. Be Safe, Be Prepared and Be Rescued Stay Safe my Friends.
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