Ultimate Survival Hacks: Over 500 Amazing Tricks That Just Might Save Your Life (Outdoor Life)

**When disaster strikes, will you be ready?** The fact is no, in many cases, you probably won’t be. Not entirely, with 137-piece go-bag to hand, survival knife at your belt, and a pouch of miraculous wild herbs at the ready. And that’s okay. Even the biggest survival superstar can—and almost certainly will—be caught unawares. The key is to know how to improvise. In this book, New York Times bestselling survival author Tim MacWelch shows you how to turn what you __have__ into what you __need.__ Fortune favors the prepared . . . and learning how to innovate, improvise, and make do will prepare you for just about anything. Detailed advice and step-by-step illustrations show you how to handle natural disasters, wilderness mishaps, and total catastrophes with whatever you have to hand, from duct tape to plastic bags to acorns. Hundreds of tips for situations ranging from the common to the once in a lifetime (you hope!), including: Use junk food to start a camp fire. Harvest drinkable water from morning dew. Use your belt to sharpen a knife. Suture a wound with dental floss. Use a bra as a respirator . . . and much, much more. If you can find it in an emergency, Tim can almost certainly help you turn it into a survival tool! **Table of Contents** Wilderness Hacks: Signal for Help with an Acorn Build a Shelter using only Sticks and Leaves Stay Warm with Hot Rocks Make a Fire Using a Bottle Catch Fish with a Soda Can Tab . . . and 150 more ways to stay alive in the great outdoors Natural Disaster Know-How: Make a Lantern from a Water Bottle Cook Dinner over A Beer Can Make Your Own Dog Food Cool Down When the Power’s Out Use Kitty Litter for Humans . . . and 174 more things to do when mother nature hits hard Cope with a Catastrophe: Sharpen a Knife with a Coffee Cup Track Intruders Easily Build a Backyard Forge from Your Hibachi Make Zip-Tie Restraints Filter Water with Cotton Balls . . . and 176 more ways to cope with everything from civil unrest to the fall of civilization Packaged in a durable, wipe-clean flexicover with metallic corner-guards, this practical manual withstands heavy-duty use indoors and out. Cover Contents DISASTER 01 Prioritize Problems 02 Make First Aid Your First Prioritity 03 Seek Shelter Right Away 04 Get Water and Food 05 Defend Like Your Life Depends On It MENTAL HACK: THE OODA LOOP 06 Prepare for Disaster 07 Grab the Gear 08 Add the Unexpected HACK HAZARDS: IMPROPER STORAGE 09 Create an Emergency Plan 10 Plan Wisely 11 Put Action in Your Plan 12 Mark Your Calendar 13 Drill for Success 14 Prepare for a Hurricane 15 Draw a Bath 16 Board It Up 17 Protect Your Stuff WORTH EVERY PENNY: STORM SHUTTERS 18 Soak Up the Sun 19 Hang Up Blankets 20 Camp in the Car 21 Limit Your Risks 22 Try Sticks and Stones HACK HAZARDS: CARBON MONOXIDE 23 Deliver a Baby with a Chair 24 Employ Alcohol 25 Stop Bleeding Barehanded 26 Create a Power Ball 27 Rehydrate with Popsicles HACK HAZARDS: DENTAL DISASTERS 28 Use the Backdoor to Hydration 29 Bring Tampons to the Rescue (Sort of) 30 Understand Civil War Surgery BUDGET SURVIVAL: FREE MEDICAL TRAINING WORTH EVERY PENNY: BETADINE 31 Pack Your Gear 32 Add These Extras 33 Keep It Handy WORTH EVERY PENNY: EMS RESCUE KNIFE HACK HEROES: DUCT TAPE 34 Plan for a Quake 35 Get the Right Tool 36 Seek the Triangle 37 Use a Vehicle for Safety 38 Watch for Falling Objects HACK HAZARDS: AVOID UNDER THE BED 39 Be the Burglar 40 Put On a Show 41 Fortify with Wood Blocks 42 Fake a Wall Socket 43 Discourage Creepers 44 Plan It Out 45 Build a DIY Safe Room 46 Get Some Training 47 Stay at Range 48 Improvise a Weapon 49 Master Dirty Fighting 50 Find Water 51 Drain a Heater 52 Get Tanked 53 Catch Some Rain 54 Melt Some Snow BUDGET SURVIVAL: WATER COOLER JUGS WORTH EVERY PENNY: WATER FILTERS 55 Disinfect Your Water 56 Use Your Shirt 57 Put Water in the Sun 58 Employ Iodine 59 Fight Cross Contamination 60 Cook like a Hobo 61 Buy a WaterBOB 62 Dig a Seep Well 63 Don’t Be Misled HACK HAZARDS: DIRTY WATER 64 Cook on a Rack 65 Split Wood for a Swedish Torch 66 Try a Wax Stove 67 Build a Block Rocket 68 Use Rocks 69 Cook on a Camp Stove 70 Heat Up with Chemistry HACKS THROUGH HISTORY: CHIMENEA 71 Make a Cardboard Oven 72 Cook in Your Car 73 Hack a Dish 74 Build a Penny Stove 75 Coil a Solar Water Heater HACK HAZARDS: SOLAR BURNS WORTH EVERY PENNY: STOVE CHARGER HACK HEROES: 550 CORD 76 Do the Research 77 Fight Back Against Flooding HACK HAZARDS: DRIVING THROUGH WATER WORTH EVERY PENNY: SAND BAGS 78 Chill in a Cellar 79 Block Sunny Windows 80 Cool the Swamp 81 Deal with Discomfort HACKS THROUGH HISTORY: CLAY POT COOLER 82 Wire Up a Heavy Light 83 Get Light from Oil 84 Create Some Candles 85 Make Lots of Light 86 Bring Backups 87 Get More Light 88 Pass the Chips 89 Use a Battery 90 Bring a Fresnel Lens 91 Make Char Cloth BUDGET SURVIVAL: WAX FIRE STARTERS WORTH EVERY PENNY: BLOWTORCH 92 Learn About Pet Care 93 Keep Them Warm 94 Make DIY Dog Food 95 Splint Your Pet 96 Make a Plan 97 Get on the Radio 98 Connect After a Crisis HACKS THROUGH HISTORY: DEAD DROP HACK HEROES: PLASTIC BOTTLE 99 Prep Right 100 Stock Up 101 Rake a Roof 102 Put Snow to Work 103 Handle Outages 104 Make Power 105 Add an Outlet 106 Charge a Phone 107 Hack a Car Alternator 108 Go Micro BUDGET SURVIVAL: SOLAR PANELS 109 Dig a Cat Hole 110 Use a Bucket 111 Borrow Kitty Litter 112 Build an Outhouse 113 Improvise Some TP WORTH EVERY PENNY: EXTRA TP 114 Seek a Soap Alternative 115 Make a Bucket Shower HACK HAZARDS: SCALDS 116 Collect Water 117 Do the Dishes 118 Wash the Clothes 119 Be Your Own Trash Collector 120 Try a Pin-Free Clothesline 121 Upgrade a Mud Room 122 Make a Cheap Suit 123 Use a Shirt Gasket 124 Know Your Foe 125 Get Oiled HACK HEROES: BLEACH 126 Manage Mindset 127 Fight Sorrow 128 Toughen Up 129 Attack Anger 130 Raise Moral WORTH EVERY PENNY: MORALE TOKEN MENTAL HACK: PREVENT PANIC WILDERNESS 131 Build the Kit 132 Pack Extras 133 Stay Light 134 Adjust Your Size 135 Pack a Kit in a Bottle BUDGET SURVIVAL: CANDY TIN KIT 136 Layer Up 137 Make a Match Coat 138 Bag Yourself 139 Buy the Best HACKS THROUGH HISTORY: GET WARMER HACK HEROES: CLOTHING 140 Make Some Shade 141 Use What the Desert Provides HACK HAZARDS: DON’T WASTE WATER 142 Bend Some Trees 143 Tie Up a Roof 144 Build a Bike Hut 145 Make Quick Ties 146 Take Shelter, Catch Rain HACKS THROUGH HISTORY: SAND PIT 147 Make a Leaf Bed 148 Rig a Hammock 149 Sleep On a Grass Mat 150 Build a Hot Rock Bed 151 Sleep Warmer 152 Embrace the Rock 153 Add a Wall 154 Sleep in a Bag 155 Follow the Elves 156 Use a Tree HACKS THROUGH HISTORY: SHELTER IN A TREE 157 Grab a Piece of History 158 Use It Well BUDGET SURVIVAL: THE BASIC MORA KNIFE WORTH EVERY PENNY: MORAS WITH SPARK RODS HACK HEROES: TRASH BAG 159 Use Bark Cordage 160 Tie Saplings for a Wigwam 161 Break Firewood with Leverage 162 Love Those Leaves 163 Skip the Shrooms 164 Bring Water with You 165 Craft a Container BUDGET SURVIVAL: THE SURPLUS CANTEEN 166 Harness the Sun 167 Wash a Wound 168 Stay Cool 169 Drown Your Prey 170 Steam Clean Your Body HACK HAZARDS: RAW WATER WORTH EVERY PENNY: WATER PURIFIER 171 Dig a Fire Pit 172 Avoid Watery Stones 173 Build a Mound 174 Make a Firewood Dryer WORTH EVERY PENNY: AXE AND SAW HACKS THROUGH HISTORY: STAR FIRE 175 Sharpen Up a Fire 176 Make a PJCB 177 Burn a Cube 178 Find the Fatwood 179 Get Weird HACK HEROES: BOURBON 180 Use the Sparks 181 Dry Out Matches 182 Get Rough 183 Start a Flashlight Fire 184 Save a Broken Spark Rod BUDGET SURVIVAL: HACKSAW BLADES WORTH EVERY PENNY: DISPOSABLE LIGHTER 185 Use a Bow Drill 186 Tweak Your Hand Drill 187 Manage the Dust 188 Build Better Kits HACKS THROUGH HISTORY: CHAGA MUSHROOM 189 Use a Crystal 190 Roll a Cotton Ball into a Flame WORTH EVERY PENNY: TORCH IGNITER 191 Set a Fire with Steel Wool 192 Fire Up a Battery HACKS THROUG HISTORY: MOUTH DRILL 193 Apply Wax 194 Polish It Off 195 Grind a Match 196 Carve It Up 197 Get Two Fires BUDGET SURVIVAL: SUPER MATCHES 198 Try a Dandelion 199 Pick a Berry 200 Crack a Hickory 201 Put Pine on the Menu 202 Grab a Cattail HACK HEROES: ACORNS 203 Camp on the Side 204 Enjoy Big Benefits HACK HAZARDS: MOUNTAIN LIGHTNING 205 Wrangle Worms 206 Poach Wild Eggs 207 Seek Shellfish 208 Eat Bugs 209 Cook Offal 210 Trap a Fish 211 Lift Your Quarry 212 Drop a Cage 213 Get a Monkey 214 Fix a Snare HACK HAZARDS: IT’S A TRAP! WORTH EVERY PENNY: CABLE SNARES 215 Survive By Bow BUDGET SURVIVAL: 550 CORD BOWSTRING 216 Break It Up 217 Be Blunt 218 Fire a Flu-Flu HACK HEROES: DENTAL FLOSS 219 Pay Heed MENTAL HACK: LEARN THE PLANTS 220 Fight Off Rot 221 Block Out Bugs 222 Use a Net 223 Make Your Tackle 224 Melt the Ice 225 Spear a Fish 226 Scrape Away 227 Clean It Up 228 Dry Some Meat 229 Make Hardtack 230 Parch Your Corn 231 Bake a Fruit Cake 232 Learn the ABCs 233 Stock a Kit 234 Repurpose Supplies 235 Plan Ahead HACKS THROUGH HISTORY: TOURNIQUET 236 Soothe a Sting 237 Cure an Ache 238 Stop Diarrhea 239 Heal with Yarrow 240 Have a Mint 241 Build By Digging 242 Make Snowshoes 243 Use a Probe 244 Work with Ice 245 Enjoy the Snow BUDGET SURVIVAL: OVERSIZED BOOTS WORTH EVERY PENNY: SNOW GOGGLES 246 Don’t Dry Out 247 Deal with Extremes HACK HAZARDS: HYPOTHERMIA MISTAKES 248 Build a Jacket Litter 249 Make a Crutch 250 Try a Tarp 251 Wrap Your Patient 252 Form a Splint 253 Pick a Plan 254 Draw Signs 255 Stack Rocks 256 Signal with a Mirror 257 Go Big HACKS THROUGH HISTORY: SIGNAL FIRES HOMESTEAD 258 Plan to Bug Out 259 Get the Details HACK HAZARDS: OVERSHARING 260 Get the Point 261 Stock It Well 262 Avoid Mistakes 263 Get a GHB MENTAL HACK: GREY MAN PRINCIPLE 264 Imagine an EMP 265 Build a Cage 266 Arrange Transport 267 Be Self Sufficient 268 Plan Well 269 Get a Clue 270 Scout a Site 271 Dig a Crapper 272 Assemble a Kitchen 273 Set Up Security BUDGET SURVIVAL: AIR HORN ALARM 274 Hide in a Ghillie 275 Create a Cache HACKS THROUGH HISTORY: MUD SUIT 276 Waste Not 277 Tan Your Hide 278 Craft Cordage 279 Use Those Bones 280 Brew Glue 281 Light ’Em Up 282 Fish by Hand 283 Blow Them Away 284 Shock Some Fish HACKS THROUGH HISTORY: FISH POISON 285 Build a Piston 286 Light a Crayon 287 Work in the Rain 288 Hide Your Fire BUDGET SURVIVAL: ROAD FLARE WORTH EVERY PENNY: BURN GEL HACK HEROES: SUPER GLUE 289 Find Fresh Water 290 Survive by Coconut HACK HAZARDS: LOSING YOUR SANITY 291 Stay on Track 292 Use the Light 293 Find Some Sign 294 Get a Count HACKS THROUGH HISTORY: MAN TRACKING 295 Line Them Up 296 Stop Egg Beaters 297 Store It on the Hoof 298 Know the Tricks 299 Pick a Breed 300 Dig Down 301 Sow Right 302 Grow It All 303 Get Your Goat 304 Make Compost BUDGET SURVIVAL: DIY GREENHOUSE WORTH EVERY PENNY: SOLAR POWERED FENCE HACK HEROES: 5-GALLON BUCKET 305 Be Ready 306 Barter Better HACK HAZARDS: HAGGLING 307 Stay Sharp 308 Maintain Your Grip 309 Get Hard 310 Use Fire as a Tool HACKS THROUGH HISTORY: HANGING A HEAD 311 Know the Range 312 Pick a Winner 313 Use the Steps 314 Ferment Your Seeds 315 Grow for Calories BUDGET SURVIVAL: SEED CONTAINERS WORTH EVERY PENNY: DESICCANT PACKS 316 Conceal Crops 317 Survive by Veggies BUDGET SURVIVAL: EATING WEEDS 318 Dry Your Produce 319 Brine a Pickle 320 Smoke Your Fish 321 Makin' Bacon HACKS THROUGH HISTORY: SAUERKRAUT 322 Learn to Brew 323 Step It Up 324 Lock It Down 325 Embrace Options 326 Be Frugal 327 Build a Still 328 Convert a Canner 329 Distill Oils 330 Ice Your Drink 331 Catch the Steam BUDGET SURVIVAL: HYDROMETER WORTH EVERY PENNY: COPPER TUBING HACK HEROES: COTTON BALL 332 Smith Safely 333 Gather Tools 334 Build Your Forge 335 Hammer a Hook HACKS THROUGH HISTORY: FORGING A KNIFE 336 Toughen Up 337 Survive in the Cage HACK HAZARDS: KIESTERING 338 Hijack a Cart 339 Step into the Light 340 Force Air Flow 341 Spice It Up 342 Build a Fire in a Hole 343 Jump Start It 344 Signal for Aid 345 Get Going 346 Craft a Flop Winch 347 Plug a Tire BUDGET SURVIVAL: GAS JUG AND SIPHON WORTH EVERY PENNY: GAS TANK PATCH 348 Create a Compass 349 Use the Small Stuff HACKS THROUGH HISTORY: LUNAR NAVIGATION INDEX A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W Y The New York Times bestselling author of Prepare for Anything shares 500+ tricks for surviving any emergency with everyday items. Fortune favors the prepared#8212;and knowing how to innovate, improvise, and make do with the hundreds of survival hacks covered in this guide will prepare you for just about anything. Detailed advice and step-by-step illustrations show you how to handle natural disasters, wilderness mishaps, and total catastrophes with whatever you have to hand, from duct tape to plastic bags to acorns. Survival expert Tim MacWelch covers situations ranging from the common to the once in a lifetime (you hope!). In this book, you'll learn how to use junk food to start a campfire, harvest drinkable water from morning dew, use your belt to sharpen a knife, suture a wound with dental floss, use a bra as a respirator, and much, much more. If you can find it in an emergency, Tim can almost certainly help you turn it into a survival tool! Fortune favors the prepared ... and learning how to innovate, improvise, and make do will prepare you for just about anything. Detailed advice and step-by-step illustrations show you how to handle natural disasters, wilderness mishaps, and total catastrophes with whatever you have to hand, from duct tape to plastic bags to acorns. Hundreds of tips for situations ranging from the common to the once in a lifetime (you hope!), including;'use junk food to start a campfire,'harvest drinkable water from morning dew,'use your belt to sharpen a knife,'suture a wound with dental floss, and use a bra as a respirator'... and much, much more. If you can find it in an emergency, Tim can almost certainly help you turn it into a survival tool!