Clever adaptations

[ian wright]

In another forum Eric Noble had a photo of several items, these included balloons.

Are the balloons used in some clever way?

Are there any other items you use that might be a surprise to some of us?

[john Tier]

A balloon in your emergency/survival kit will carry water…you just need to be careful… remember this is a better than nothing emergency answer…not recommended for routine UL application…Some one once posted the same thought for an unlubricated condom, while exclaiming the value of alterate use….

Beds have been made of the long balloons…they work too.

Pan

[Dale Wambaugh]

Ballons will deteriorate quickly, so I would replace them seasonally at least. I like the ingenuity, but I keep a 1 liter Platypus with a sport cap and a few Katadyn tables for my backup hydration system. I roll it up with the foil packs inside and secure with a rubber band.

[Brian James]

I’ve read of putting a condom in a disaster/emergency kit for carrying water.

I can’t imagine this being entirely useful in a bush survival kit, but then again if a guy lost his pack and wasn’t able to carry water he could be in deep doo doo I guess.

[Richard Alexander]

Ever seen a ballon water fight? You wouldn't get far before suffering a burst. Condoms are much tougher, but awkward.

I use the plastic bags mothers use to freeze extra breast milk. They are tougher than ziplocks, have a double zipper and gusseted bottoms. Frozen they hold 6 oz, otherwise 9 oz. I carry several in my survival kit for water storage.

Good size to store my digital camera as well.

All this assumes you don't mind carrying around bags that say, "My Mommy's Milk".

A box of 25 at Wally World or Target ~$6.00. Look in the "Baby" section.

Amtrak

[Ryan Dunne]

The unlubricated condom was in one of the ranger digests i think.
I've never tried this, but it seems to me that as much trouble as it would be, a balloon would be freaking impossible to fill with water from a stream. I guess you'd have to 'blow it up' with water. heh.
If for some reason I were to lose my platy bladder, I'd just have to use my pot or an aloksak. … the tiny one! haha

On the other hand, a condom is multi-use! :-D

[Linsey Budden]

When I first read about carrying water in a condom (supported in a bandanna) in Cody Lundin's "98.6 [degrees] The Art of Keeping Yourself Alive", I actually did carry one for awhile. Now I think it's a nice addition to the glove box of a car.

[Michael Mangold]

Or, you could have sex.

[Dan Yeruski]

A "Finger Cot" is used to waterproof a large tampax that's carried as an emergency tinder firestarter. The "cot" can be removed when necessary to use on an injured finger. Change cots every 2 years, they dryout(my experience) and maybe made of the same material as condoms(unlubricated)

[elias heyns]

this is the most rediculous thing i've ever heard. has anyone actually done this? where do you get the pressure to inflate it? if you can't inflate it, what can you carry 3 or 4 ounces of water in the thing?
i would love to see someone trying to fill one of these. "don't worry, i've got a balloon!"

[Joe Kuster]

"where do you get the pressure to inflate it? if you can't inflate it, what can you carry 3 or 4 ounces of water in the thing?
i would love to see someone trying to fill one of these. "don't worry, i've got a balloon!""

Mouth pressure, you shove your face down to the stream and "blow it up" with the water in your mouth. A normal unlubricated condom can hold in excess of 1 gallon of water as long as it is carried carefully. If only air – it can often grow as large as 3-4 feet long before bursting.

[Blue _]

>>”you shove your face down to the stream and "blow it up" with the water in your mouth. A normal unlubricated condom can hold in excess of 1 gallon of water as long as it is carried carefully. If only air – it can often grow as large as 3-4 feet long before bursting”
>>". . . I first read about carrying water in a condom (supported in a bandanna) in Cody Lundin's "98.6 [degrees] The Art of Keeping Yourself Alive" . . . "

So . . . let me get this straight . . . first I lie down on the bank of a brook, shove my face down in the water, suck in mouthfuls water and then spew them into an unlubricated condom. Then, when the condom is full (3-4 feet long with air–I wonder how long it will be when full of water?) I’m going to swaddle it in a bandana and then carry it "carefully" (in my arms like an infant, perhaps?) through the wilderness. I guess I might survive using the process, but I’m not sure that I’d want to be rescued while in the process of surviving. Sure would give the SAR team something to discuss later over their cold beer, though :-).

Seriously, does anybody know if this condom routine has ever been used and worked in a real-world survival-type situation? I’ve only read of two cases where it was actually used in the wild. The first instance was a number of years ago when a sportsman wrote about how he used the condom to carry water from a spring to his cook pot (which of course begs the question of why he didn’t carry his cook pot to the spring, in the first place). The second time was just a couple of months ago, when a columnist for “Field and Stream Magazine” was assigned to field test an emergency survival kit he had put together and described in a previous issue. If I remember correctly, the writer used the condom from his kit to carry water to put out a "practice" survival fire that had started “too easily” to reflect what he felt represented a true survival situation.

Personally, I have used the plastic bag that I keep my emergency/first-aid kit in. It doesn’t hold much water (about 240ml) but it flattens out nicely for scooping shallow water and collecting seep-water. If water was plentiful I don’t imagine I would need to carry much and if water was really scarce, then there wouldn’t be much to carry. And if I ever have to build a survival fire and it starts too easily. . . I’ll live with the disgrace.

LIBERTAS+PAX PACIS

[Joe Kuster]

I don't have any first hand accounts, but it's long been part of Ranger Lore in the services. Of course, each brand claims individual techniques of any nifty suvival trick originated with their group, not the other groups, so nailing down reality wouldn't be likely. By the way, when I heard it first recommended from a marine when I was in Pendelton they said to limit it to a liter or two unless you knew you'd be traveling far between water sources. With only 1 liter it could be swaddled in your clothing relatively easily and still leave your hands free to shoot.

It's mentioned (along with a lot of the other tips on the ranger digest page) so often when doing field training in fact it's just assumed that it's used in the field when it truly is a survival situation where one wouldn't have a canteen (ditched helicopter & etc).

No, it isn't handy, not even all that practical, but it took something that they were likely to see the utility of carrying and turned it into something to increase their chance of making it back if they found themselves without proper equipment behind enemy lines. The most likely scenario would be a pilot bailing from an aircraft or a simple op that turned into a multiple day thing when stuff turned really, really bad. Besides condoms are far more duable than zip lock bags and can remain sealed until you need them.

They also had a lot of other field uses for rolling things into condoms and tying it shut to keep things like maps, cigarettes and hand radios dry before everything was availabe in water proof designs. It was said to even be recommended as a floatation aid for sea use. They even had plans for improvised explosives that used it as a container.

[Blue _]

Thanks, Joe. It actually sounds that the condom's real value (as a survival tool)was originally in its potential as true multi-use object, especially, since, as you point out it would easier to convince soldiers to carry them for their more prosaic function, in the first place. A friend of mine who served in Viet Nam once told me how most of the infantry he served with would "lose" any piece of equipment that they thought was too cumbersome or useless. I'll have to ask him about condoms. He also claims that they often had to carry things that had no real practical value, but at least made them feel safer. Having never served in the military, I have no way to evaluate his recollections–but they are fascinating, nevertheless.

LIBERTAS+PAX PACIS

[Joe Kuster]

I have to wonder if they still teach these techniques, after all now days they are likely to issue camel backs and give them oakley sunglasses. Overall, soldiers are far better equipped than the used to be. Or at least it seems so. It also seems like they've moved away from encouraging field troops to improvise. That probably isn't necessarily a bad thing if you ever consider what they recommended for foot care *shudder*.

The CO in charge of my marine corp ROTC program spent a few years in cambodia and several more years in vietnam – he had tons of interesting stories about what they issued as far as military gear. They'd requisition bug spray and get foot powder every time, so one day they requisitioned foot powder and they recieved canned peaches…

[Rick Cheehy]

Condom sounds kind of useful to bad I can't use it, I'm Catholic:) But seriously folks I sense a niche in the market here, a condom like tube with a wider errr (shaft?) could be a useful tool. But man I really don't want to drink from a condom, ugg, I'd rather watch Sarah Palin pardon turkeys.

[Nicolas Costes]

You would use one on the tip of your gun to avoid dirt getting in and yet being able to shoot

[John Brochu]

>>>Then, when the condom is full (3-4 feet long with air–I wonder how long it will be when full of water?) I’m going to swaddle it in a bandana and then carry it "carefully" (in my arms like an infant, perhaps?)<<<

Ha ha, that sounds pretty funny.

If somebody skilled with Photoshop could please draw this up I think I would like to use it for my avatar. :-)

[Diane “Piper” Soini]

I think I'm more inclined to have a cooking pot with me than a condom. Or an extra plastic bag. Heck, you can probably find a discarded bottle, can or bag just about anywhere.

[Franco Darioli]

Thanks Diane, sometimes we make things more difficult than they are. I would assume that I am not the only one to have a few plastic shopping bags and or one or two stuff sacks inside my backpack.
Franco

[. Callahan]

Carry a pack of long balloons with you, then if you get stuck in an emergency situation, simply inflate the balloons, then twist them into the shape of a dog (Lassie) or if you're near water, a dolphin (flipper)or if in Australia, a kangaroo (Skippy) and set them on their way to bring rescuers! (o:

[twig .]

lassie, flipper, skippy, love it! I'd want an inflatable beer bottle, add water for instant beer.

[Michael Reagan]

An unlubricated condom actually works very well as an EMERGENCY water carrier. Balloons are nearly useless for this application, but condoms are relatively easily filled, hold two liters of water or more, and are tougher than a water balloon, but not by much. I have transported them in carefully tied bandana-wraps and used them successfully.

Yeah, I get it that it's a funny topic, but it's also a useful idea. A foil-wrapped condom fits easily in any survival kit and can be used to carry water in a true emergency. Knowing this could save your life and what's so funny about that?

Michael

[Diplomatic Mike]

I've thought of using one of these long, thin balloons as a hoop to keep my bivvy-bag hood of my face. Never tried it yet, but i think it would work.

[todd]

Bill Fornshell did it on this site. don't have time to search for it, though!

[Author]

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