Top 5 Everyday Items You Can Repurpose in a Survival Scenario

As a note. The watch compass mentioned is for the northern Hemisphere, for the southern, you point the 12 at the sun and half way between it and the hour is North.

The article also ASSUMES that the watch is set for local time . . . But if you arrived via plane crash during an eastward or westward flight of significant distance, that is unlikely. It probably shows time either back where you took off, or at your [intended] destination. I have never heard the pilot call out the changes as we crossed time-zone boundaries, not even when we crossed the International Date Line on a flight that landed 10 zones away from takeoff.

Very good point, and another reason to keep your mind on where you (likely) are, or at least where you should be, at any time in your trip. Of course, the great circle route over the poles can kind of complicate that, especially if the crash OCCURS over the poles.

But luckily you have dental floss to garrote that inquisitive white bear, chocolate to polish that solar igniter, and a paper clip to dig the ice hole.

What? We were allowed to plan ahead? But, that's cheating. I could never hold my head up after that!

Otherwise, where DID you get all that cool gear?

I had them inside my KrisDel© Digital Wrist Mounted Survival Kit.

I found the "recommended contents" on the "read more" page in the OP's link, and got so excited - I nearly wet myself.

See;

If you prefer to use your watch as a handy, always-with-you survival kit instead of a compass, remove the inside mechanisms from your watch. Take off the face, pull out the gears and fill the empty space with survival tools. Stuff it with items like wire, foil, dental floss and a paper clip (for a fishing line and hook), a magnet, aspirin, match heads, bandages -- anything else of survival value that can fit in a small space [source: Sneaky Uses]. You might not know what time it is, but you'll sure be prepared for anything.

Mind you, the bandages proved difficult stuffing. But luckily, I had a spare condom.

You can use a watch to get North (if you can see the sun, but you wouldn't know which way to go anyway). You can tie your laces together to scale a tree ( but will probably destroy them within the first meter). You can start a fire with lint from your socks.... Wow!

Getting into the spirit of this article -

Any GPS unit that may be lying around could be used to hammer in tent pegs.

A spare emergency flare can be used to stir soup.

The light from a fully charged mobile phone allows you to inspect your pillow before you go to sleep..

Use a watch to get North? I don't get this. I keep track (roughly, you don't need 2 decimal accuracy) of my lattitude at all times, and do the math in my head, based on shadow direction (if you can see the sun to use the watch, you can see the shadows and don't NEED the watch. And if the math to use the shadows is beyond you, the watch is going to help very little, either.), so, how does having an analog watch help. I'd rather have ANY means of keeping time, so that I can keep a time and pace count, and use that to help me know how far I've gone in my desired direction. For the kind of direction you need to travel across rough country (where you'd BETTER be looking where you're going, instead of down at a watch or compass, even) you need to establish the general direction of travel, find a non-movable landmark, high enough to see it at nearly any point in your hike, and head for the landmark. Pick new landmarks as you go. Before you step off, take a back azimuth to another landmark, to establish a line of travel, which you are on, and either stay/get back on that line, or learn quickly how to guesstimate your angle from that line, and the corresponding rough adjustment of your landmark to your horizon.

Sheesh, just writing it makes me want to go for a week long hike in the hills.

Without a watch. So I won't be worried about what time McGyver comes on.

It must have been a slow day at HowStuffWorks!

You are welcome to strain your water through my socks but I think I will find another solution for myself!

Well, I thought the "Sneaky Science Links" page was pretty good. But in general, I agree.

Yawn. And I grew up out there!

Boy am I screwed! Digital watch, no shoes with laces, no socks, and no glasses! Guess I'll just follow the river down to the beach!

On a raft built of the deadwood laying around where your plane hit the mountain. I KNEW that prop was gonna serve a second purpose some day. I just didn't think planing logs was what they meant when they called the vehicle a PLANE.

Just get a ride from the guy living in the van down by the river.

Why make things so difficult? A paper clip and dental floss for fishing? Are you kidding me? How about fishing hooks and fishing line. sheesh

There is a remarkable spin on this

What is a car or plane but 'extensive resources' to plunder or shelter in?

Who's got an analog watch to find north or south?

Where is the stick/shadow stone method? The moss method? The damp method? The star method?

What idiot still thinks a totally mailable paper clip will make a fish hook? two laces make a line? and a bait so magical appears? that meal size fish? just instantly falls for it?

Perhaps it's the same idiot who goes out of the suburbs without a $1 disposable lighter and a decent knife?

If it's you: check the baggage? use the car battery? look for sharps?

As nothing useful, pertinent or practical is mentioned - I can only conclude "How it Works" is the explanation phase of "How Do We Raise the Planetary IQ?"

Raise the IQ? What, kill off all the idiots who "go out of the suburbs without a ..."? Works for me. Isn't that what "The Darwin Awards" are all about?

It really seems the author did in depth research - probably using the Wiki and her kids 4th grade science book as references. She obviously didn't look at many of the references she supplied.

Not someone I would hope to have along in the event of an emergency!