How many aluminum foil survival uses do you know? Keep reading to find out the various uses of this unsung hero for emergency preparedness!
Aluminum Foil Survival Uses and Hacks for Preppers
A Great Survival Tool
In a crisis, you make the most out of everything you have, which means you might need to get a little creative. Things like paracord and duct tape have fairly obvious uses, but other items may require a little more critical thinking. Let’s take a look at one of the most common items you have in your kitchen — aluminum foil.
Aluminum foil can be used for so much more than preparing and serving food, it can be an indispensable survival tool that should always be included in your survival kit. You see, it’s more than just a food wrapper. There’s actually plenty of survival uses for aluminum foil that will come in handy when you need it most.
1. Boiling Water
In any survival situation, it is important to stay hydrated. However, water acquired from any “untrusted” source needs to be made safe for consumption. Aluminum foil can be a substitute for pots and pans by creating a makeshift bowl. Bring your water to a rolling boil for a minimum of one minute. This will make your water safe to drink.
2. Signal for Help
Since aluminum foil is reflective, it is great for signaling purposes. Place along with branches or any other areas where it will be clearly visible from the air or a road close by. You can also use aluminum foil to make a makeshift mirror, which is great for signaling for help, as well.
3. Make Fishing Lures
Fish love shiny lures. If you do not have bait, wrap aluminum foil around the weights as it will act as an effective flasher attracting fish that are more reluctant to bite. When the fishing gets a little bit tough, all you need is a square tin foil to improve the catch.
4. Water Bottle Repair
Pine sap and aluminum foil will act as a temporary patching solution for cracks in water bottles or small piercings in hydration packs. It will not hold up to a lot of water pressure, but it will help with drips and small seeps temporarily.
5. Sharpen Dull Scissors
I keep a multi-tool on me at all times. The scissors are my most used tool, so they can be dull from time to time. To sharpen scissors using aluminum foil, fold the foil over two or three times and cut the foil with your scissors. This will help sharpen the scissor blades.
6. Fix Loose Batteries
If batteries become loose, the most common reason is the springs inside the battery compartment have lost some of their tension over time. Loose batteries can cause glitching. To remedy this problem with aluminum foil, fold a small piece just big enough to fill in the gap, and you’re good to go.
7. Keep Your Matches Dry
Wrapping your matches with aluminum foil will keep them dry as long as you don’t go underwater! Waterproof matches and lighters are available in the market, but you don’t have these readily available most of the time. Aluminum foil is a great alternative since you can simply tear a piece of it from your kitchen drawer.
8. Scrub Dirty Pots and Pans
Do you have dirty pots and pans but forgot to pack the scrub pads? Not to worry. Crumble up a piece of aluminum foil and scrub your dirty pots and pans and rinse.
Remember, it is important to keep the smell of food away from your shelter area or a campsite. Having clean pots and pans will help prevent predators (such as bears) from snooping around at night.
9. Create a Quick Windbreak Around Your Campfire
Building a wall out of aluminum foil around your campfire will help protect it from the wind. This will also help reflect heat to help you stay warm at night. Campsites in the uplands can be very cold at night so the more warmth you can generate, the better.
Bonus: If you’re cold at night wrap up in heavy duty aluminum foil, it can act as a space blanket and help insulate you.
Space Blanket Definition: Also known as an emergency or thermal blanket, it is a thin plastic sheet that reflects heat, helping the user stay warm.
10. Collect Rainwater
Remember the makeshift bowl you made to boil water? Make about 3 or 4 times that size (or just make several of them) to collect rainwater. A tarp is also good for collecting rainwater, but it’s quite heavy to bring when camping. Aluminum foil is a more useful material for light travel.
11. Remove Rust
Crumple up a piece of aluminum foil like you would a piece of paper. Use the crumpled foil to remove rust from metal objects. It’s not going to be a magical thing wherein the rust comes off with a little rubbing. You have to be a little bit patient to make it work.
Save this infographic for later!
Here’s a quick tip about aluminum foil survival kits from CommonSenseOutdoors:
It’s amazing how such a simple thing can be so useful for wilderness survival. My whole life, I couldn’t even remember anyone asking me for an aluminum foil if not to wrap food, now it’s one of your many significant survival tools for any outdoor emergency. Kudos to the brilliant minds who gave birth to these ideas. It may be an unusual prepper gear, but it can also be utilized as mylar blankets or an emergency blanket, an alcohol stove, and a whole lot more. Nevertheless, creativity is the key to survival and learning any new skill will always be a plus for preppers!
Which of these aluminum foil survival uses have you tried? Share your experience with us in the comments section below!
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on March 27, 2018, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
