Many of my friends are backcountry guides, first responders, and outdoor educators.聽Read: They spend a lot of time outside. Over the years,聽they鈥檝e thought聽up聽clever hacks that both make their trips聽easier聽and can help them in an emergency. Here are six of their favorite hacks.聽
Bean Can as Faucet聽
Instead of relying on hand sanitizer to keep your hands clean, this hack helps you create a faucet for hand washing. Step one: Thoroughly wash the can,聽then take a church key, can opener, or knife and punch a triangular hole on the side as close to the bottom as you can get it. Next, take an inch-long piece of duct tape, fold it over聽sticky-side-to-sticky-side (leaving you with a doubled-up half-inch piece), shape聽it into a half circle,聽insert it into the bottom of the triangular hole, and tape it to the bottom of the can, creating your聽spigot. Finally, fill the can with water and you have a nice, even-flow faucet.
Beer Tab as Fishing Lure聽
Tie a聽beer tab just above your hook, and it will reflect light and look just like a small fish, hopefully聽tricking聽the bigger guys into taking a bite. It sounds gimmicky but it really does work.聽
Empty Hotel Shampoo Bottle聽as Sunscreen Dispenser
It鈥檚 easy to put sunscreen on at the trailhead, but you still need to reapply at least once about every 80 minutes.聽Instead of hauling a full tube of sunscreen聽into the woods, my buddies often fill an old hotel shampoo bottle聽with the stuff: it's聽small enough to fit in the pocket of your pants or a life聽jacket but holds just enough to keep your face and arms lathered for a day.
Duct Tape Rings
You should never head into the woods without duct tape. It鈥檚 great for everything from fixing holes to repairing ski poles. But don鈥檛 bring a full roll. Instead, wrap nice long pieces around circular gear. I currently have tape wrapped around my kayak paddles, water bottles, lighters, backcountry ski poles, and even a pencil.聽
Iodine + Ziplock Bag for Wound Care
If you get cut in the backcountry, you鈥檒l want to wash the wound. And iodine, which is often used to purify water, can serve as your disinfectant. First, mix聽iodine and water in a Ziplock, enough聽so the mixture turns the color of strong聽iced tea鈥攁bout three tablets聽for a sandwich-sized bag.聽Then cut the corner of the bag聽and squeeze to get a stream to聽irrigate the wound.聽
Trash Compactor Bags for聽Waterproofing
These bags are twice as strong as regular trash bags, lighter than a dry bag, and cheap. I line my backpacking pack with them. If聽you make sure to fold the top聽carefully, they鈥檒l keep everything dry,聽regardless of how hard it鈥檚 raining.