SHTF Life Hacks | Secret Prepper Tip List

You're about to discover life-changing SHTF hacks that will impress even an experienced prepper. Get ready!

RELATED: 37 Urban Survival Skills To Master Before SHTF

SHTF | Rely on These Hacks to Pull Through

1. Open Rusty Lids With a Duct Tape

If your survival gear and supplies have been sitting for a very long time, there is a good chance the lids might not pop off as easily as expected.

Use duct tape to twist that lid right off the jar. Duct tape is strong enough to give you a firm grip on the lid without breaking the mouth of the jar.

2. Create Arrowheads Out of Unused Keys

This is a great idea as a backup home defense strategy! Make sure the keys are not being used though.

Before starting making arrowheads out of keys, mark where you need to cut the key first with a small saw. File the rough edges away to smoothen them.

3. Use Crayons as Candles Replacement

If you do not have candles as part of your survival equipment, you can always light these up as an emergency light source!

Most crayons are made up of the same ingredients as candles, so it is the next best thing to solve your light problem. Crayons will only burn for 30 minutes with their wrapper, so better use the time to get a permanent light source.

4. Duct Tape and Toilet Paper Can Help Set Broken Bones

This is another reason why duct tape should be a survival gear staple in your kit. To start, wrap the affected area with toilet paper (or a women's hygiene product if you run out of it) until it feels like a sturdy but still soft cast.

Secure the bandaged area with duct tape, avoiding any hair, and then make a sling with the sticky sides down. This makeshift splint will give you the ease of an injury even if you cannot make it to the hospital.

5. Create a Toothpick Cannon With Keyboard Cleaner

Some people may find this tip as a survival gear version of a Nerf gun, but you will never know when you will need a toothpick cannon.

To make this mini survival equipment, remove the tube from a can of a keyboard cleaner. Insert a toothpick then test it on a corkboard. You can also try this with small nails.

6. Stash Emergency Cash in Your Phone Case

This makes sense as you will always carry this around no matter what. Also, it is somewhere no one will ever think to look. You can make one for yourself or get a personalized phone case.

7. Stave off Frostbite With Baby Oil

Simple baby oil can go a long way when it comes to saving your skin in extreme weather. Its lubricating properties can also act as a barrier against the cold. It is strong enough to fend off facial frostbite.

RELATED: 7 Quick & Easy Survival Hacks Using Household Items

8. Improvise a Safe Tick Remover

A homemade tick remover out of a thread and a mechanical pencil is a great survival gear in case you encounter these pesky insects. To safely and effectively remove ticks from your skin, hollow out a mechanical pencil.

Insert the thread to make a loop at one end and the long ends at the other, then use the lasso and loop it around the tick. Pull the long ends to tighten the noose and remove the tick out.

9. Carry All Your Water in One Trip With a Stick

If you have a hockey stick around or a branch off of a tree, you can use it to haul all your water jugs at once in camp with this practical tip. After all, you want every survival gear you own to have multiple purposes, right?

10. Turn an Old Bike Into a Crossbow

Make this nifty survival equipment by stripping the bike wheel to its frame and clean them. Cut the rim in half using a saw and round off the ragged edges with a file.

It is a matter of assembling the rubber catapult and the eyelets by following the rest of the instructions in this video tutorial.

11. Turn Lemons Into Power

Did you know that you can charge your cell phone and even your flashlight using a lemon? Yes, you heard it right! Lemon can be a good source of electrical power during survival situations. Watch this video to learn more.

12. Make a DIY Fishing Kit

Store a fishing line, hooks, sinkers, snubbers, and artificial bait in a clean tin can. Come the time you need to fish, get a long branch thin enough to act as your rod.

Snubbers are important as they act as shock absorbers once you catch fish using your DIY fishing rod. You can get the rest of the materials at any local fishing or outdoor store.

13. Use a 5-10% Iodine Solution as a Water Purifier

When SHTF, you will encounter a situation where the water is questionably safe for drinking. The iodine solution helps purify the water (and even remove nasty smells), so you can safely drink it.

Store it in travel-size spray bottles to make carrying and applying easy.

14. Make Petroleum Jelly Firestarter Balls

Cotton balls drenched in petroleum jelly make great firestarters. They burn longer than typical paper. Store them in airtight containers to keep the moisture in.

15. Make and Wear Paracord Bracelets

A paracord is an essential prepper item to have when SHTF. Start with at least 10 feet worth of paracord and measure your wrist for sizes. Weave the paracord into a survival bracelet and join the ends using a buckle.

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You can never prep enough when SHTF, but it will definitely be helpful if you have a few hacks up your sleeve, especially if you are in a tight spot.

These SHTF life hacks and a clear state of mind can help anyone in a tough situation to survive on or off the grid!

Do you have any SHTF life hacks of your own? Share those life hacks with us in the comments section below!

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on December 28, 2018, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.