20 Everyday Household Items You Never knew were Survival Tools on an Adventure
Somewhere between a quiet kitchen drawer and a forgotten shelf lies a secret:
You’ve already been packing for survival.
Not with tactical gear or neon-branded camping kits —
But with salt, socks, and a roll of aluminum foil.
At Ink and Iron, we believe the best adventurers aren’t the ones with the flashiest tools..
They’re the ones who look at a candle and see fire, light, and waterproofing all in one.
So here’s our list of 20 deceptively ordinary household items that can make the difference between “just a trip” and a survival story worth telling.
1. Aluminum Foil
This shiny sheet is more than a kitchen sidekick.
It can cook, protect, reflect, and even signal rescue.
A reflective mirror to signal help. A windscreen for fire. A wrap for food. A water boiler if shaped right.
2. Salt
An old-world preservative, a leech repellent, and a wound cleanser.
Salt keeps fish fresh, throats soothed, and bugs at bay.
Sprinkle it like magic — because out there, it is.
3. Candle
A flame that doesn’t just light the dark — it comforts it.
It offers both - warmth, and fire-starting potential. You can drip wax onto cloth to make it water-resistant, carry that small flame with you, and even light damp tinder with ease.
4. Petroleum Jelly (Vaseline) + Cotton Balls
When mixed together, petroleum jelly and cotton balls make a fire starter that ignites easily and burns steadily.
Alone the jelly soothes sunburns, heals scrapes, and helps stay smooth in brutal cold winds.
While cotton is great for nosebleeds, wound padding, or emotional comfort (because let’s be real, some days get rough).
5. Socks
Not just for feet.
Socks can double as gloves, strain muddy water, carry wild berries or herbs, or even support a blistered foot—they’re soft shields in harsh terrain.
Worn-out socks can still do heroic things.
6. Toilet Paper
Toilet paper serves many roles: it works as fire kindling, bandage padding, wound cleaner, or the most obvious: when nature calls.
7. Kitchen Knife
Even a basic kitchen knife becomes your companion in survival—carving tools, cleaning game, preparing food, and offering protection when needed.
8. Trash Bag
Your emergency poncho, ground tarp, a water collector, or an emergency shelter wall. Lightweight and versatile. The kind of item you’ll regret not packing when skies break open.
9. Safety Pins
They’re tiny but indispensable.
Fix torn straps, fasten clothing, improvise a fishing hook, or secure bandages when nothing else will stay put.
11. T-Shirt (or Any Cloth)
Your old tee can be your first aid kit, water filter, head wrap, tie for broken straps, bandana, or even a tourniquet in crisis.
The fabric holds memory. Let it hold purpose too. (😉 we know a brand)
12. Soap
A bar of soap cleans wounds and dishes, and reduces infection risk. Some natural soaps even repel insects—hygiene matters anywhere.
Cleans wounds, deters infection, and some even repel insects — a tiny bar of defense.
13. Tin Can
Cook in it. Boil water. Scare away animals by clanking it.
Or just bang on it to feel like a wild drummer in the forest night.
Even the empty things carry use.
14. Baking Soda
A miracle in a box.
Soothe insect bites, brush your teeth, fight indigestion, or clean grimy gear.
A pinch of it, and you’re halfway to healing.
Use it to put out a fire safely — just sprinkle over flare-ups and it releases CO₂ to suffocate flames.
Plus, it doubles as a natural deodorant for clothes and body during extended treks—quiet, multi-layered survival magic.
15. Stainless Steel Chai Strainer
What’s used for brewing chai can strain river or stream water, press herbs, or or sift out debris from natural clay or mud when setting up camp.
16. Matchbox + Clove
Strike a match. Suck on cloves.
On one hand — fire.
In the other — relief from toothache, nausea, or altitude sickness.
A pairing of physical survival and mental comfort.
10. Ziplock Bags
Keep the fire-starting tinder dry.
Protect your phone.
Or fill it with water, drop a flashlight inside, and voilà — a soft glow lantern for your tent.
17. Small Hair-Oil Bottle (Empty or Full)
The tiny travel-sized bottle is gold.
Use it to carry kerosene, coconut oil (natural insect repellent), or filtered water. Drop by drop, it becomes your backup hydration or insect repellent stash.
18. Incense Stick (Agarbatti)
Yes, really. An incense stick can ward off mosquitoes, mark trail junctions with scent in low visibility, or simply bring a moment of peace in wild spaces—temple smoke in the forest isn’t just poetic; it’s practical.
19. Wooden Pencil
Sharpen it for tinder. Carve with it. Break it to feed fire. A silent fire starter hiding in your drawer.
20. Vinegar for Wildlife Deterrence
Soak cloth and tie near your shelter. The sour scent deters deer, boars, and sometimes even snakes — it acts like an invisible fencing.
When your skin flares from insects, applying a paste of vinegar and baking soda neutralizes the itch, inflammation, and pain—a humble remedy with compound strength.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to buy survival.
You just need to see differently.
Adventure doesn’t begin at Decathlon. Adventure begins when you realize that the ordinary around you holds extraordinary power
It begins at the stove, the cupboard, the cluttered drawer.
It begins in the instinct to adapt — to turn the ordinary into a tool, a guide, a guardian.
So the next time you pack for a trip,
Don’t just think of gear.
Think of the objects you’ve lived with.
They already know how to protect you.
- Ink & Iron
For the bold. For the wild. For the ones who see magic in matchsticks.