30 Ways a Plastic Bag Can Save Your Life

I have contractor bags in my BOB bag. They are nice and heavy that can be used as a poncho or help shelter you from a storm. Here is a list of 30 uses of plastic bags. Some I had never considered. But like most stuff, when living in a materialistic world we never really look at all the ways to use an item until we have to improvise.

30 Important Ways a Plastic Bag Can Save Your Life

Not sure if the plastic bag is the most valuable survival tool but after reading this list, it has moved into my top 5.

 

They are handy, for sure. Nice find and thanks for sharing!

 

Having a good tape along with a bag ,can extend the reuse of the equipment for a while.

 

Now THIS is a great post! I have save the article to my computer for future use. I do have one question, @Motomom34 You said you , "I have contractor bags in my BOB." What in the world are 'contractor bags' and where do I get them?

EDIT: Do you mean trash bags but didn't want to state a certain brand? Or, do you mean something heavier which I would be very interested in obtaining.

 

@Bandit99 yes, trash bags.

I have some of these in my BOB
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001BBHILG/?tag=survivalmonke-20

I have lots of mylar but the contractor bags seem tougher/stronger then mylar. Since the contractor bags are so big, I can shelter in one. (yes, I would cut an air hole)

 

While they are not really "trash" bags, there are lots of commercial plastic liners used in shipping liquid and powders that are very heavy and very useful. The used 225 gal wire containers with a bag inside them are very useful in a green house, cheap, store 2 high, last several years, the plastic that the lumber companies use to protect plywood and lumber is very heavy, last several years on a wood pile or many years as a pond liner. I have used the trash bags that are used like a dumpster to store mulch, soil, growing media, etc in my green house and they fold down for store and they have handles that will pick up quite a load. Use tractor bucket and forks on the sling handles. The contractor bags I have used were very heavy and designed for a 55 gal drum. Only problem with a lot of trash bags now is good and bad. They are designed to break down in the landfill or burn cleanly.

 

I can't count how many times paper bags saved me from having to chew my arm off...or worse...when I was young and dumb and hornier than a longhorn bull. Of course the fact that I just wrote what I wrote indicates that I ain't gotten a whole lot smarter with age. Go ahead gals, beat me, hurt me, punish me...it'll tide me over till my next dental appointment.

 

Contractor bags are also handy for stuffing what remains of the teenage male who made your daughter cry while you are in route to the nearest disposal site...

 

I knew a few of them now i know more. Thanks for sharing.

 

Speaking of plastic bags ,My son gave me several milk bags from boxes of milk use in the restaurant . they are double walled and capable of hitting the floor without damage good reusable lids as well .
Some I have thoroughly washed out and filled with water and reboxed and put away.
However my secondary plan is to make a mattress using them ,because usually air mattresses don't stand up very well, and having several working at once make it less likely to lose the whole thing.
If you are camping they can be filled with water and used as a water bed or just for storing water for daily needs .
If one has a means of a large bag like container or cargo netting , these can be used as floatation if necessary as a raft or making one's way across water, keeping their gear high and dry .

 

I keep a partial roll of 6 mil (10 ft wide) clear plastic in the rig. Lots of uses. As for the bags, I carry the so-called Drum Liners.
55 Gallon LDPE Drum Liner 37" x 56" x 4 Mil - oddly they are FDA 'approved'.

 

@DKR where do you get drum liners?

 

They ain't cheap, that's for sure. Amazon has them (below) but there are a lot of other online sellers.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A6F2UIE/?tag=survivalmonke-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0189N08RO/?tag=survivalmonke-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012HLQ72Y/?tag=survivalmonke-20

Some of those are fairly thick. You can get thinner ones for less:

55 Gallon Liners on a Roll 38" x 63" 3 mil are used for protecting 55 gallon drums, or for storing and disposing of standard weight residual waste. Similar plastic 55 gallon drum liners 38 x 63 .003 Laddawn 3295. FDA approved for food and drug contact.

CEP DLIN55-4 55 Gal 4 Mil 38 in x 63 in Drum Liner

 

I get then locally from an outfit that does hazmat clean up. I worked for a outfit (spent time with them in the old Soviet cleaning up oil spills.)

Check locally for HAZMAT clean up supplies in YP.