Clothing has a wide array of typical uses. It helps keep a body comfortable by insulating against the cold or allowing body heat to escape in warmer weather. Logos and phrases display a preference for a certain brand or state fandom for a television show or comic book. In extreme situations there are also a number of survival uses for a t-shirt.
1. First Aid
Strips of material come in handy when first-aid is required. Short strips can be used as bandages to staunch blood flow from a light wound. Longer strips may become tourniquets or straps for holding a splint in place. The thin material t-shirts are made from allows them to be torn into pieces of any desired size and shape.
2. Water Collection
A suspended t-shirt can be a source of clean drinking water. Suspending the shirt at an angle and allowing the low end to sag will funnel rain water into a container. Placing the shirt high enough over a small fire will allow the fire to keep burning through the rainfall.
3. Fire Starter
Torn swatches of a t-shirt can be lit and used as a wick to light kindling for a larger fire. A shirt wadded into a ball around the end of a stick and soaked in a liquid fuel can act as a torch. The torch is useful for light when walking around or for igniting multiple signal fires.
4. Food Gathering
A t-shirt is great for collecting and transporting food. If the supplies are not available to make a fishing rod, a shirt can become an improvised net for catching fish and removing them from the water. Picked fruit and berries can be carried in large amounts using a shirt as a sling. This maximizes the amount of food while minimizing the number of trips required to return it to camp.
5. Air Filter
Being caught in a heavy sandstorm can cause many people to panic. Covering one’s mouth and nose with a t-shirt will keep the blowing sand out, allowing them to inhale and exhale easily. Keeping the shirt’s material wet will also allow it to act as a block against light smoke if caught in a wildfire or crash situation.
Wrapping up our post on survival uses for a t-shirt, here are a few other multi-purpose everyday items: 5 Survival Uses for Coffee Filters, 5 Survival Uses for Paracord, 5 Survival Uses for a Bandana.
Featured Image from cristofer/Unsplash
