10+ Incredible Ways To Use Zip Ties For Survival

If you’re lost in the wilderness, you’d better make it easy for rescue teams to come find you.

You can do this with the help of zip ties. Simply take brightly-colored zip ties and attach them to tree trunks, branches, and other natural objects lying around. Do this Hansel & Gretel style, marking the trail as you go. These markers are what will lead rescue teams to your location.

Restrain Your Enemy

If you’ve got someone you no longer trust, you can restrain them with a zip tie. Take a long, wide one and wrap it around their wrists, tightening it. These make great makeshift handcuffs – especially since zip ties are so difficult to unlock.

PRO TIP: If you ever wind up in zip-tie handcuffs, you can use a bobby pin to unlock it. That’s right. See this survival use (and WAY more) right here.

Secure A Shelter

Zip ties are great for helping you set up a shelter. For instance, you can use them to tie a tarp to a tree. You can also make a tipi by tying the tops of various branches together, and then securing them into the ground.

Stop The Bleeding

If you get hurt in the field, you can stop the bleeding by pressing a bandage to the wound, and then wrapping a long, wide zip-tie around it. This will help keep the bandage in place, and help prevent infection.

Save Space In Your Bug Out Bag

Here’s a cool space saver. Roll each clothing item up tightly, and then wrapping/locking a zip-tie around it. This will prevent the clothing item from unraveling, and it’ll help you save precious space in your bug out bag.

Restrict Access To Bugs

The last thing you need is to have ticks and other critters crawling up your pant legs while you walk. Restrict their access by tying a zip tie around the bottom of each pant leg. That way if any ants, spiders, etc. do try to go up your pants, their path will be blocked.

Repair Your Watch Strap

If your watch strap breaks, you can always repair it with a zip tie. Simply slip the zip tie into the holes on either hand, place it around your wrist, and then lock it in place.

Take A Shower

Fill a black paper bag with water, tie it off, and then leave it sitting in the sun for a few hours until it’s good and hot. Then tie the top of the bag to a low-hanging branch. Poke holes in the bag, and you’ve got a hot, refreshing shower to wash away your worries.

Make A Belt

If you need to keep your pants up, you can make a DIY zip-tie belt to keep them in place. Simply push the bottom end of a zip-tie through the lock of another one until it locks in place. Do this again and again until you’ve got a long rope. Slip that rope through your belt loops, and cinch the belt tight.

Warm Up Your Shelter

Need extra insulation? Keep your shelter warm by adding trash bags, branches, and more to the outside of the roof. Then secure them to the shelter using a zip-tie to ensure they don’t fly away with the wind.

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