Why some military survival kits include condoms

Blake Stilwell
Apr 29, 2020 3:55 PM PDT
1 minute read
Survival photo

SUMMARY

Listen, condoms will save your life. You may not believe it, but the condom is a multipurpose force multiplier that does more than protect one’s little trooper from NBC threats during unarmed combat. The idea of having condoms isn’t even all that …

Listen, condoms will save your life. You may not believe it, but the condom is a multipurpose force multiplier that does more than protect one's little trooper from NBC threats during unarmed combat. The idea of having condoms isn't even all that new, so this may be old news to many readers. Even the Army's official survival handbook lists condoms as a necessary item for survival kits.

The reasons are many, and I'm going to list them without a single dick joke. Sorry.


Water.

Water is the number one reason you should carry condoms in your survival kit as a U.S. troop. Water is the number two reason you should carry condoms in your survival kit as a civilian. Condoms, of course, are designed to keep fluids in – and they are really, really good at it. When properly handled, a condom can carry two liters of water. Just tie it off with a stick and wrap it in a sock, and you've got yourself a durable water container.

You should probably use non-lubricated condoms for this purpose.

Tinder.

I don't mean you should be using condoms just for the Tinder dating app (although you should definitely be using condoms if you're on the Tinder dating app). A condom can carry a lot of flammable material and – as I mentioned – the condom is totally waterproof so it will keep your cotton, newspaper, Doritos, whatever you use as tinder, dry.

We use dryer lint.

Also, be advised that a condom will go up in flames faster than you're going to be comfortable watching. You can use them as tinder themselves and will even start a fire.

Barrels.

Turns out condoms are good at protecting a rifle and a gun, whether you're fighting or having fun. This is actually a fairly common use among survivalists who spend a lot of time outdoors. You may see (again, non-lubricated) condoms over the barrel of a weapon to keep mud, dirt, and water out. They even make little condoms for this purpose.

First Aid.

If you haven't noticed by now, the condom's greatest strengths are its elasticity and waterproofing. You can use the condom as a crude tourniquet in case of injury, but you can also use it as a rubber glove to protect both yourself from blood-borne disease and protect your patient from whatever muck is on your grubby little hands.

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