How to Survive With a Bandana.
Start a fire (two ways) 1.
Soak a few strands of your bandana in hand sanitizer to make a fire starter that will take a match easily and burn for a minute or more.
Survivalists know that semi-burnt cotton (char cloth) can light with just a spark.
Note: Making char cloth is pretty simple, getting it to take a spark is harder.
Wet it and wear it on your head to block the sun if it’s hot.
For a hard-to-reach seep in a rock, use a stick to poke part of your bandana into the source, then hang the bandana so the lower end is downhill from the water level.
Filter water Remove big chunks and muck from a water source.
Make a cloth container (see “Make a hat,” left), fill it with the murky water, and let it drip into your drinking vessel.
Make lashings Tear your bandana into inch-wide strips, then braid them together to make a rope.
2. Survivalists know that semi-burnt cotton (char cloth) can light with just a spark. To make some, ignite a stamp-size piece of bandana, then snuff it out after a few seconds. Note: Making char cloth is pretty simple, getting it to take a spark is harder.
Signal for help
If your bandana contrasts with the landscape, hang it over a tree branch in an open area so it’s level and as visible as possible from the sky (and helicopter rescuers).
