We realize that pantyhose isn’t the manliest item in your survival bag – but luckily for us, there’s a surprising amount of survival uses for pantyhose.
Think about it – pantyhose is lightweight, washable, reusable, compact, and discreet. And if you have a wife, girlfriend, mother, or sister one of them is bound to have a pair (or two or three) in her dresser.
And the best thing is, these things are CHEAP! They’re less than $5 per pair, and if you ask around I bet you know someone that’ll give you a pair for free (even if you might get a couple weird looks doing so).
We recognize that pantyhose is an unusual prepping item, but trust us – you’ll be glad you brought it along once you see these…
21 Survival Uses For Pantyhose
1 – Keep Away Animals
Put dog or human hair in strips of pantyhose, and place/tie them around the proximity of your garden. It’s best to do this in a high spot (such as a nearby fence).
The smell will prevent deer and other creatures from coming in and eating/ruining your survival garden.
2 – Keep Away The Bugs
Wearing pantyhose will help stop bug bites, such as from ticks, ants, etc. They’ll also help prevent jellyfish from stinging you and leeches from latching onto your skin.
Wearing a “woman’s item” is a small price to pay for those benefits!
3 – Prevent Blisters
Blisters aren’t fun and it’s easy to get them if you’re walking around all day and night. Prevent the pain and the blister all together by cutting off the feet from the pantyhose and wearing them under your socks.
Note: You can find nylon socks at many grocery stores – they’re practically the same thing and will stay on your foot longer.
4 – As a Mosquito Net
Even though mosquitos can bite through pantyhose, that doesn’t mean they can fly through them. Use pantyhose to deter them from bugging you.
5 – As a Mask
If you need to conceal your identity, using pantyhose is a quick way to do it. Simply pull the pantyhose over your head to make a quick (and almost unrecognizable) getaway.
6 – Dry Your Food
Place your onions and other produce in the pantyhose and hang them in the sun. The nylons will help to keep bugs out of your food, and will help keep dirt off as well.
7 – Hunt Small Animals
Get a few rocks and put them into the pantyhose, and tie it off at the end. You’ll be a regular David fighting Goliath (as well as any small animals you find you want to kill).
8 – Stay Warm
Pantyhose provide a great base layer in the cold. When you need an extra layer for warmth, you’ll be glad you brought these along.
9 – Drain Excess Water From Plants
Don’t want to drown your plants by accidentally watering them too much? Simply place pantyhose in the bottom of your planter.
This will allow excess water to drain out of the planter, and keep the moist dirt inside.
10 – As A Dust Mask
Although they aren’t perfect and won’t keep out toxins, pantyhose (when placed over your head and face) will help keep you from breathing in dust and debris.
11 – Keep the Dust Out Of Your Filter
If you want to prevent dust and debris from going into your air filter, wrap the nylon over the filter. This will also work on cars to keep ash and dust from getting into the motor.
12 – Keep Hair Out Of Your Face
If you have long hair (or your wife does), this is an easy solution. Simply wrap the pantyhose around your hair and use it as a hair tie.
You can also wrap it around your head and tie it together for a headband to help keep sweat out of your eyes.
13. Dry Your Tinder
Don’t dry your tinder in your pocket – instead, put it in pantyhose and hang it up so it’ll dry quickly and efficiently.
14 – Catch Fish
Stretch pantyhose over a Y-shaped branch to create a net, then skim the net through the water.
Note: you won’t be able to catch big fish with this, but you may get small bait to use for later, like crawdads.
15 – Catch Crabs
No, we don’t mean that kind of crabs.
Put your bait (maybe the crawdads you just caught) in the toe of the pantyhose and dip it in water that’s shallow.
Crabs going after the bait will get stuck in the pantyhose, and you’ll have fresh dinner.
16 – As A Pouch
When your backpack is stuffed to the brim, it can be hard to find space for your extra survival gear. Instead of worrying about it, put some of the lightweight items into a pair of pantyhose and use it as a pouch.
17 – As A Water Filter
Although this solution won’t filter out the toxins or diseases in your water, it will remove large debris from getting in. Remember to always boil the water after filtering it to ensure it’s safe to drink.
18 – As A Tourniquet
You can wrap pantyhose around yourself to make a tourniquet – it can also be used to keep a cold pack or bandage in place.
19 – Find Small Objects
One of the most frustrating things is losing something small (like a nail, contact lens, etc) and then spending the next few minutes (or hours) on your hands and knees searching for it.
Save yourself the stress, and do the following: Cut one of the legs off the pantyhose. and wrap it over the nozzle of a vacuum hose (you can add both legs if you’re worried about one tearing).
Secure the pantyhose in place with a rubber band. Turn on the vacuum and move the nozzle around the floor – the lose item will stick to the pantyhose instead of getting sucked up.
20 – As A Duster
Ball up the pantyhose and attach it to a yardstick (or coat hanger) with a rubber band. Then swipe the contraption in hard-to-reach places, like under the fridge or on ceiling fans.
The dust will cling to the nylon, and can easily be removed.
21 – Replace A Fan Belt
This is one of the most surprising survival uses for pantyhose (wait ’til you read this):
If you have a damaged fan belt, you can replace it with pantyhose. Keep in mind it’s not a permanent fix, but it’ll get you to the next auto repair place.
22 – BONUS TIP:
Sure, pantyhose is cheap and useful, but it’s also thin and can rip fairly easily.
To keep your pantyhose lasting longer, prevent a rip from spreading by applying clear nail polish to the edges of the rip (be sure to slip a piece of paper in between the layers so you don’t get the other side of the nylons wet).
Wait for the polish to dry completely, and voila – you’ve stopped the rip from spreading. Note: A thin layer of hairspray will also do the trick.
Want more unusual survival uses for pantyhose? Watch the video to learn more:
If you watched the video, you learned that you can use pantyhose to sprout your very own seeds.
And let’s be honest – if you’re putting together a survival kit, wanting to grow a survival garden, or simply wanting to save money on your grocery bills, the best way to make that happen is to grow your own food.