11 Surprising Survival Uses for a Tin Can

In my last article, we learned that bushcraft and survival skills have a lot to do with the ability to improvise. Items that we would not even give a second thought to under normal circumstances and would in all likelihood be discarded as rubbish can become valuable and even lifesaving commodities in a survival situation. Take a tin can, for example. We usually just toss it once it's empty. But a tin can can have umpteen uses in a survival situation and should never be thrown away!

One wonders how often it must have occurred in the past where people have become lost on a hike in the mountains or in the bush while hunting and have had a tin can of food with them and at some point have opened the can, eaten the contents and then thrown the can away (or hopefully at least, buried it).


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Perhaps they have been stranded or lost in the wild and walked past an empty can without seeing its potential. In the modern world, rubbish can be found in even the most remote places on earth and rubbish can become a treasure trove of useful implements when you have little or nothing, to begin with.

So let’s take a look at the humble tin can from a survival perspective and see what you can do with it.

Survival Uses for a Tin Can

The most obvious use is what it was designed for – to be a container. You can carry virtually anything in a tin can – water, food, sand, small implements and so on. Wire is also found in most places, and by punching two small holes in the side of the can with a pocket knife, a piece of glass, sharp stone, a piece of metal or a nail you can attach a wire handle to make a useful carrying container.

Tin can as a container

You can also use the can as a cup or as a small cooking pot. The ability to boil water is of cardinal survival importance, and a tin can makes it possible for you to boil water to purify it and make it safe to drink. You can also use the tin can as a pot to cook food in, prepare medicinal potions, make hot drinks or sterilize instruments. When heating contents in the tin can over an open fire, take care not to burn yourself when lifting it. Use a piece of cloth or a small branch to lift the hot tin by the wire handle.

Cooking-pot | 11 Survival Uses for a Tin Can
Use a tin can as a cooking pot

You can also use the can as a stove. This method is especially useful when you don't have much firewood or combustible plant material handy. Soldiers in the North African desert did this in the Second World War. They called it a Benghazi stove. Fill the can about half full with sand and then add some petrol to the sand to wet it. Get the stove burning by lighting some tinder on the top. It will burn for about five minutes – long enough to boil water or fry an egg (you will find eggs in bird nests if you take the trouble to look).

Stove | 11 Survival Uses for a Tin Can
Stove from a tin can

You will need food at some stage, and you can turn your tin can into a useful trap. Bury it in the ground so that the top of the can is at the same level as the ground. Just like that, you've made a pit trap. Small crawling insects, frogs and even small mammals such as mice can fall into the trap, which you can eat or use as bait to catch fish. Add a little water at the bottom of the tin to drown whatever falls into it.

Animal Trap | 11 Survival Uses for a Tin Can
Hide the tin can to create an animal trap

Being able to signal for help can be life-saving, and this is where the lid comes in handy. Using some sharp object or tool, punch a small hole into the center of the lid – you now have a heliograph or signaling mirror. Make sure one side of the lid is polished as smooth and bright as you can get it to have a good reflective surface. You can now signal to vehicles, search parties or low flying aircraft by aiming the mirror towards the persons you wish to signal to and reflecting the bright rays of sunlight towards them. You aim the mirror by looking through the center hole towards the person, vehicle or aircraft you wish to signal.

Distress signal | 11 Survival Uses for a Tin Can
Signal for help by turning a tin can into a distress signal

Because the tin is metallic, you can make cutting tools from the material. You can sharpen the lid's edges to fashion a sharp cutting tool. And you can partially bend it to create a blunt end to hold onto cutting yourself, or you can mount it on a piece of wood.

Cutting tool | 11 Survival Uses for a Tin Can
Use a tin can as a makeshift cutting tool

Arrowheads can be fashioned from pieces of tin. If you don’t have anything that can cut the tin, bend it back and forth to break pieces off until you have the right shape.

Arrowheads | 11 Survival Uses for a Tin Can
Make sharp arrowheads out of pieces of tin

By punching a few small holes in the bottom of the tin and adding layers of gravel and sand, you can make an effective water filter. This will remove particulate matter before boiling, making the water more palatable. It can also serve as a shower by punching some holes in the bottom.

Shower head | 11 Survival Uses for a Tin Can
Use a tin can as a water filter or shower head

Turn small, reflective pieces of tin into fishing lures and spoons. You can attach these to fishhooks from your survival kit if you have one, or you can make hooks out of wire or even thorns.

Fishing lure | 11 Survival Uses for a Tin Can
Did you know you can make a fishing lure from a tin can?

In windy conditions, it might be difficult to keep a candle burning. You can solve this problem by making a small candle lamp as shown below.

Candle lamp | 11 Survival Uses for a Tin Can
A tin can candle lamp

A tin can makes a wonderful fire carrier. Make a few holes in the bottom and side of the can, then place glowing coals or smoldering dung (cow, buffalo, elephant and rhino dung works well) in the can. The coals or dung will continue burning slowly for many hours and then when you need to make fire you will already have glowing coals to start with. This is especially useful if you don't have matches or a working lighter.Grab candles that fit perfectly in a tin can here.

Fire carrier | 11 Survival Uses for a Tin Can
Carry the light with you by making a tin can fire carrier

Can you think of more ways to use a tin can in a survival scenario? Let us know in the comments.

Tin Can | 11 Surprising Survival Uses for a Tin Can

Wanna see the best way to ensure that you're always ready to start a fire?

Check out these related articles:

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This Article Was First Found at survivallife.com Read The Original Article Here

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