Survival tool - Your Binoculars?

When you think of a survival tool, knives and multi-tools are the first implements that come to mind.  There are many different survival kits that are available with an assortment of essentials that most outdoor enthusiasts recognize as the bare necessities needed in a survival situation.

Most avid hikers and backpackers wouldn't forget to bring along their binoculars and if you don't you should.  A pair of binoculars is great to have along for spotting wildlife and bringing those farscapes up close.  But think about all the great tools there are hidden in those unobtrusive site glasses.

The first thing you'll notice is the neck strap.  How often have you needed an extra tie, lanyard or cinch?  That neck strap can double as a handle for your water bottle or bucket, wrapped around a pot handle to protect you from the heat, tied to your lantern so it can hang from a tree or your tent.  In an emergency it could be used to bind a wound or as a tourniquet.  

The lens on your binoculars has many uses.  Take it off of the body (most just screw-on) and on a sunny day you can start a fire with its pinpoint beam of focused heat.  Need a signal mirror?  Got one in that highly polished lens.  How many times have you had to remove a tiny sliver, investigate an interesting rock, check out that nuisance bug bite or just plain needed to read the 'fine' print on your MRE?  That binocular lens can magnify those areas and help you with those tasks.

And of course they are best at what they were intended to do.  It makes it easier if you can see more and farther when locating a wayward friend, finding a landmark for navigation or to see the fire trail on the next ridge top.  So add a pair of binoculars to your list of outdoor equipment, not only can they make your next adventure more enjoyable, you may benefit from their many extra uses.

UScav - Field equipment and military surplus