Think about the most valuable tool in your survival kit. Is it a knife? A fire starter? What about that empty beer can you just tossed by the campfire?
Need proof? Just ask Clifton Vial of Nome, Alaska. In 2011, his truck got stuck in a snowdrift in the middle of nowhere. With no cell service, he was stranded for over 60 hours in -17 degree temperatures, wearing only jeans and a thin jacket.
How did he survive? For nourishment and hydration, he turned to the only thing he had: a few cans of frozen Coors Light.
Clifton survived because he saw a resource where others would see trash. The beer itself provided liquid and calories, but the can is a treasure trove of survival potential.
Here are 14 ways that simple can could save your life.
Group 1: The Essentials (Fire & Water)
Your first priorities are always water and warmth. A beer can helps with both.
1. Boil Water (Your New "Pot"): This is the most important one. A beer can is an aluminum pot, perfect for boiling water to make it safe to drink.
- How to Do It: Cut the top off (if you can) or just use the drinking hole. Fill it with water and set it next to a hot fire, right in the ashes. Crucial Tip: Don't put it in the roaring flames; the aluminum will melt. In the hot embers, it will boil water in 10-15 minutes.
2. Start a Fire (Optical Mirror): The concave bottom of the can is a parabolic mirror.
- How to Do It: Polish the bottom of the can with anything mildly abrasive—chocolate (like in the article!), toothpaste, or even fine mud. Get it as shiny as a mirror. Angle the polished bottom toward the sun, focusing the beam onto a small, dark piece of tinder. It will smoke and ignite.
3. Make Char Cloth (Your "Tinder-Maker"): Char cloth is tinder that catches a spark with almost zero effort.
- How to Do It: Cut the top off a can and pack it with pieces of a 100% cotton shirt, punk wood, or fibrous bark. Fold the top shut and toss the whole can into a fire for about 5-10 minutes. The material inside will turn to black char without burning up, creating perfect tinder for a flint and steel.
4. Create a Survival Stove: A can is the perfect body for a "hobo stove."
- How to Do It: Cut the can in half. The bottom half becomes your stove. Add a few ounces of a flammable liquid (like the high-proof alcohol from your first-aid kit or hand sanitizer), and you have a small, controlled stove for cooking or warmth.
Group 2: Finding Food (Fishing & Hunting)
That shiny can is also a miniature tackle box.
5. Improvised Fishing Reel: It's a perfect, simple hand-reel.
- How to Do It: Tie your fishing line through the pull tab, then wind the line around the can. To cast, just slide the line off the end like an open-face reel.
6. The Pull-Tab Fish Hook: This is a brilliant last-ditch trick.
- How to Do It: Break off the pull tab. Cut or bend it to look like a hook, and sharpen the point on a rock. Important: This is a "gorge hook," not a traditional hook. It's soft, so you don't "set" it. You let the fish swallow the bait and hook, and the hook will snag in its throat. This is survival fishing, not catch-and-release.
7. Fishing Float / Bobber: An empty, sealed can floats perfectly.
- How to Do It: If the pull-tab is intact, you can tie your line to it. Or, punch two small holes near the top and thread your line through. This is perfect for a fishing net, a trotline, or a fish trap.
8. Improvised Cutting Tool / Arrowhead:
- How to Do It: Cut the can's walls into strips. The edges are razor sharp (be careful). While too flimsy for a knife, these sharp pieces can be used to cut cordage or, when properly shaped and secured, as projectile points for small game.
Group 3: Camp, Light, & Safety
Use the can to improve your camp and signal for help.
9. Reflective Signal Mirror: Rescuers can see a flash of light from miles away.
- How to Do It: Cut the can open to expose the shiny interior. You can also use the polished bottom. Flash it at planes, helicopters, or search parties. Pro Tip: Hang it from a tree branch where it can spin in the wind, creating an "automated" distress signal.
10. Simple Candle Lantern: A can makes a perfect wind-proof lantern.
- How to Do It: Cut a vertical line down the side of the can. Then cut a small horizontal line at the top and bottom of that line, like a capital "I". Fold these two "doors" open. Drop a tea light or a piece of candle inside, and the can will protect the flame from the wind.
11. Camp Perimeter Alarm: Worried about bears or intruders?
- How to Do It: Put a few small rocks in an empty can. Set it up on a branch or log, and tie a thin string (a "tripwire") to it, running it around your camp. If anything bumps that line, the can will fall and make a racket, waking you up.
12. "Waterproof" Survival Kit Container: This is one of the cleverest uses.
- How to Do It: Get the beer out by punching a small hole in the side. Let the can dry. Now, fill the top opening with your survival kit: tinder, matches, fish hooks, etc. Finally, wrap the entire can with duct tape. It's now a waterproof, crush-resistant, inconspicuous survival kit that floats.
Group 4: The Obvious One
13. Drink the Beer (Calories & Hydration): As Clifton Vial proved, beer is a resource. It's mostly water, and it contains valuable calories. In a survival situation, a beer can provide hydration and a small amount of nourishment.
14. Bow Drill Socket (Fire-Making Tool):
- How to Do It: When trying to make a bow-drill fire, you need a "socket" to hold the top of your drill (spindle). Crush the can in your hand. The slick, folded metal creates a low-friction, heat-resistant socket to press down on, making your fire-making much more efficient.
The Takeaway
The line between "trash" and "tool" is all about knowledge. That simple aluminum can is a pot, a mirror, a knife, a reel, and a cup. Next time you're outdoors, take a second look at it. It might be the most valuable piece of gear you're not "officially" carrying.