In my EDC (Every Day Carry) I have a small but mighty selection of items that are helpful each day or could be very helpful if faced with a serious emergency. My Sypderco Tenacious G-10 knife, a trusty BIC lighter, a Keltec pf9 9mm, a parachord bracelet, a Leatherman Wave multi-tool and…

Chapstick???

Yep, my father’s side has a genetic predisposition for chapped lips and dry skin, so each and every day I carry a little tube (or two) of Chapstick. (Mostly Burt’s Bees)

Now when you’re looking at preparedness, redundancy and multi-use items are key. You want a few simple items that can do multiple things. Think versatility. So as a prepper, having a single use item in my pocket daily kind of “urked” me a little. That’s when I started researching multiple uses in survival situations for lip balm (aka Chapstick).

Here’s what I’ve found so far.

9 Great Survival uses for Lip Balm:

Chapped lips – (duh, thats why we buy it in the first place) In extreme cold weather, you can rub it on the exposed parts of your face. The thin layer helps prevent heat loss by limiting radiation and air convection. Lubrication for your fire bow drill, etc. It is a great firestarter! It works just like petroleum jelly. You can rub it on a piece of cloth, lint from your pocket, a cotton ball, gauze pad from your first aid kit, or even on natural tender. I always have a cotton ball or two stuffed in my match case to keep the matches from ratteling around and in my little pill vial I use to carry some basic medicines. Emergency waterproofer. You can even use it to plug a small hole in your tent, poncho, or tube tent that is leaking in the rain. Rub it on a hot spot on your foot to help prevent a pending blister (lubricant). Mix it with some black ash and rub under your eyes to keep the glare down (great for desert or snowy terrain). Do the same above to camo your face for hunting, works much better than mud and is kind of water resistant. Not as good as oil, but I think it is a decent expedient rust preventative to rub on carbon steel knives.

So what do you think? Did I miss any uses that you’ve found? Do you have an item that could replace my trusty chapstick? Leave your comment below and let us know what you think!