It may not be much to look at, and it may be rarely found in the west, but the sarong is a low-cost, powerful, versatile survival tool. All you need to do is think outside the box!
What is a sarong? According to Wikipedia, a sarong is “a large sheet of fabric, often wrapped around the waist and worn as a skirt by men and women throughout much of south and southeast Asia and on many Pacific islands.”
A sarong is made out of cotton or rayon, which means it’s easily packed flat for carrying in your Bug Out Bag. So what can you do with a sarong? Here’s just a short list :
- towel (it dries quickly)
- blanket / sleeping mat
- pillow / pillowcase
- sling
- bag
- bandage / tourniquet
- shelter
- rope
- clothing (scarf, skirt, robe) >> Learn how to tie a sarong the “manly” way
- water strainer
- placemat
- napkin
- signal flag (if colourful enough)
I keep a sarong flat-packed in a zip-lock bag in each of my Bug Out Bags – you never know when it might come in handy.
Here’s a video of how to tie a sarong. Bonus tip: how to hide your mobile phone in a sarong.
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