Ah, MacGyver. The late-’80s/early ’90s television series starring Richard Dean Anderson is certainly a classic, and even spawned a popular Saturday Night Live sketch and subsequent film, MacGruber. The series followed secret agent Angus MacGyver, a bomb team technician during the Vietnam War who worked for fictional United States government agency, the Department of External Services. MacGyver’s trusty Swiss Army knife and duct tape were always with him, and he used them and assorted household objects to escape from sticky situations and otherwise solve complex problems. So what would a MacGyver survival kit entail?
Fire-Starters
Sure, MacGyver didn’t always use matches to blow stuff up, but matches were commonly used throughout the series. A common household item, the fictional hero was pretty much always locked in a room full of such items. Matches are highly necessary for starting fires while camping, lighting candles in case of power outages, and more. If you feel your survival kit needs more than a few match books, add another firestarter, such as an adventure lighter.
Duct Tape
The aforementioned duct tape is an essential MacGyver survival kit item! This item can be used in any number of survival-esque situations, including quick repair of tents and leaky boats. Other uses include making bandages, resealing food containers and bags, hemming pants and much, much more.
Shoelaces
MacGyver frequently employed shoelaces in his schemes, and no wonder: it has many camping/survival uses. Shelter construction, traps, clothes lines…a good pair of durable, quality shoelaces can definitely help you out in a pinch.
Paper Clips
What MacGyver survival kit would be complete without paperclips?? Use them to unclog spray bottles, hit miniscule “reset” buttons inside electronics, pick small locks (a frequent MacGyver use), temporarily replace broken zippers….okay, you probably won’t be using paper clips to disassemble bombs and hot-wire cars, but they still make a valuable tool to add to your kit.
Swiss Army Knife
The other tool MacGyver always had on him? His Swiss Army knife. A knife, pair of scissors, can opener, screwdriver, tweezers, magnifying glass…numerous variations of the tools are available depending on what you want. How about a similar option with a flashlight?
In addition to his quick-thinking, MacGyver eschewed the use of guns in favor of non-violent methods whenever possible. Very cool!
What have you “MacGyvered” lately?