Zip Ties

Zip ties have a bit of a reputation for being used to restrain people in post-apocalyptic scenarios. While they can be used for this, in actual fact there are many more great uses for them than you might think. The really great thing about zip ties in my opinion is that that can be tightened using one hand, leaving your other hand free to hold whatever you’re securing.

They can be used for attaching items to your bag or belt. If you have something like a knife sheath that has the type of clip that simply slips onto your bag or belt, it may have the potential to come loose. Now obviously you really don’t want to lose your knife or anything else for that matter. So what you can do is use a zip tie around the bottom of the clip and around the rest of the sheath. This will ensure it doesn’t come loose. This does mean you won’t be able to remove it though, so if you want to be able to remove it more easily you can securely fasten a carabineer to the clip using a zip tie, then attach the item using the carabineer making it much less likely to come off. This may not be the most elegant solution but works.

Tip ties also make compacting things like sleeping bags and blankets much easier as they will only tighten and not slip and become looser when you let go. If you only have small zip ties they can be connected together so that they can wrap right round the item you’re tying up. They can even be used to make carry handles for items like this too.

You could potentially use them to secure bandages and dressings over wounds and add pressure but it’s best to pad them out with something like a bandana so they aren’t directly cutting into your skin. Anything too thin will cut off circulation and be dangerous. Similarly they can be used for securing splints, but again, make sure you pad them out.

They can of course be used for securing tarps to trees instead of using rope or something similar. This is much faster than having to tie knots etc. meaning that if it suddenly starts to train you can put up a very stick shelter to keep yourself dry. You can also use them to connect pieces of wood when making a more permanent shelter.

You can make snares out of a long zip tie or you can connect small ones together as long as the end zip tie makes a big enough loop. They are a bit stiffer than standard snares so may not work quite as well but once they are tight they will not come undone.

They can also be used to make loops to hang things around camp like a lantern for example. Or if you’re setting up in an urban location they can be used to lock double door handles together to stop people entering the building.

Another great use for zip ties is to mark trails. Obviously it’s best to use the brightly colored ones for this. By doing this you can leave the loose end pointing in the direction you are moving, so even if you only find one you can still get a better idea of what direction you came from originally making it much easier to find your way back. Or they can be left as a trail for other people to follow.

If you are using a bike and are going across country or snow, you can put zip ties around the wheels with the connector facing outwards for extra tire traction.

Also something that some people don’t realize is the fairly obvious (if you think about it) fact that zip locks are reusable. You don’t have to wedge the locking part open like some people think. If you cut off the section you have used and pull through the used part you can use the rest of the zip tie again. You could prize the tab open, but doing that can seriously decrease its effectiveness.