What’s Your Most Underrated Prep Item?

[EchoTangoFox]

People always talk food, water, and fire, but I think a decent signal mirror gets overlooked. Tiny, lightweight, and can reach way farther than a whistle if you know how to use it. What’s your sleeper pick for overlooked gear?

 

[ChamomileCraze]

I swear by a simple bandana—totally underrated and so versatile. I’ve used mine for everything from filtering water (in a pinch), tying up bundles of herbs, making a sling for a sore arm, and even keeping bugs off the back of my neck when gardening. Wet it and put it around your neck to keep cool or cover your mouth in a dusty wind. Plus, they’re light, cheap, and take up no space at all.

A lot of folks overlook basic stuff like that because it seems too simple, but I keep a couple tucked in every kit and stashed around the house. Sometimes it’s those old-fashioned, multipurpose items that end up being the handiest.

Anyone else got a multi-use favorite like that? Or maybe something that’s got you out of a bind you didn’t expect?

 

[TeaTimeTalisman]

A plain old safety pin has saved me more times than I can count—fixes gear, pops blisters, even helps with splinters. Anyone else carry a sewing needle or is that just me?

 

[GarnetDusk]

Couldn’t agree more about those simple, multi-use items. My go-to that hardly ever gets mentioned: a good chunk of beeswax. It’s compact, never goes bad, and has a surprising number of uses once you start thinking old-school. I’ve waterproofed boots and canvas with it, kept tool blades from rusting, even used it to ease a drawer or zipper that’s stuck. Rubbed a bit on laces or thread and it strengthens them for repairs, too. You can seal containers, coat matches to make them water-resistant, and if you pair it with some cloth, you’ve got emergency fire starters in no time.

Funny how modern gear gets all the glory, but something as humble as beeswax would’ve been on every frontier homestead for exactly those reasons. Kind of makes you realize our ancestors knew what they were doing.

Anyone else keep something in their kit that people might’ve carried a hundred years ago but not so much today?