PSK-the Condom?

P

phatch

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Oct 3, 1998
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Is a condom really that useful? It's usually touted as a water carrier. It just doesn't seem adequate to the task. It only holds a little bit. Yes, it would hold more if you could get it under pressurized water, but then it's difficult to seal and unseal for use and fragile in carrying. And pressurized potable water in the survival situation isn't likely, especially from a source you can fit the condom around to fill in a pressured manner.

Seems a plastic baggie would do the job better and for a higher volume of storage. Longer shelf life too? A sandwich baggie should be small enough to fit well folded/rolled. Zip tops, though useful, would be too bulky I think.

Phil
 
Phatcg,I agree with you on the condom not being a very good water holder,its to hard to fill it as i have tried.However a couple of things it is useful for is #1 flotation.In a pinch it can be blown up as a balloon and placed under your shirt or in cargo BDU pockets for emergency flotation,and they are tougher than balloons for this.they can also be used as sterile storage for a lost finger or body part(grim I know).Another point is that it can be used to cover a snakebit in a pinch and then used as a mouthpiece to suck out poison without exposing the venom to your mouth.It also can be used as a glove in an emergency.These are all last ditch uses of course and would not work as well as other items,but still I keep 2 in my knife sheath when I am on float trips or on water.
 
Baggie would do all those things though the steril issue is still in the condom favor.
 
Never did like using condoms, so why change now :D. I've placed a folded 1 gallon ziplock freezer bag in my tin mini kits without displacing any of the other gear and have a couple in each of my other kits. ;)
 
Baggies are definately better for survival. As far as sterility, don't worry about it. Re-attachment of severed fingers, etc. isn't done too much if at all any more. Even if it were, you would have to get immediate help.
 
I agree that in general baggies are more useful,however the condom is much better for flotation than a ziploc bag which will pop open to easily.The condom is also a sterile bag more so than the ziploc.The condom will stretch to accomodate bigger items where as the zippie will break.All that said I still carry a freezer bag in my PSK as well.One of the big pluses to using a zip bag is that unlike the condom when pulled out to be used in a wooded secluded area your much less likely to be shot by your companions or at the very least you wont make anyone nervous.LOL!
 
As an alternative to condoms in your PSK, check out the Gerber Seal 'n Go bag, which is small enough to fit in an Altoid tin, as reviewed here:
http://www.equipped.org/etsbriefings202.htm

The Gerber bags can be bought at the link below or possibly at a local drugstore.
http://www.drugstore.com/qxp55061_333181_SESpider/Gerber/Seal_n_Go_Breast_Milk_Storage_Bags.htm

The Gerber Seal 'n Go bags are designed and used for storing breastfeeding milk for babies, so are really leakproof. Downsides noted in the review were that it didn't stand upright unsupported when full and its size. It holds about 10 ounces of liquid. Strong upside for survival situations is that it was tough enough to survive being hauled around in a pocket "for days".
 
I found a box of the seal and go bags at a local goodwill store for $2. It was a good deal. (no, they weren't used)I put one in my kit, it rolls up into less space than a typical ziploc. They seem pretty durable also.
 
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