Scenario: Hotel survival items

[bushpilot]

While sitting in a hotel room this weekend a little too far from New Orleans, I came up with a scenario. Given the fact that survival situations can arise at any time - why not while you're on the road. Also given the fact that we all travel with a kit of at least minimal means - humor me on this one. Below is an inventory from my Comfort Inn room this weekend. I've done some thinking about the usefulness of the following items. I think you'll enjoy the exercise.

1. Fiberglass curtain pull (2-3ft)
2. Curtain hooks (8-10)
3. Blanket
4. Pillow cases (2-4)
5. Pencil & pad
6. Phone cord (wall cord)
7. Yellow pages
8. Coffee/sugar/creamer/tea
9. Tissues/TP
10. Small coffee pot
11. Filter cup
12. Ice bucket
13. Laundry bags
14. Coat hangers w/clips
15. String on ironing board pad
16. Iron
17. Cups
18. Towels
19. Shoe mitt
20. Shower curtain
21. Garbage bags
22. Mirror
23. Lamp cord

 

[Stryver]

What's the scenario? What are my needs? Has the city (like the one I live in) just experienced some kind of natural disaster and is without some or all of it's services? Has WWIII hit, and left me as the only survivor in town, or do I need to work with and against the other survivors in town? Have I magically been transported, with the contents of the room to some other environment, and if so, which?

Barring scenario clarification, here's some ideas of things I could make from the contents of my hotel room, assuming it's reserved under some other name...

I'll assume my immediate needs are met.

The coffeepot would be interesting, as my knowledge of a standard automatic drip pot never brings it's temperature to boil long enough for me to consider it safe to drink, and a glass pot would be interesting to use over a fire. It would be fun to figger out some way to boil water in it. I'm sure I could, but it might be interesting to buy an old coffeemaker and see what I can do.

The internals of a coffeemaker would provide some interesting pipes, but the heating plate might be useful, it's a flat, round piece of metal that might be hammered into a container, sharpened as a scraper, or broken/filed into a variety of other cutting instruments.

The curtain pull and hooks beg for fishing implements, but I'm convinced those pulls could be put to better use. Depending on strength, use one or both to make a light bow, something that could be effective against small game.

The ironing board could be used as a sledge, or cut/broke in half to create some quick snowshoes. The legs could easily be made into crutches/splints/walking staves.

The mirror is so valuable as a mirror that making anything out of it would be insane, though the size might need be adjusted a wee bit. Remove the base of the iron and you could use the tip as a flaker to shape the mirror fragments, and fit one of them to a plastic piece from the coffeemaker or the iron.

And, personally, I'd have to either use the coffee to break my caffeine addiction, if I thought I'd have none in the near future, or ration it out until I could get more.

Stryver