Survival Tool: The Tampon. (Or the Manpon).

Yahoo posted this interesting and short video about why a tampon is a good tool to have in a survival situation. Now, we women probably already have these in our BOBs, but you men might want to consider adding one or two to your kits as well! They are incredibly small and light and in waterproof packaging. For example, I recently got a free sample of the OB brand. It has 3 tampons in a little plastic box the size of half an Altoids tin. I hope nobody gets all stupid in this thread, it's actually a useful item.

Here is the link to the yahoo video.



(I really need to learn to imbed videos).

reply to post by MojaveBurning


Ahh yes, the trusty old tampon good for gun shot wounds and in the event a piece of rebar gets a hold of you.
I have several in each bag.

And for the military, excellent for putting a mirror shine on the inspection shoes.

Used tampons also work great for baiting a trap!

Hehe hope that wasn't too gross, just joking (although I don't see why it wouldn't work...)

Good call OP, the tampon does have tons of uses for survival. I keep a small travel sized box of them in my BoB (for survival uses, I'm a man)

Maxipads or whatever they are called are also useful. I have a small box of the super thin ones in my BoB as well. They are SUPER absorbent and work great for covering up wound with a large surface area or that is bleeding a lot. If you are a large area of road rash, a series of deep scrapes that cover an area too large for band-aids or gauze pads, those super thin maxipads work wonders.

While out camping one time I slipped on some rocks that were wet from the river. The rocks gouged out a bunch of flesh from my calf on the back of my left leg. Many deep cuts and some shallow cuts, but overall a pretty large wound that was bleeding quite a bit. I had my standard first aid box with me, but obviously no band-aids are that big, and it would have used all of the gauze we had to make a patchwork of gauze to cover the entire wound.

One of the girls that was there with us had a box of those super thin maxipads, I poured some hydrogen peroxide over the wound, then some alcohol, then rubbed a little neosporin on the maxipad, put it over the wound, and wrapped it with a bandage. Worked PERFECT! Very little bleed-through of the bandage, the maxipad completely covered the wound.

It was that day I gained respect for the maxipad as a BoB item, and decided to keep a box in there afterwards.

Something to keep in mind for women is also considering the "diva cup" or "moon cup" for your kit (and regular use) both of which are usable for between 5-8 years, easy to clean, maintain and do not carry the same risk of toxic shock syndrome. They also reduce the amount of exposure we have to harsh chemicals (such as those used in bleaching) used in the production of both tampons and pads, produce far less waste and also good... cost far less. I bought my diva cup for $35.00 and have been using it steadily for the last 7 years... this type of menstrual cup can certainly push tampons to be primarily used in the ways suggested above.

reply to post by MojaveBurning


I have two in my desk drawer at work, and a bunch in my survival bag!

For the two in my desk drawer, one is cut up into little 1/2 sections and the other is full, but not in the applicator (thats just gross ). I use them for nosebleeds that I occasionally get, but if someone were to get another type of injury they might need the larger one.

reply to post by parrhesia


This is very interesting indeed. A thing I honestly have never heard of. I like the idea in and of itself (after reading up on the topic on wiki) due to less things to purchase at a constant rate. (I get so sick of feeling like I am flushing my money down the toilet!) it seems a wonderful idea, from an every day economic stand point.

I suppose my one concern would be comfort, but many women seem to feel they can get used to it, so I think I will give this a try!

thank you for new knowledge! Also a great thing in any survival situation as the nearest grocery is not going to be on the list of things we have in any SHTF scenario.

I second what parrhesia said. Tampons and Pads have chemicals that are bad for women down there.

reply to post by parrhesia


Excellent suggestion! Financially a better reason, better for our health, and in the long run would save a small fortune. Not to mention better for the environment. These are a great idea to store away even if you don't use them currently, as in a TEOTWAWKI situation, tampons may be scarce!

Originally posted by James1982
Used tampons also work great for baiting a trap!

Hehe hope that wasn't too gross, just joking (although I don't see why it wouldn't work...)

Good call OP, the tampon does have tons of uses for survival. I keep a small travel sized box of them in my BoB (for survival uses, I'm a man)

Maxipads or whatever they are called are also useful. I have a small box of the super thin ones in my BoB as well. They are SUPER absorbent and work great for covering up wound with a large surface area or that is bleeding a lot. If you are a large area of road rash, a series of deep scrapes that cover an area too large for band-aids or gauze pads, those super thin maxipads work wonders.

While out camping one time I slipped on some rocks that were wet from the river. The rocks gouged out a bunch of flesh from my calf on the back of my left leg. Many deep cuts and some shallow cuts, but overall a pretty large wound that was bleeding quite a bit. I had my standard first aid box with me, but obviously no band-aids are that big, and it would have used all of the gauze we had to make a patchwork of gauze to cover the entire wound.

One of the girls that was there with us had a box of those super thin maxipads, I poured some hydrogen peroxide over the wound, then some alcohol, then rubbed a little neosporin on the maxipad, put it over the wound, and wrapped it with a bandage. Worked PERFECT! Very little bleed-through of the bandage, the maxipad completely covered the wound.

It was that day I gained respect for the maxipad as a BoB item, and decided to keep a box in there afterwards.

You make some really great points about the maxi pads. I think these are also a great idea, especially for those of us who may be prepping on a budget. A pack of 48 costs is around $6 for an off brand... I don't know how much gauze costs, but I bet the pads are much more economical!

(sorry, I haven't quite figured out how to reply to more than one person in a post... it probably involves opening another window, huh.)

Originally posted by MojaveBurning
Yahoo posted this interesting and short video about why a tampon is a good tool to have in a survival situation. Now, we women probably already have these in our BOBs, but you men might want to consider adding one or two to your kits as well! They are incredibly small and light and in waterproof packaging. For example, I recently got a free sample of the OB brand. It has 3 tampons in a little plastic box the size of half an Altoids tin. I hope nobody gets all stupid in this thread, it's actually a useful item.

Here is the link to the yahoo video.



(I really need to learn to imbed videos).

edit on 24-7-2012 by MojaveBurning because: typo

Well , i never saw ray mears using tampons ...... and i know who i trust out of the two of you .
Do you think i want to be stranded on a mountain with nothing but a length of rope and a box of tampons ?

This is why women shouldnt rule the world ......... stop Hilary Clinton before its too late

reply to post by RockLobster


Lets face it, Ray Mears uses bits of tire rubber, and this wont light without a lighter, ie: a firesteel does not work in his little scenario, and lighter fluid in any serious situation might not be handy.

Using common sense before manliness might be a little more important!

reply to post by OpinionatedB


They feel different when you first use it (not too different from a tampon)... but you're quickly converted when you get used to using it, can't feel it, save money, feel cleaner and safer from chemicals, etc. I highly recommend it! You can just keep some tampons/pads around for survival/injury needs.

reply to post by MojaveBurning


using an absorbent as wound treatment?
no I dont think so,
maybe a "doc" might jump in here and change my mind?

reply to post by rebellender


I'm certainly no doctor! It would seem to me that the absorbency is exactly WHY it could be helpful in an emergency situation if you had nothing else. You hold a towel or cloth onto a bleeding wound, and it absorbs the blood. Then it becomes saturated and you have to layer another cloth. The absorbency of the maxi pad (or tampon) simply means it will hold more blood before you have to re-bandage or layer another. While not sterile, they would certainly be cleaner than say your tee shirt.

Absorbency doesn't imply that it would cause more blood to come out (if that's what you're thinking here, maybe I'm interpreting your response incorrectly).

Also, if you research different bandages, these are frequently described as 'absorbent'. One article I found goes into great detail about different types of bandaging, emphasizes the benefits of an absorbent layer.

Foam dressings are highly absorptive, multilayered
dressings, capable of absorbing large
amounts of exudate even when compressed
within a fairly snug bandage.

Source

reply to post by MojaveBurning


the primary reason for treating a bleeding wound is to stop bleeding. A tampon would absorb blood. Use loose multi layered goz as it allows the blood to coagulate.


these kinds of threads, such as "How to knock out your buddy to remove his appendix"
should be carefully regarded as Grandiose in nature.

IE:
TAKE A FREAKING FIRST AID COURSE
Infection and sepsis can and do create worse problems than most wounds start out as.

Lastly, when it comes to personal safety and health

ATS IS THE LAST PLACE TO LOOK...............hoooooah!!!

Originally posted by rebellender
reply to post by MojaveBurning

 

using an absorbent as wound treatment?
no I dont think so,
maybe a "doc" might jump in here and change my mind?

The pads are not all that different from the dressing we used to carry in the little green pack on our rattle rigs. Absorbent, non-stick, and useful for the pressure needed to stanch the blood flow While absorbing what DOES leak out. The biggest difference I see is the fastening method - pads don't really have one, and have to be bound on with gauze, an ace bandage, or a triangular bandage. Slap some antibiotic ointment or pinkeye powder on one, bind it on, and run like hell for the aid station - or whatever you've got that answers for one.

Tampons? Nah, I wouldn't dress a wound with one. they've got the wrong shape, and a fairly big wound would need more than one. Might be useful as firestarters, though. I used to carry a magnesium sparker, and some packaged tinder that went up like lighter fluid. I could see cutting a tampon into sections, impregnating them with some hydrocarbon, and packing them in a ziploc to keep it from evaporating off as bad, and sparking them under some leaf litter to git 'er going.