Text & Photo by Nancy Anisfield

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck… it might not necessarily be a duck. These ten nifty gear tips take basic items and use them for something other than their original purpose.

BEE STING RELIEF 
Tape or Band-Aid a moistened aspirin over the sting.

SUTURES 
In an emergency, dental floss can be used to stitch wounds closed.

CRAMPONS 
Slide a wood sock over the toes of your boots; the wool fibers will be sticky on smooth ice.

ICE PACK 
Saturate a sponge and freeze it in a plastic zip-closure bag. As it melts, it won’t be drippy like a bag of just frozen water would be.

FIRE LIGHTER 
If you don’t like getting your knuckles singed lighting a fire or burned-in candle, light a piece of spaghetti and use that on the tinder or wick.

FIRE STARTERS 
Your choice: the wax covering from a small packaged cheese like Bonbel (kneaded into a ball) or a stick of lip balm. Wrap either with toilet paper or stick some dry tinder to it, then light.

BOOT DEODORIZER 
Put some baking soda in a the center of a couple of coffee filters, cinch with a rubber band to make a little pouch, then drop one in each boot when you’re not wearing them.

DOG BOWL 
Cut a 6-inch rubber ball in half. It will fit nicely in your game vest or day pack for use in the field if your dog doesn’t like to drink out of squirt bottles.

TOURNIQUET, LEASH OR MUZZLE 
A shoelace – easy enough!

SCREWDRIVER
Standard power-cord plugs work well as medium or large-sized screwdrivers.