How to survive an apocalypse with just the contents of your handbag

Would you know how to survive if suddenly there was no electricity, no running water, indeed if civilisation as we know it ceased to exist, and could your handbag help you?

Getty

Vicky Pattison seen leaving the ITV Studios (cropped)

It's the sort of debate we've all had in the pub. What would you do if an apocalypse happened?
Would you know how to survive if there was suddenly no electricity, no running water, indeed if civilisation as we know it ceased to exist.
Scientist and TV presenter, Dr Lewis Dartnell, has attempted to address this very question in his book The Knowledge: How To Rebuild Our World From Scratch . “I was interested in what skills we actually have to survive. How many of us can actually make and do stuff.
"The apocalypse question is a great way to frame these questions. What would happen if you couldn't just pop down the shops.”
Dr Dartnell admits that he doesn't actually expect us to all be ready to survive an actual apocalypse . “No one is going to have an apocalypse bag with them all the time but the stuff in our bags can be used in an interesting way.”

http://lewisdartnell.com/

Help: Dr Lewis Dartnell can advise on survival

Here's Dr Dartnell's list of how the items you have in your handbag might help you survive an apocalypse.

Plastic: Bottles can be used to help purify water

Plastic bottle: “Once you've drunk the water inside don't throw the bottle away! You can use it to sterilise water you collect. It's a process called SODIS. If you put some water out of a river in a plastic bottle and leave it in the sunshine for a day or two the UV rays will actually kill the bacteria. Modern science has allowed us to understand the science of disinfecting water. It's amazing that something so simple can eliminate typhoid and cholera, diseases that have killed people for 100s of years.

Filter: Tights can be used to filter water

Tights: “If you've a spare pair of tights in your handbag you can use them to further filter the water if it's murky. A pair of socks should do the trick too.”

PA

Storage: A condom can be used to carry water

Condom: “They're actually very stretchy and water tight, so ideal for storing water. If you want to make safe water while the sun shines and store it a condom can hold about two gallons of water.”

Fire starter: Tampons make great kindling

Tampon: “Rip them open, pull out the stuffing and you've basically got cotton that's perfect kindling for starting a fire.”

Fire: Glasses allow the suns rays to be magnified

Glasses: “The lenses on glasses can be used to focus the suns rays on to the cotton. Only longsighted lenses will allow you to focus the light though, as short sighted lenses diverge light.”

Pen: Using a black nib can help start a fire

Black felt pen: “Something with a thick nib would be perfect for making your tampon cotton black, which absorbs the heat better and is more likely to catch fire.”

PA

Lipstick generic

Lipstick/lipbalm/hairspray: “There's a bunch of stuff that might be in your handbag that you could use as an accelerant to help you light a fire. A lipstick or a chapstick are waxy and oily. Hairspray is a wonderful way to get fire going too when it's windy wet and cold.”

Steve Behr/Blaze

Survival: Your bike light could be a lifesaver

Bike lights: “You can use battery powered bike light to start a fire. Very carefully, short circuit the battery to get sparks.”

PA

Foil: Chewing gum wrapping can help you restart a battery

Chewing gum: “If you've no wires to help you short circuit your battery you can use the foil from chewing gum foil roll that out and it will work as a wire.”

Getty

Signal: A mirror can aid a call for help

Pocket mirror: “If you do find yourself in a survival situation like a helicopter crash or you're lost in the jungle, you can use your mirror to signal for help or rescuers who might be flying overhead by catching the light.
“Alternatively, you can break your mirror to get some sharp edges and make a crude knife.”

Getty

Saw: Keys can be used to cut through material

Keys: “Similarly keys can be used to cut your way through material, perhaps to free yourself from clothing. The teeth on keys can saw through things, although it might take some time.”

PA

Tied: Earphones can be used as a make shift rope

Headphones: “The wires are perfect for tying things rather than twine.”

Getty

Compass: GPS on phone can be useful

Mobile phone: “I looked into how long GPS would continue working after the end of the world. It would take about two months until the satellites shifted out of position and no longer worked. So as long as you can keep your phone charged you can use your GPS to get you around for awhile.”

Waterproof: A plastic bag can be used to keep rain off

Plastic bag: “The last thing you want is to get wet and succumb to exposure. In a downpour, rip open a plastic bag and make a crude cape.”
Superglue : “Bit of a less common handbag item but if you do have some it's perfect for closing wounds. Superglue was originally used during the Vietnam war!”

Getty

Antiseptic: Vodka can be used to treat wounds

Vodka: “Been to a party the night before the apocalypse? Alcohol is a great antiseptic. Smear it on a wound and then add superglue, a very useful way to stop yourself getting septicaemia.”
Dr Dartnell will be seeing if young people have the skills to re-build society after an apocalypse in his show at The Big Bang Fair (16-19 March at the NEC). Or check out his self help videos at www.the-knowledge.org