30 Survival Uses for Sandbags

Though great for preventing flood waters from damaging your home, these Indonesia-made MIL-SPEC sandbags constructed of heavy-gauge polyethylene plastic have many more uses.

Each package includes 25 OD green bags that have double stitching at the bottom and top. Each bag has a hole punched through the top of the bag with a 27-inch long plastic string. Laid out flat and unfilled, the bags are 26 inches long and 15 inches wide. They hold 40 pounds of sand when filled. Don’t forget to pack these along with a shovel, duct tape and a knife in your bug out kit! Here’s my list of 30 survival uses for sandbags:

1. Shelter or bunker
2. Blanket—cut up and sew or taped back together to create one large sheet
3. Collect water or water filtration
4. Gather food, water and supplies
5. Carry supplies, gear or food
6. Trash or waste bag
7. Storage
8. Use as kindling or tinder to start a fire
9. Take out the string to make tripwire
10. Take out the string to make fishing line
11. Game trap
12. Long-term food—rice, grains, wheat, flour—storage
13. Fill and use as weights to work out
14. Stop a flood
15. Fill with sand for protection or fortification from gun fire
16. Patches for tents and tarps
17. Cover windows
18. Use for signaling
19. Rip up and use as trail markers
20. Toiletries or personal hygiene bag
21. Hold dirty or wet laundry
22. Emergency toilet or sanitation bag
23. Ice pack or cold compress for injuries
24. Makeshift poncho or boot cover
25. Build a house
26. Pillow or mattress
27. Temporary tourniquet or bandage
28. Insulation
29. Shooting rest
30. Use to give stuck vehicles traction

What other survival uses of sandbags can you think of? Tell me in the comment section.