7 Uses for a Wire Coat Hanger in your Bug Out Bag
When you can only have a few items available to bug out with, it is important to know that those items can be useful in a variety of scenarios and situations. Tools that have multiple uses are especially important to consider. You’ll need to skip the fancy wood, plastic, and rubberized coat hangers for the simple original solution.
A simple wire coat hanger can offer plenty of functionality to warrant its inclusion in your bug-out bag. Pop off any supports and cardboard tubes from the bottom (if there are any), and fold the hanger so it easily fits in any bag. It’s extremely lightweight and somewhat malleable, letting you use it in a wide variety of situations.
1. Slim Jim
One of the more well-known uses for a wire coat hanger is to be able to jimmy car locks open. Whether you are going between the window and door seal in an older car, or prying the top open and fishing the wire hanger down to pull the lock, the key tool for both methods is the wire coat hanger.
Whether you are getting into your own car or scavenging other cars in an emergency, packing a coat hanger just for this reason may be reason enough.
2. Get into a Garage
By applying pressure to the top of a garage door, you can fish a wire coat hanger through the top and pull the emergency release on the opener itself. It takes a matter of seconds, and can often get you access to an entire house. If you would prefer others not to use this entry method on your own home, check out: The 6-Second Break-In | Garage Opening.
3. Fire Poker/Tongs/Handle
Handling hot objects is not something you want to do bare-handed. Whether boiling water or cooking over a fire, a coat hanger can make the job much easier by providing a sturdy tool with reach.
Whether using it as a simple fire poker or fashioning it into a set of tongs with a piece of elastic or a rubber band, you will be glad you had it with you. If you plan on cooking with a hanger, make sure to remove any paint that may be on it to avoid toxic fumes.
4. Gear Clip
Clipped and bent wire coat hangers make great makeshift ALICE clips. If you need to carry more on the outside of your pack, trimming your coat hanger to bend a few gear clips can free up your hands or room inside your pack for more carrying space.
You can use the hangers’ bendability to your advantage by forming them into a makeshift carabiner. It may not be as reliable as a Grimlock clip, but it can do the trick in a pinch and for much cheaper.
5. Hanger
I had to include the obvious. Whether you are hanging clothes or other gear to dry or for organization, a clothes hanger’s main use is still practical in an emergency situation. Dry clothing and equipment are very important for survival, and a simple hanger can help you dry equipment very quickly.
Hangers themselves are made for convenience, so you can make them more functional by turning them into a rack or clothesline to tackle multiple pieces of clothing at once.
6. Needle
Trim a little off the coat hanger and sharpen one end. Bend the other end in a tight oval loop, and you have a large makeshift needle. It can be used for rough clothing repairs or to stitch large textiles together, such as tarps.
Straightening the hook end is much easier than straightening the end that’s wrapped around the base of the hook. If you need the needle to be sharper, you can always crush the tip of the hanger with pliers or scrape the end of the hanger against a stone/concrete.
You can also make a bait needle for fishing:
7. Tool Attachment
You can create handy attachments for your other tools for a variety of needs on the fly. I’ve used wire coat hangers as paint mixers by bending them into diamond shapes and putting the ends in my cordless drill.
My most recent impromptu invention with a coat hanger was wrapping it around a pole pruner and forming a hook out of it to hoist electrical wires into the air. It worked great and reinforced to me how versatile these cheap hangers can be.
Limits of a Coat Hanger
Coat hangers are pretty thick, so they are not a great choice to use as a snare or trip wire. The ideal size wire for those is 20-24 gauge, and most wire coat hangers are made with a massive 13-gauge wire.
It’s less compact than the snare wire we recommend for things like bug out bags, but when you have a hanger already in your closet and room in your bag, the weight doesn’t really keep you from adding it.
The Final Word
Do you keep a coat hanger in your bug-out bag or get-home bag? Many preppers opt to keep snare wire that is not as stiff in their kits. While this wire is much better for snares, traps, and a few other uses, it does limit its functionality for most of the reasons listed above for coat hangers.
While the survival wire may truly be the better option, almost anyone has a wire coat hanger already available in their home, and they are easy to add in case of an emergency bug out. Let us know what wire, if any, you keep in your kit!
Here are some other articles our subscribers have found helpful:
- Best Snare Wire Traps for Survival Trapping
- The 10 Best Collapsible Weapons for Your Bug Out Bag
- Bug Out Bag List | 44 Essentials
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Man, I need to get some wire hangers. Mine are made out of wood. Who knew coat hangers could be so versatile! But that’s the thing, isn’t it? Being prepared for any survival situation is all about learning how to think outside the box, improvise, etc. That’s why I love reading posts like this–you get great ideas that really inspire you to think about everyday objects in a new way.
Coat hangers are great as a marshmallow or hot dog spit for a outdoor fire. They can be attacked to a piece of wood which serves as a insulated handle.
Work great as a emergency handcuffs
better than tie-wrap for sure,thanks for your ideas.
I’ve re-hung many a muffler with coat hangers.
Did you know you can “weld” metals with a coat hanger and a car battery? Might need two batteries for 24 volts.
You can fashion a three pronged fish spear.
I’ve cut them at a 45 degree angle or better angle and used them for a drill.
They sell bundles of 12 hangers for $2 at our local “New To You” second hand store. The family thinks I’m crazy buying them.
They are very versatile.
Good luck
My dad told me to always keep a coat hanger in the trunk. I never had to use it but I’ve loaned it out to others several times! Usually to tie up a muffler or to use as a grabber by someone locked out. Last time a lady left her keys on the seat, locked out.