When you are camping in the wilderness, or on a fishing trip, there are always going to be alternate uses for fishing line and duct tape, the two favourite handy-man of the backwoods first-aid and equipment repair materials. There are so many different things that can go wrong when you are away from home, that fishing line will come in handy to fix, at least for a short while. Alternate uses for fishing line can be, but are in no way limited to;

* Stitches. If you experience a large or deep cut that requires stitches, and you are in the backcountry, too far to go to a hospital or clinic, then using a light-weight fishing line, preferably a 1 or 2 pound line, and a double-ought fishing hook will make a great stitching medium. Simply thread the line onto the hook, remove the barb from the hook (if it does have a barb, as many hooks are barbless) and use the hook as a stitching needle. Tie one stitch at a time, and tighten the knots well. Make sure that you cleanse the wound well and sterilize with hot water before attempting to stitch cuts closed.

* Hang things up. You can use fishing line to hang things up to tree branches, so that wild animals will not get into them. Keeping your food away from bears and squirrels, foxes and wolves by tying a piece of heavy weight line (12 to 25 pound line) to one end of your cooler, or bags with goodies in them, and toss the other end, attached to a small rock or larger stick, over a high branch, and pull the cooler up with the loose end of the line. Once the cooler is high enough for no animals to be able to get into it, tie the loose end of the fishing line around the tree trunk. When you need your cooler, simply reverse the process (do not cut the line, as the cooler will fall and probably break).

* Thread. You can use fishing line to sew any materials, like denim, canvass or plastic. When you have a tear that needs to be mended right away, simply break the barb off of a #1 fishing hook, thread a 1 or 2 pound fishing line through the hook, and use it as a sewing needle and thread.

* Rope. If you are out of, or have no rope, and need some, you can braid some lengths of heavy weight fishing line together and use it as a rope. This may be dome in order to hang up a hammock, if you forgot to bring rope to do so, or any other purposes that rope would have come in handy for. You can also braid enough heavy weight fishing line together, attach it to a cinder block or similarly heavy object, and use the object as an anchor for your boat or water toys (like inner tubes, air mattresses, etc.).

* Fish holder. You can cut a piece of fishing line, 4 to 8 pound weight, and use it as a line to keep your fish alive and healthy in the water. Simply tie one end of the line onto a small, sharpened stick of wood, and thread the stick through the fishes mouth, and out through the gills. Take the end that is loose, and tie it to the line just above the stick that has been thread through the fishes mouth. Attach the stick to a tree branch, or stick it into the ground by the water's shore, and let the fish swim out in the water, tethered to the stick by the fishing line.

When you are camping, you will undoubtedly find other uses for fishing line, if you just use common sense. When used for stitches, for instance, make sure that you get to a hospital within a reasonable time frame, so that they can cut the fishing line stitches, clean up the wound(s), and re-stitch them closed. The two most useful items that will make life easier around a campsite, in the backcountry, or even at home are duct tape and fishing line. Always make sure that you have enough of both before heading out into the great outdoors!

Learn more about this author, Marc Phillippe Babineau.
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