Although a gas mask is a great thing to include in your preparedness supplies, it’s usually not a top priority for most preppers. There are only a few specific scenarios where you would need one, each of which isn’t very likely.
Still, I think we should be prepared for as many scenarios as possible. But if for some reason you don’t have access to a gas mask when you need one, there’s a way to make your own from a few household items.
In this video, Black Scout Survival explains how to make your own gas mask. Of course, it’s a lot easier to simply buy a gas mask, but if you’re in a survival scenario with many other people who also need gas masks, you may have to improvise. That’s why I think this is a skill worth learning.
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Here’s what you’ll need:
- 2-liter bottle (rinsed out, label and cap removed).
- Soda can.
- Thick rubber bands.
- Cotton pad rounds.
- Duct tape.
- Medical tape.
- Activated charcoal (not pills, but a large container like you’d find on the aquarium isle).
Here’s how to make it:
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- Use scissors to cut off the bottom of the 2-liter, right where it starts to curve.
- Cut off about 1/4 of the side of the bottle, down to where it starts to curve toward the top. Round off that end.
- Use medical tape to pad the rough edges you just cut (optional).
- Put duct tape around the bottom and fold it over to pad the rough edges on the bottom.
- Put duct tape down the edges of the section you cut out and fold it over to pad that as well.
- Use scissors to cut multiple breather holes in the bottom of the soda can.
- Cut off the bottom of the can, about two inches from the bottom, creating a small can.
- Put a cotton round in the bottom of the small can.
- Pour a layer of activated charcoal onto the cotton round.
- Put a cotton round on top of the activated charcoal.
- Use duct tape to tape a cotton round to the top of the small can.
- Poke a hole in the center of the cotton round.
- Use that hole to fit your new filter over the 2-liter’s spout.
- Use duct tape to tape the filter to the 2-liter.
- At this point, put the gas mask up to your face and make sure you can breathe through it, otherwise you’ll want to add more holes to the can.
- Break a rubber band. Now poke holes at the two corners near the top of the mask.
- Run the rubber band through one hole and tie a knot, then run the other end of the rubber band through the other hole and tie a knot.
- Put it on and make sure there’s a good seal all the way around.
I explained the steps as clearly as I could, but if you found them confusing, you may want to watch the video below to see how it’s done.
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